Businesses ready to ride second wave
Three quarters of South Australian organisations say they are prepared for a second coronavirus wave while more than 90 per cent are coping with changed rules and restrictions, according to a BDO survey.
BDO Industrial & Organisational Psychology undertook two short-form ‘pulse’ surveys of a broad range of clients from large and small organisations in the public and private sectors.
The first survey in June looked at the initial impact of COVID-19 on businesses while the latest poll looked into how they were coping and their preparedness for a potential second wave of lockdowns.
“We wanted to find out how organisations were coping and generally they were coping well,” BDO Industrial & Organisational Psychology Director Scott Way said.
“We were also surprised in the first survey that they had responded so well and we’re surprised again by the second one, which shows how well they continue to cope.”
The August survey responses from about 70 organisations showed:
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- 75 per cent of respondents felt they were prepared for a second wave
- 89 per cent of respondents felt they had the right operational resources to cope with a second wave
- 78 per cent felt they and their staff had the right informational/psychological resources to cope with a second wave
- 50 per cent of respondents were concerned/very concerned about a second wave
- 58 per cent thought their staff psychological wellbeing was positive
- 92 per cent were coping with changed rules and restrictions
- 62 per cent of organisations had moved into a ‘new normal’ state of operations.
Way said while organisations were coping well, the fact that half of respondents were concerned or very concerned about a second wave of lockdowns was surprising.
“The palpable fear of a second wave and a second lockdown is interesting,” he said.
“The issues of complacency is a bit of a sleeper in all this – you only need to go out socially to see that.
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“It will be interesting to see over the next couple of weeks what unfolds with the NSW border opening and if the pundits are accurate that we will likely be dealing with spot fire breakouts.
“We’re seeing with most of our clients that they are going to a hybridised work arrangement with two days in the office and three at home or the other way around.”
BDO will likely run a third survey just before Christmas to gauge how organisations are coping on a continuing basis.
“Companies are prepared and so it’s not all gloom and doom,” Way said.
“Human beings are enormously adaptive .
“So on the one hand I have been surprised by our capacity to cope but I also haven’t been surprised because adapting is something we do and we’re amazingly robust.”
In October 2020, BDO will again ask for views about the day-to-day experiences of doing business in South Australia – the opportunities, challenges and ideas we can all learn from.
The State Business Survey will inform our advocacy on behalf of SA’s business community and drive the conversation about rethinking the direction for business in SA – how we can ensure our state is a place where business can flourish beyond these times of uncertainty.
“Rethink the Direction for Business in South Australia” a live event, will take place online on Tuesday, 20th October at 12.30pm. Further information here.
