Loadshedding hits small businesses hardest.

Being a small business owner comes with its challenges on an ordinary day, but on days when the power is out every few hours, those challenges can become impossible to cope with. Small business owners are the ones facing the worse of the loadshedding which has plagued us these last few weeks. The fluctuating levels from stage 5 to 3 and so on, have made it impossible to plan the workday with minimum disruptions.

Traffic affected

Besides the power cuts impacting productivity, it is also causing supplier delays as well as disruptions to the workflow. The loadshedding causes traffic delays. This results in suppliers or drivers not meeting the timeous deadlines that businesses promise customers.

The power outages can also cause staff members to come late to work. For many who work from home, the power outages might now force them back to the office to cope with the workload as the loadshedding at home cuts in on their work time.

The group that is impacted the most is small business owners. When the power is out clients have to be turned away, especially in services businesses like a salon or printing facilities.

Loadshedding hits small businesses hardest – Small convenience stores

For those running supermarkets or small convenience stores, the power cuts can see food produce losing its quality. Fridges in the business would be without power for some time. This might cause items in the fridge to go bad. The stock loss is a concern for the company.

Read: How Does Load Shedding Impact your Business?

The reality is that some small businesses are unable to purchase generators at the capacity that it is necessary to power up the entire store during loadshedding. The loadshedding also causes damage to the equipment in the business. Many business owners might not have that sort of cash to service the equipment that is damaged during the loadshedding period.

Security risk

The loadshedding also brings a security risk as it can see a rise in the criminal element. In the area when the power goes out, potential criminal activities might transpire. This will cause the business to incur further losses. Whether it is theft or even robbery, the loadshedding allows for easier access to criminal activity.

It has been just a few months of normalcy since the dawn of Covid-19. The coronavirus brought not just a deadly virus in its path but a disruptive streak of mayhem that resulted in the loss of economic prosperity for small business owners.

READ: Charge your phones

Loadshedding hits small businesses hardest: Just as businesses are slowly recovering from the blows dealt with Covid-19, the newest stumbling block in their way is the continuous loadshedding. While loadshedding seems to have us slowing down our tracks, let us look at 3 ways to work around the challenges presented to small businesses from loadshedding:

3 ways to try to minimise the damage caused by loadshedding on your business 

• Flexibility is key in the wake of loadshedding. Allow your team members to work flexibly during the loadshedding schedule. This means checking the schedule ahead of time and being informed of your times of loadshedding. Then structure or put a schedule together that is flexible. This could also mean adjusting start and finish times to ensure work is completed in the time when there is electricity to prevent production delays.
• Work on an alternate energy source. There are a number of possible solutions to keep the power on in the workspace. The easiest is a generator. This does however come at a cost. Instead assess the situation in the office. Look at the processes which require the most amount of work to be done. If it is a booking or reservation computer that must be up and running, try to get a UPS to power up those areas as it is essential to the business. You may also use this time to catch up on admin and filing.
• Avoid stockpiling. In light of the current situation with the loadshedding, avoid stocking up on items that require being put in the fridge. Rather order and stock them as you need them. This will minimise stock wastage and it will also allow you to manage the goods on hand better. Use plug protectors to prevent damage to equipment. This can be helpful in preventing damage to equipment in the long term.

Written by Devan Moonsamy

More information about the writer of this article:

Devan Moonsamy is the CEO of ICHAF Training Institute. It is a South African Corporate Training Provider & National Learning Institute. He is the author of Racism, Classism, Sexism, And The Other ISMs That Divide Us. He also wrote the My Leadership Legacy Journal available from the ICHAF Training Institute.

The ICHAF Training Institute offers SETA-approved training in business skills, computer use, and soft skills. Devan specialises in conflict and diversity management and regularly conducts seminars on these issues for corporates.