Workshop looks at Covid-19 impact
The Horowhenua New Zealand Trust is holding a workshop for local business leaders and owners to discuss the possible impacts on business, staff and customers of the Covid-19 virus, if it should hit Horowhenua.
Come and share ideas and network to discuss options.
“Our main message is Get Prepared Now,” said Trust chairman Anthony Young. “If we need to face this crisis, let us do it together and be as ready as we can.”
The potential impact of Covid19 is creating high levels of uncertainty here and abroad. It has become clear that now is the time to prepare for what may come — whatever that may be.
The workshop is meant to help local businesses and their staff prepare for whatever it is that eventuates.
“We want to facilitate a practical workshop, whereby you can apply yourselves to various scenarios, their practical impacts, and to work together to devise responses and flag critical areas for your organisations,” said trust chairman Antony Young.
“Given that we’re all in this together, we would like to share and discuss everyone’s responses, so that we can all leave the workshop with a better understanding of what needs to be done to help our organisations (and people) be as prepared as they can.
“We do have limited workshop capacity, so please limit involvement to yourselves, or one or two key people in your organisation,” he said.
Young said the workshop will take you through a number of possible scenarios, ranging from low impact to very high.
“We need to talk, for example, about how sick leave will impact our staff, how or if staff are coming into work, how can we support others in our community as well as suppliers and customers.
“MSD, IRD and the DHB will be there to go through these scenarios.
“It is an opportunity to help understand what is going on and bounce off ideas and solutions. Several local employers have already gone through that process with their staff.
“We’ll deal with talking to your bank about the impact of the virus on your business.
Business is central to our community and we want to help them to remain resilient.
“There is no manual for this, so we are hoping businesses have their own ideas to share. In my experience in a crisis the best solution comes from within. We have plenty of smart and practical people in our community.”
One possible scenario could be the ability of one business to pick up the overflow work from another who has been impacted more.
■ The workshop will be held in the Rimu and Totara Rooms at Te Takeretanga o Kura-hau-po¯, 10 Bath St, Levin, on Thursday, March 12 from 3pm-5.30pm. Entry is free.
■ Please register and limit attendance to one person from your business: info@horowhenuanztrust.org