Economies around the world are kicking off with a new beginning. Following the COVID-19 pandemic, business and government executives have been considering the best options and general strategies to repair disrupted operations and effectively return to work without putting employees and citizens at risk. Organizations are repositioning operating models to address a host of new challenges.

There are intelligent solutions that will enable companies to leverage risk mitigation technology and form robust security strategies with targeted ways to continue protecting people, property and mission-critical operations. With a multilayered approach, enterprises can establish the best practices to reopen successfully. Here are four tips on determining that approach:

Address the obvious: What’s jeopardizing business continuity?

It’s best to begin forming a strategy by identifying the most mission-critical challenges. This should be business-specific as these challenges vary depending on the industry, existing infrastructure and geographic location. By targeting specific safety concerns — health monitoring, visitor screening, response coordination, etc. — organizations can decide more precisely how to implement security processes and technologies in unique ways to optimize protection.

Take control of what you can

It’s counterproductive to worry about things that aren’t within your direct control. If you focus on protecting what matters most, ensuring safety and compliance becomes an inclusive development: employees have more confidence, processes become more streamlined and facilities are better secured.

Health experts around the world will continue to tackle the widespread problems, so maintaining oversight on current risks and compliance in your particular workplace ecosystem will prove to more effectively mitigate operational disruptions.

Challenges may evolve over time, but the key to continuity is grasping onto what is within control and utilizing a technology-centric, scalable approach to do so.

Adapt with flexible processes and policies

After identifying specific challenges and taking control of what can realistically be managed, it’s critical to implement processes and policies that fit the unique situation of your business. Day-to-day operations often involve strategic and disciplined record keeping, reporting and defined procedures. So, when tailoring newly established processes, management must ensure that built-in functionalities are based in intelligent technology and help promote flexibility. For instance, using collaboration tools and mobile reporting on a centralized platform will help security management to be more proactive with health planning, ensure accurate access, respond to emergencies, and most importantly, gain enhanced situational awareness.

Be pragmatic, no matter what

It’s easy to overcomplicate health and safety strategies when considering how to navigate the reopening process. Many solutions have been designed across industries to address varied challenges, but they should never be worse than the problem. And generally, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so remaining practical and grounded from a management perspective will allow companies to overcome complex challenges after a major disruption, which likely include process interruption, productivity decline, discordant software and technologies, increased risk of criminal activity, miscommunications, and a lack of emergency response plans.

Deploying a tailored combination of platform-based intelligent technologies and incident management solutions can help organizations develop a pragmatic return-to-work strategy.

For many businesses, the true test of resiliency will be their ability to adapt. Companies are dealing with immense uncertainty about how, when and if they will restart operations. Beginning by evaluating their uniquely distributed threat environment and continuity roadblocks, a proactive approach that includes intelligent workplace health and safety strategies and technology-centric solutions will be the key to preparing for future challenges and better protecting what matters most.