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Six Steps To Protect Your Workforce and Prepare It For The Unprecedented Challenges of Working in The Midst of A Global Pandemic
Six Steps To Protect Your Workforce and Prepare It For The Unprecedented Challenges of Working in The Midst of A Global Pandemic
precedented challenges of working in the midst of a global pandemic.
PUT PEOPLE FIRST
In a crisis of this magnitude, it’s essential, first, to ensure the phys
ical safety of the workforce and to acknowledge the demands that
the pandemic is putting on their health and personal lives. Prioriti
ze employee health and well-being
even if in the near term it comes at the cost of organizational perfo
rmance.
As the world mobilizes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, uncertainty abounds.
We must take this opportunity to seek the upside for employees, enterprises, and
society.
First and foremost, people come first. Period. In order to unleash the best in their
employees in today’s crisis, and ensure a robust, resilient workforce for the future, leaders
must care deeply and consistently about their people – their health, their needs, their
fears. This includes both the big things such as ensuring ways for employees to return home
despite travel bans, and the little things such as amending health insurance policies so that
employees can stock up on critical prescriptions and medicines to last through extended
periods of self-isolation.
One cannot navigate the crisis alone: leaders must empower others so
that everyone can contribute their skills to the needs of the moment. Align on what matters,
so that everyone has a clear “north star.” But also give teams room to operate, and trust that
they can deliver. Organizational agility and digital tools for real-time coordination and
communication become ever more important in an unfolding crisis, so that all employees,
regardless of level, can bring their expertise to bear. Similarly, a central “Crisis Management
Office” or “COVID-19 war room” provides critical enterprise direction through reliable
communications so that frontline teams can move forward with speed and autonomy.
Lastly, leaders must recognize that these are highly emotional times – both for
leaders, and for those they are leading. Merely acknowledging this and giving yourself and
others permission to process the emotions of the moment can go a long way toward creating
the mental calm needed to stay grounded and continue moving forward. Ignoring the human
side of challenging circumstances can leave employees feeling disconnected and
demotivated, rather than fueled to meet the days ahead.
As the world mobilizes to mitigate the impact of COVID-19, uncertainty abounds. One thing
is clear, however: as leaders, we must take this opportunity to not only minimize the
downside of crises but also seek out the upside for employees, enterprises, and society. By
pivoting from a fear-based perspective, to one grounded in the four core behaviors of crisis
leadership, leaders can equip themselves to navigate these “moments of truth” effectively,
regardless of when they occur.
ACCELERATE SMART WORK
Many employees face the prospect of working remotely from home
for an extended period of time. Make remote work “smart work”
by developing virtual-meeting best practices, trainings, tools, and
IT support and by defining clear norms for virtual agile teams.
One of the pillars of agile ways of working is team collocation. Study after
study shows that teams that work together in the same place report higher
productivity and effectiveness and better decision making. So, what
happens when a disruption such as coronavirus renders collocation
inadvisable if not impossible? Can team members working in remote
locations still be agile?
The answer is yes, although most teams—especially those that have been
formed recently—will experience some drop in productivity. This should
not be cause for concern: it’s just more evidence that collocation really
makes a difference. We are also finding that agile makes remote working
much easier. Many companies that are working in an agile way say the
following agile principles help them become more effective remotely:
MAINTAIN ALIGNMENT
PRIORITIZE CEREMONIES
One piece of good news: there are plenty of virtual tools available today,
and they can help. Consider using conferencing tools—for audio and video
—such as Webex and Zoom. Larger companies can use their virtual
private networks. An always-on connection during working hours can
facilitate informal and formal connections among team members. Frequent
calls or conferences during the early days of remote working can help
people adapt to a new way of interacting. A breakout capability—the
ability for team members to engage in one-on-one meetings while also
remaining part of a larger virtual gathering—is an important component of
simulating collocation. Virtual whiteboards are another useful tool for
overcoming physical separation, as are collaboration tools—such as
Egnyte, Hangouts, Jira, and Trello—and work-oriented messaging
platforms such as Slack.
Good leaders look for inventive ways to build a sense of culture for team
members. One way is to invite team members into leaders’ new work
environment. Leaders can share photos or give a virtual tour of their home
office—or even the house and the neighborhood. One of our colleagues
recently wrote about her experiences replacing physical distance with
virtual social intimacy. Another method is to assign roles to the team to
ensure focus and to encourage engagement. A “rabbit hole master,” for
example, ensures that the team doesn’t get stuck in unnecessary
discussions. A “zen master” ensures that the team’s energy level is at its
best. The “timekeeper” performs timeboxing.
Empathy. Some people will respond more readily than others to the total
disruption of their work environment. Those with children may have more
challenges working from home than those without, for example. Consider
that everyone’s take on this situation will be different—and talk about the
various perspectives openly. Teams members that remain aware of one
another’s circumstances can operate effectively until life and business
return to more normal patterns.
Transparency. At a time when the only thing that seems certain is
uncertainty itself, leaders should make an extra effort to be totally
transparent about their work, ongoing deadlines, and their personal
responses—even if the answer is, “I don’t know right now.”
Engagement. Encourage conversation among colleagues. That water
cooler chat is important for sustaining relationships. Not all online
conversations should be about work. Ask colleagues how they are coping
or how their kids are making out.
While no one knows how long the COVID-19 crisis will last, it seems
inevitable that many of us will be working remotely for at least weeks if
not several months. Productivity may take a hit, but it doesn’t have to hurt.
An agile approach can keep remote teams functioning effectively and
make them more resilient for the future.
CREATE VIRTUAL SOCIAL INTIMACY
Collaboration is key to performance, and effective collaboration de
pends on strong social connection. Digital collaboration tools can h
elp but so can simple practices—regular video check-in calls and
devoting portions of online meetings to personal interactions—to
minimize social isolation.
Creating Social Intimacy with the Distance
Published on March 14, 2020
Debbie Lovich
6 articles Follow
I was supposed to be in Milan yesterday with 15 or so of my colleagues. We were to fly in
from China, India, US, UK, France, The Netherlands, Australia, and Germany for two days to
share the latest and greatest in our work, reflect on the impact we had on clients last year, and
plan for how to build our practice and impact in 2020. We also do a bit of celebrating
together—a nice dinner, a little too much wine, and late evening jet-lagged strolls back to the
hotel. Meeting two to three times a year and leading our global People and Organization
practice together, we have become quite close.
I woke up early before our WebEx to work out and watch the latest news. I kept hearing the
phrase “social distancing” again and again and again. What does this “social distancing”
really mean?
So this is what the talking heads meant by social distancing: A screen on my laptop mostly
taken up by PowerPoint slides meant to be shared in Milan, lots of little boxes only half of
which were filled with faces versus initials. I guess some didn’t want to turn on their videos
at home. A challenge to stay engaged.
But suddenly, at a scheduled 15-minute break, the PowerPoint disappeared, and the little
pictures became bigger. I saw Felix’s unshaven face, an infinite wall of books behind Rainer,
Maria’s fancy desk chair in her home office, and some great artwork behind Allison. Before
people took their headsets off for the break, I asked, “Can you give me a video tour of your
house?” And instantly the distance became intimate. Felix revealed the mess to the right of
his desk, Rainer revealed the piles of books on the floor, Fabrice showed us great views, and
Maria introduced us to her dog. I had a completely new and more intimate view of colleagues
I have known for years.
With the COVID-19 outbreak now declared a global pandemic, and rapidly spreading despite
containment measures, public health officials have urged countries and businesses to adopt
new practices and behaviors to slow the rate of infection. Working remotely is one of them.
So, with all this social distance we lose the chats on the way to the meeting, the dinners after,
the knowing eye-rolling across the table. And with it we can lose the human connections that
make work fun.
There is so much more we can do other than video house tours to create social intimacy: I
threatened the leadership team with a seven-minute fitness routine on our next call (team, I
am serious). Maybe someone can teach us how to make fake office backgrounds behind us,
and we could have a contest for the best one next time. Maybe we take our iPads for a walk
around our neighborhoods as the weather gets warmer?
And for my next phone call, I want to spend the first five minutes trying to really get to know
the person I am talking with. Instead of the COVID-19 banter, maybe I will ask: What did
you and your family stockpile? What are you running out of? What did you make for dinner
for the family last night? What shows should I start binge watching? What random acts of
kindness have you committed?
Maybe with my project teams I could have a team video dinner—where we catch up over a
virtual dinner table?
Social distancing at this time is critically needed . . . but it is also critical that we create new
ways for creating social intimacy and connection. Please comment with your ideas (please
only publicly shareable ones!) for creating Virtual social intimacy while we create physical
distance.
SPEED UP DIGITAL READINESS
Effective remote work requires a robust technology infrastructure.
Incorporate new software tools such as Trello, Hangout, WhatsAp
p, and Jamboard. But pay special attention to cybersecurity becaus
e a company’s remote technology infrastructure may be especially
vulnerable to cyber attack.
The speed and scale of the transition to remote working create numerous
security risks for an organization, and your help desk will be the first line
of defense. Here are ways to prepare for the change and mitigate risk:
Executives and other key staff who handle sensitive data are particularly
critical but often less familiar with technology and its risks. Cybersecurity
and identity management teams should limit their access and provide
upgraded security measures to reduce the risk of compromise. The
following are some examples of the roles that organizations must keep
careful watch over and the security measures they should consider:
C-suite executives should alert their family members to the fact that
they are cyber targets and teach them to practice good cyber hygiene. This
will help prevent attacks from cyber criminals who know that executives
are working from home and possibly sharing the family network.
Finance personnel should be on the lookout for phishing, phone, and
business email scams, especially those claiming ties to health care
organizations or charities. They should verify all financial
communications, such as emails, links, and wire transfer requests, for
authenticity and require verbal approval from executives for all financial
transfers.
Procurement officers should ensure that contractual and other
confidential data are shared securely using secure Wi-Fi, enterprise file-
sharing solutions, and encrypted, company-issued USBs. Beware of emails
with suspicious attachments such as purchase orders and invoices from
unknown vendors or from people pretending to be known vendors—
especially those claiming to be related to COVID-19. Even emails with
unfamiliar addresses that appear to be legitimate should be treated with
caution. The difference between the following two addresses, for instance,
is impossible to detect: mail@example.com and mail@exampIe.com.
But in the first one, the “l” is lower case, while in the second, the “l” has
been replaced by an upper-case “I.”
Executive assistants should verify all requests of senior executives,
especially from unknown entities. Cyber criminals often resort to
personalized COVID-19 scare tactics, such as claiming that the CEO’s
child has contracted the virus. Don’t open such attachments or provide
information to the caller. Telephone trusted sources directly to verify
claims.
The necessary technologies, digital tools, and procedures for mitigating the
cybersecurity threat are available and can be implemented in a holistic and
comprehensive manner with modest effort and expense. BCG staff have
been working remotely for many years, and we know that thoughtful
planning that takes into account digital modes of communicating and
collaborating can avoid the potential cyber disruption and enable your
business to successfully continue its operations. Cyber attacks are like the
COVID-19 virus itself. Patching your systems is like washing your hands.
And not clicking on phishing emails is like not touching your face. It may
seem daunting at first, but these measures are crucial now and will
continue to be important as remote working increasingly becomes a fact of
life in the future.
MITIGATE PEOPLE RISK
For people and teams in mission-critical roles, take extra steps to
ensure business continuity—for example, by developing explicit
succession plans in case of illness, creating shadow teams to provid
e necessary backup, and reengaging recent retirees.
EAD WITH EMPATHY
As in any crisis, frequent communication is a must—but so is
frequent listening. Give employees multiple opportunities to voice t
heir concerns and make clear that they are heard by responding ra
pidly. There are no perfect solutions, but reaching out and acknow
ledging challenges is key.
Supporting Working Mothers During COVID-19—and Beyond
Published on March 20, 2020
Matt Krentz
Managing Director & Senior Partner Global Leadership and Diversity & Inclusion Chair at Boston
Consulting Group (BCG)
8 articles Follow
The COVID-19 crisis is upending life around the world as it continues to unfold, bringing
grave concerns about health and welfare and a long list of other stresses and uncertainties.
Childcare changes, such as school and daycare closures, are among the most difficult day-to-
day challenges. These disruptions are not just an inconvenience. They are serious problems
for those who don’t have the option of working from home, who may lose income from
reduced hours, or whose children depend on school for meals and safety.
But even among parents with white-collar jobs that offer some flexibility, managing children
during this crisis is extremely difficult—especially for women, who are 60% more likely than
men to take on childcare responsibilities. In fact, company leaders are facing a hard moment
of truth as they make decisions about how to respond to the needs of working mothers and
fathers during this difficult time. The way they handle this challenge today has the potential
to affect their pipeline of workers down the road, and the gender balance of their future
leadership.
The situation is particularly difficult in households in which both parents work, a more and
more common scenario. Today, white-collar employees are more likely than ever to be part
of a dual-career household: around 66% of households in the US and Japan are dual-career,
and almost 70% in Canada and Australia.
Even though more companies are allowing employees to work from home, it’s not easy for
parents to supervise and monitor the education of their children while continuing to be
productive at their jobs. And, of course, it’s even more challenging for parents who have jobs
that cannot be performed remotely and who cannot afford alternative care arrangements.
But women feel the burden the most. Women in heterosexual dual-career households are
more than one and a half times as likely as their spouse to have primary
responsibility for childcare, and single working mothers carry even more of the childcare
load. Women are also more often responsible for the care of elderly family members as well
as for their own children, placing them in that “sandwich generation” that is particularly
vulnerable during this crisis. In addition, women in the US are ten times more likely
than men to take days off from work to care for a sick child, even though over half of them
are not paid for that time.
Steps to Help Working Parents—and Keep Women in the Pipeline
It’s critical for companies to mitigate the repercussions, some of which can be long-term, that
school and daycare closures can have on women’s careers.
Working women with school-age children are often at a critical stage of their career,
potentially serving as middle managers and on their way to leadership and executive
positions—roles that around the world are still more often filled by men. As these women
navigate the COVID-19 crisis, their employers will be put to the test.
For regular sick days, forward-looking companies already have helpful policies in place, such
as paid sick days, backup childcare options, and flexible work opportunities. These are all
extremely important tools that help women balance work and family when it’s business as
usual. But these are not usual circumstances right now.
Here are four recommendations for what companies can do to support all working parents,
but particularly mothers, during this complicated time—and keep them on the job:
These are unprecedented times for everyone, and challenges faced by companies and
individuals are daunting. School closures will undoubtedly hit lower-income and blue-collar
workers the hardest, and we need to see strong action from governments and companies to
ease the pain. But at the same time, company leaders need to step up and make sure they
don’t backtrack on the shaky progress that’s been made in advancing women into business
leadership.