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Welcome back to our Weekly Digest. We hope you and your family are safe and doing well. Read on for this week’s update.

QLD closing border to travellers from Greater Sydney

Queensland is closing its borders to Greater Sydney, as COVID-19 cases in New South Wales continue to increase. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk announced the border closure, confirming Greater Sydney will become a COVID-19 hotspot from 1am on Saturday.

As Victoria and New South Wales battle second waves of the coronavirus, it is important to know where you can travel to and from. Here’s a guide on each state’s different restrictions on travel.

Business Optimism

McKinsey & Company’s ongoing research shows that business optimism is increasing. While the business world is plagued with uncertainty at the moment, most sectors are confident consumer demand will return, and have made changes and improvements to adapt in the meantime. This data shows what we all probably know – entrepreneurs tend to be optimists by nature, willing to take risks and are open to change.

Small businesses don’t often have resources or profit margins of large companies to stay afloat and weather economic crises. What they do have is the agility to pivot and adapt when these problems come up. A positive mindset and willingness to adapt well get you far – well done to all for weathering the storm so far.

If you need help in navigating through these uncertain times or mapping out a post-pandemic strategy, reach out to us so we can work out a plan.

Technology tools when working from home

While telecommuting has become more common in recent years, the COVID-19 pandemic has significantly shifted the landscape into one that demands flexibility and employee autonomy. As companies transition their workforce from on-site to remote or a hybrid of the two, the office of the future might be in your home.

This Forbes article shares valuable tools to help smooth over some common challenges when remote working, as well as boost your efficiency and productivity.

You might want to check out some of the following tools they recommend:

Chat Apps

• WhatsApp
• Slack
• Signal

Video Conferencing

• Zoom
• GoToMeeting
• Skype
• Google Hangouts

Productivity Apps

• Trello
• Asana
• Basecamp Business
• Box, Dropbox Business, and Google Drive
• DocuSign and HelloSign
• Notarize.com

Additionally, it is important to establish work-from-home protocols and communication best practices for your staff. You’ll want to set clear expectations and boundaries in terms of workday schedules, rethinking urgency and giving prompt replies, as well as doubling down on the grace in the event of unexpected work disruptions. If you need some guidance to keep your business moving through the crisis and beyond, get in touch with us so we can provide personalised advice.

Updates you may have missed

• JobKeeper Changes Coming in September
• Beware of COVID-19 Scams
• Boosting Your Digital Capabilities
• State grants and support programs

If you missed these topics in last week’s update, you can read it here.

What’s next?

We’ll keep you updated if as we get more news and updates. Now is the time to prepare a budget and cashflow forecast so you’re ready and well prepared for the coming months.