Introduction
The global COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we live and work at a systemic level. Social distances are maintained in stores and restaurants. Many people continue to wear masks and gloves when they go out in public. And the workplace has potentially changed forever. Many businesses, who valued office space, conference rooms, and in-person meetings and interactions, are re-evaluating their business model. Teleconferencing platforms like Zoom, GoToMeeting, and Skype have skyrocketed in terms of use and adoption.
Telecommuting
Many companies have invested in telecommuting since the outbreak of COVID-19. These companies have invested in technology, office furniture, and mobile solutions for staff suddenly thrust into a new work environment. It is easy to say that our people are adapting but let us look at healthcare. Have you ever thought about doing speech therapy while wearing a mask? Kind of hard when you cannot see the other person’s mouth or facial expressions. Telemedicine and Teletherapy have been thrust to the front of the treatment line. Have you stopped to think about how telecommuting has impacted nurses, doctors, and other allied health providers? For decades, practitioners have been taught to make real time and in person assessments of patients who present with healthcare needs and concerns. Now a huge portion of that work is being performed remotely by telemedicine!
We just changed the way we have practiced medicine since the beginning of time in the space of about ten weeks. That is mind blowing and mind numbing at the same time.
Managing Rapid Systemic Change
We are clearly living in a changed world. Some, maybe many, of these changes are here to stay. Have you taken the time to think through the long-term implications for your company and your staff? Have you created a plan to introduce staff to what it means to be and become a telecommuter? Those of us in leadership cannot turn a blind eye to the changes going on around us. The companies who act swiftly and decisively and who adapt rapidly will experience the greatest success. Mark Cuban made a comment a few weeks ago, and I agree completely. He said we will look back in 10 – 15 years and say, wow, these companies got it right and look at their success.
The companies who act swiftly and decisively and who adapt rapidly will experience the greatest success.
Create the Action Plan
An old management adage says that we should plan the work and then work the plan. By doing so we will make great progress. In these rapidly changing times, there are four things that we as leaders can do today to help settle some of the unease that our associates may be feeling.
- Be Patient During This Time of Change
- Create a Sense of Virtual Community
- Keep Staff Up to Date
- Now is the Time to Over Communicate!
Now is the time to put your action plan together and begin over-communicating with your staff. It will pay huge dividends down the road!
Be Patient During This Time of Change
Do you ever feel like you are pulling an enormous rock uphill? The weight and the burden can seem overwhelming. The top of the hill always seems to be just a few more steps away although you never quite seem to get there. Uncertain times can feel just like pulling that enormous rock uphill. Uncertain times in the environment and the world around us cause uncertainty among staff, board members and investors. Add to that a global pandemic, stay at home orders, and work from home requirements and uncertainty can turn into panic if left unchecked. In these challenging times, the importance of people and communication cannot be overlooked or underestimated. Focusing on people and communication will pay enormous dividends in both the short and long term. Following are a few thoughts about how you can engage with your staff in these uncertain times.
Telecommuting
Working from home is not the norm for most of the workforce. Telecommuting requires a unique set of skills and an ability to self-regulate the work that needs to be done. Workers who are used to the daily interaction that comes with working side-by-side with colleagues feel lost when they are thrust into a telecommuting role, particularly when it is an unplanned and immediate change in work setting. In these early days of mass telecommuting, we need to be patient with our staff as they adapt to a new work arrangement. Some may not be comfortable with technology. Even for those who are comfortable with technology, these can be challenging times. We are in an unprecedented time that is placing an enormous burden on our technology infrastructure. Our electronic communications are simply not moving as fast as normal.
Patience: In these early days of mass telecommuting, we need to be patient with our staff as they adapt to a new work arrangement.
Create a Sense of Virtual Community
Leadership is about creating a sense of community. Creating a sense of all working together to pull toward a common goal is critical. So how do you accomplish this when nearly everything around us has been shut down? The simple answer is to leverage technology. It sounds simple. Keep in mind, many of your staff may not be completely comfortable with technology. You will need to take time to teach staff how to use company resources. You also need to be extremely patient. It is going to take time for productivity to catch back up.
Community: Leadership is about creating a sense of community. That is even more important in this new era of remote work.
Daily Conference Calls
Daily touch base conference calls are an easy way to stay in touch with staff and keep them engaged. These calls do not need to be long. They can be as short as 15-30 minutes. The goal is to get people comfortable with the new technologies and keep them engaged with the rest of the team. Let them ask questions and take time to provide thorough answers. In the early days of this new work environment, it is critical to constantly review goals for the day, the work week, or the next few business days. This may seem like overkill, but it helps keep staff focused on what is most important right now. It is also important to review accomplishments and successes for the past few days. Since people cannot have these conversations at the water cooler, or at the company coffee pot, we need to make sure that we celebrate success often to keep staff engaged.
Keep Staff Up to Date
Video conferencing will be new territory for many staff who spend most of their time in meetings at the office. They may participate in video calls where another staff member is manning the controls, but now they are their own technical support. They need to learn how to initiate, participate in, and troubleshoot problems with video conferencing. Set aside at least one hour, one day per week for company-wide or department level video update meetings (depending on the size of the company). The more you commit to a schedule like this, the more comfortable your staff will become with the technology and how to use it for their own purposes and meetings.
With so many people working from home, the visibility of the CEO will be at an all-time low. It is critical that the staff see that the CEO is still at the helm, making decisions, and leading the company. A simple solution is to have the CEO or other senior leaders provide weekly video updates instead of email. This will add a personal touch since your employees no longer see you daily. The CEO and other senior leaders may also consider hosting weekly Q&A sessions between staff and senior leaders. While you are adapting to this format, it will be helpful to have staff submit their questions in advance so that there are no surprises in a live session. Topics may include:
- Updates on the COVID pandemic
- Updates on shelter-in-place and work from home orders
- Share successes and challenges of such an immediate change to a distributed workforce
- Let staff know that this is new for you too (it is okay that they know this causes uncertainty at all levels of the company)
Now is the Time to Over Communicate!
None of us have an idea how long our new restrictions will be in place. We also have no idea how this will impact the work environment for the intermediate and longer term. We need to help our staff get comfortable with these new guidelines because they are likely to be with us for quite some time. What can you do today?
- Be Patient During This Time of Change
- Create a Sense of Virtual Community
- Keep Staff Up to Date
- Now is the Time to Over Communicate!
Now is the time to put your action plan together and begin over-communicating with your staff. It will pay huge dividends down the road!