Coronavius: Entering into the New Normal

The prolonged uncertainty of the coronavirus pandemic is testing organisations in every sector around the world.  As we enter the next phase of lockdown many of us are wondering what the “new normal” will look like when the crisis ends.

This pandemic has shocked most organisations and has been extremely challenging to manage.  We must now reassess our entire business and reset our expectations and goals.

In this phase of lockdown, we should begin to consider the following:

  • How do we keep our furloughed staff engaged? Can we spot those staff that are disengaged?  How are we keeping visible to our furloughed staff?  How do we make sure we are keeping in contact?  What online training programmes could we put in place to make a good use of this time?
  • Many of us have our daily Covid-19 Cobra style team meetings.  Now is the time to set up a “Plan Ahead” team who can begin to review, assess and decide how and when we reset and relaunch
  • What will the next new normal look like?
  • We have been forced to work in a different way over the last few weeks and have mobilised resources and staff at speed and scale to allow for working from home.  Can we work more efficiently by saving time on travel and making the most of technology?  What can we do about systems that cannot be accessed remotely?
  • What can and cannot be done outside of the workplace?  Are our traditional processes agile enough to change quickly if needed?  Are there better, simpler, less expensive ways to operate?
  • Those staff left in the business have commonly been multi-skilled and flexible.  They have been able to be hands-on to help the business keep running.  How can we continue to multi-skill our staff?
  • Supply chains have been problematic – what alternatives can we consider?
  • Which communication systems have worked or not worked?  The most effective messages have been those that are clear, transparent, honest and direct from the leader.  Which technology platform is working best?  Zoom, MS Teams, WhatsApp and Slack have been used extensively
  • How do we continue to keep staff safe?  How do we phase back into work?

Dealing with this crisis is a marathon not a sprint.  We are still finding out the true economic impact and most of us are expecting a rocky time ahead.  But the lessons we are learning are valuable.  We need to develop processes that are more efficient, organisational structures that are agile and effective and to build the resilience of our employees.

Now is the time to start thinking and planning ahead.  Put a “Plan Ahead” team together to start to brainstorm the “new normal” to ensure we survive and thrive in the future – whatever that may look like.

Team PSHR are here to help – contact us so that we can assist your business to navigate through the new landscape.

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