As the world watches the spread of the COVID-19 Coronavirus, we can wait for the government to act or we can team up and share ideas to stay healthy, stay in business, and reduce the impact of this illness on the healthcare system and the economy. 

Following are examples of the steps shops across the US & Canada have put in place:

Steps for the team members

• There is a constant exchange of tools and wearing gloves discourages touching around the face.  Every shop we spoke with has all employees wearing gloves at all times.   
• Some shop works with a full face mask. 
• Vendors and other non-employees are not allowed in shops in order to reduce contact and exposure.
• Lunch and breaks are not planned at the same time for every team member, avoiding congregating in one place at one time (physical distancing).
• Some shops have altered work hours and created new shift times, so some employees start earlier while other employees come and leave later in the day. This establishes little, or no overlap while having fewer people in the shop at the same time.
• Some businesses have opened on weekends or late shifts to further spread out their staff’s time in the shop and allowing employees, who have children at home to work more flexible hours.

To reduce bringing illness to the business 

• Some are offering a safe, clean place to change and asking workers to consider leaving work clothes and boots at the shop. 
• Some are purchasing lunch for staff; this reduces the risk of bringing an illness from homes, and it supports local food-service businesses that may be surviving by pick-up or delivery only.  
• Anyone with so much as a sniffle needs to stay home until absolutely healthy.  

• More hand-sanitizer stations are being placed throughout the business and a good supply of soap at every sink and wash station.
• If any staff can work from home, even for a few hours, It's a yes.
• If a shop has multiple locations, no staff is travelling to other facilities.
• Staff meetings in some shops are limited to 2: Yes you can do a conference call 
• Keep group meetings small, in open spaces (outside) if possible, and have people physically apart from one another.

• Have customer leave their car 3 hours parked outside the shop ( time for the airborne virus to set down ) 
• All vehicles are disinfected before any employee gets in a vehicle.  ( read more about sanitized products ... )
• All vehicles Key touchpoints are wiped (change cloth for each vehicle) with sanitizer including : 

Door handles (inside and outside and trunk), Steering wheel,   Armrests, Seat belts & buckle, Push-button areas on the dash and doors (radio, electric windows, thermostat, etc.), Cruise control and windshield wiper controls, Hazard light buttons.   Glove box, Center console, Shift levers and knobs...

When all work is complete, the vehicle should be disinfected again (following the same steps as above) before delivering it to the customer.
It is very important to communicate these measures with customers, so they know your procedures and feel safe when working with your company.  Ask the customer to pick it up 3 hrs after

Steps for Customers

• No customers are allowed in shops. Customers are met outside and at a safe distance.
• Some shops are requiring scheduled appointments only to spread out the number of people coming in for repair work.
• Do not reuse pens; when a customer signs an estimate or invoice, give them the pen to keep: Souvenir!
• Emailing quote & picture is being utilized as much as possible and add the confirmation by texting.

Steps for Leadership

•  In speaking with some of the vendor companies, many are cutting travel for their staff so communication and orders should be made by phone and email. Be patient with them as some of those companies are able to shift their efforts to the medical community. Gloves, dust masks, and head socks are difficult to come by right now because they are being sent to medical establishments. Within your own shops, DO NOT REUSE THESE ITEMS! But don't be wasteful either, they are in high demand right now.
• In addition to the many steps listed above, if you are taking additional actions at your place of business and you would like to share them, please let us know.
• Information is empowering, and this is certainly a time to help one another any way we can.  
  Lead by example; if you ask your team to take certain safety measures, you should be abiding by those same measures or they won’t take you seriously.
• Listen to your team. Many people are losing jobs right now. Kids are at home because schools are closed. Some products are not available on store shelves. All of this is creating stress. Anything you can do to give your employees some level of comfort in their roles will help with productivity and their overall well-being.
• Look at opportunities to acquire products that your staff cannot get at a store. One shop had a large order of paper towels and toilet paper that they were able to share with their staff.
• Stay informed of local, regional, and state mandates; they are changing, sometimes daily, and you need to be ready to make adjustments. Some states are requiring shelter in place or mandatory quarantines.
• If possible, keep in touch with local officials. Your business may be able to help in some way.
• Contact other shops and share ideas, challenges, and solutions. 
• Most importantly, keep yourselves, your team, and your customers safe. This is your highest responsibility.

This article was inspired from the one posted on the MSO Symposium’s homepage, on the right-hand sidebar, should you need to refer back to it: www.msosymposium.com