Retail florists are learning a new choreography of retail — getting up to speed as restrictions lift and supply chains shift. SAF Now editors and writers tapped government resources and floral industry leaders to compile the most relevant advice to help floral business owners step into this new normal. We’re sharing dozens of those tips, along with new tools the Society of American Florists has created to help you apply lessons learned.

The Warm-Up

As you dial up operations, look at your facility through the lens of safety and efficiency — and get ready to task yourself and your team members with new roles.

“We’ve learned to pivot quickly, doing something new almost every day,” said Chris Norwood, AAF, AIFD, PFCI vice president of Tipton & Hurst in Little Rock, Arkansas. His five showrooms have been closed to in-person shopping since the week before St. Patrick’s Day. “We have to be nimble and quick, but at the same time, cautious and cognizant of new rules and ways of interacting.”

Some items that should be on your to-do list: Check with your landlord about deep-cleaning services available to tenants or contract out to a third party to clean thoroughly weekly. Appoint a staff member to stay current with local regulations and to communicate them to the staff. In many instances, this will be the owner, but as you get busier and this new normal becomes more routine, it’s imperative to have your radar tuned to the often-shifting regulatory landscape at national, state and local levels. (SAF has resources to help guide you on those rules.)

Consider setting new hours to limit store capacity, labor costs and employee overload. Install sales counter barriers and create separate work areas if there’s not enough room in your shop to socially distance. Schedule additional time throughout the day for staff to attend to those cleaning and sanitizing responsibilities. You also want to spend time thinking through the logistics of curbside pickup, such as parking, payment and sharing the sidewalk with retail neighbors.

Staff Health and Safety Measures

The Centers for Disease Control recommends that employers take employees’ temperature and assess symptoms prior to them starting work each day — something national employers such as Amazon and Walmart have been doing since the early days of the crisis in the United States. Ideally, temperature checks should happen before the individual enters the facility. (Check with your state labor department for guidance on whether employees are officially on the clock during those checks.)

For his part, Norwood began taking his staff’s daily temperature in mid-March and has encouraged employees to speak up and stay home if they are sick. He’s also directed at least one employee who was feeling fatigued to get tested. (Arkansas happened to be offering free testing that weekend to all residents; she tested negative.) “Honestly, we’re all tired and anxious about this, so I expect to see it affecting employees’ health,” he said. “I’d rather be safe than sorry and make sure she got tested since it was available.”

SAF President Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, ordered thermometers this spring for the employees at Penny’s by Plaza Flowers, outside of Philadelphia, and said even if they don’t catch all the symptoms, having pre-screening processes in place can help put employees and customers at ease. “If someone is sneezing and sniffling, and they say it’s allergies, everyone is going to feel a little better having that temperature check,” he said.

What about protective gear such as gloves and face masks? Again, it’s important to understand your local rules — for both employees and customers. (Current CDC recommendations are outlined here.)  Just this week, for example, the governor of Virginia issued an executive order requiring all Virginians over the age of 10 to start wearing face coverings in public indoor settings, including brick-and-mortar retail locations. Many of the florists SAF editors spoke with have been supplying masks to employees for weeks now — with supplies handmade or pulled from storage closets.

Remember, staff communication is key. Be prepared for employees who are not ready to come back, initially and during any subsequent outbreaks that could affect your community. Some may fear getting sick or endangering at-risk family members. Some have caretaking responsibilities. Other employees, as many retailers are discovering, can make more money on unemployment, a dilemma Norwood said kept him from full staffing for Mother’s Day.

Prioritize Communication

 To help build morale and understanding in this altered environment, it’s important to make your appreciation and the new guidelines loud and clear to your team, florists say.

As soon as Illinois announced its stay-at-home-guidelines, Eileen Weber, AAF, of Lake Forest Flowers outside of Chicago had to reduce her six-person team by half. She reached out to her employees, telling them that if they are not comfortable coming in, the choice was theirs. She stressed the importance of staying home if they had any symptoms. “Frankly, I care about safety first and I want the people who do come in to be positive and want to work,” she said. “We’ve really been operating like a small family, not seeing anyone beyond the shop but our immediate family.”

In this time of uncertainty, make sure your expectations are clear. Put new policies, including those related to remote workers, in writing and keep your team updated as restrictions ease or shift. HR expert Glenna Hecht also emphasized that now is the time as a leader to “be direct, honest and vulnerable.”

“If you find you need to change your approach or policy, own it, and explain the reasons and next steps,” she said. (One phrase to try: “I just learned xx so that means we need to change xx and do xx.”)

Remember, too, that a little extra attention can go a long way with your staff. Valerie Ow of J. Miller’s Flowers and Gifts in Oakland, California said lately she’s amplified her cheerleader role, making sure employees know their health is paramount and that she’s grateful to stay open. “It stems from the top,” she said. “I am happy to be at work, so it shows.”

At Allan’s Flowers in Prescott, Arizona, Rakini Chinery, AAF, AzMF, said she has plenty to cheer about when it comes to her team and their willingness to adapt. With half of her once 12-person staff working, she’s most impressed by their commitment to the shop, safety and to one another. One avid skateboarder on staff usually goes to Phoenix to skate but hasn’t since mid-March; another hasn’t seen his mother in two months because she’s a nurse on the front lines.

“My staff have become so careful and committed to limiting contact, even beyond work,” she said. “They know if one of us were to test positive that would shut us all down.”

Amanda Long is a freelance writer and editor in Falls Church, Virginia, and a former managing editor of Floral Management.