6A « July 6, 2020 « THE JOURNAL RECORD « journalrecord.
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GUEST COLUMN
Post-pandemic,
what will you keep?
My wife, Lauren, started taking
Spanish lessons shortly after the
pandemic hit. She carves out 20 min-
utes per day with the app Duolingo,
brushing up on a language she’s long
wanted to perfect. As of this writ-
ing, she’s at 97 consecutive days and
counting. past. Instead,
It wasn’t that she suddenly has
more time. In fact, with an 8-year-old
at home, she has less. The Spanish les-
sons are more of a coping mechanism.
It provides a feeling of accomplish-
ment, progress and structure during a
time when it’s badly needed.
It’s been a healthy exercise for Lau-
ren. She plans to
continue it, even
when the world
returns to its axis.
Last week I
posed a question
to my co-workers:
What good habits
have you devel-
oped over the last
RUSS few months, that
FLORENCE you’d like to keep?
“In mid-March,
I started recording
a daily gratitude,” said one colleague.
“Basically, I write down one thing I’m
grateful for that day. When it seems
everything’s going to hell, it’s nice to
focus on one thing I’m thankful for.”
It has run the gamut, she said –
chocolate chip cookies, low expecta-
tions, ballcaps, jokes about dinosaurs
and “less insanity today.” “It doesn’t
have to be huge,” she said, “but some-
thing I would miss in my life if it were
gone.”
One colleague said she wants
to spend less time on-the-go, and
“continue prioritizing family time.”
Another finds himself reveling in
the slower pace. “I don’t feel like I’m
rushing to get my son to school, then
rushing to a breakfast meeting, always
rushing, rushing, rushing.”
When normalcy resumes, his nor-
mal will be different. “I’d like to work
from home a couple of days a week,”
he said.
It’s an interesting juxtaposition.
Amidst the loss – of human contact,
of business, of lives – many people
have gained something: New habits.
Better relationships. Healthier
perspectives.
It doesn’t necessarily happen on its
own. You have to be intentional. You
have to seek it out.
I’ve spent the last few months
working from our guest room. Early
on, I recall hearing my son singing
quietly to himself while playing in his
room, alone in his own world. “If we
do this right,” I thought, “someday
we’ll look back on this time and find
goodness.”
The efficiency of Zoom meetings,
eating and reading on the back deck,
and the memory of Luke singing.
That’s what I’m going to keep.
What about you?
Russ Florence is a partner at the con-
sulting firm of Schnake Turnbo Frank.
PERSPECTIVES
AROUND TOWN
Foundation seeks Wall of Fame nominations
The Foundation for Oklahoma
City Public Schools has put out the
call for Wall of Fame nominations.
The foundation will induct the
36th Wall of Fame class this fall, but
the celebration
won’t look the
same as in the
people making
a difference in
the commu-
nity during these
challenging times
JOAN will be honored
GILMORE through tradi-
tional and digital
media, starting
in September.
That’s why support is needed.
In past years, the foundation
looked across the country and world
for Wall of Fame honorees. This
year, they are looking right here in
Oklahoma City to recognize OKCPS
alumni, specifically those who have
provided outstanding leadership to
our community by bringing unity
through activism or advocacy, as
well as those who served as first
GUEST COLUMN
COVID-19 and the people side of business continuity
The present pandemic has forced
businesses to confront the reality of
continuing business operations in
the midst of an economic and public
health crisis. Human resources pro-
fessionals and business owners find
themselves in an employment land-
scape that changes almost daily. As
businesses dig through the weeds to
understand and comply with chang-
ing rules and regulations, it is vital
to stay focused
on the important
big-picture tasks
that come with
doing business in
this COVID-19
environment.
COVID-19
has thrust the
MICHAEL W. difficult work of
business continu-
BOWLING ity planning to
the forefront
for many business owners. Busi-
ness continuity planning envisions
maintaining services in the event
of a significant disruption. A good
plan covers all aspects of a company’s
operations, including facilities, tech-
nology, business records, inventory,
utilities, third-party services and,
critically, people.
There is not enough space here
to provide enough detail to build a
comprehensive continuity plan, so I’ll
focus on a few high-level aspects that
affect the workforce directly.
Protocols for managing telework
responders or health care providers
during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They are currently seeking
honorees and sponsors for this
year. Sponsorship dollars help the
foundation continue its focused
work and serve both short- and
long-term needs within the district.
Contact abbie@okckids.com for
more information.
The 2020 class will join 88 other
alumni who have been inducted
since the Wall of Fame was created
in 1985. The 2020 inductees will be
honored in person in 2021.
Keep hearts snappy
Some folks keep secret that they
are hard of hearing. I have a friend
that does. There’s a way to keep
friends laughing if you only try. Pop
up wearing T-shirts with humorous
sayings or characters.
The Hearts for Hearing clinic
has partnered with Chris’ Uni-
versity Spirit to create sport caps,
short-sleeve T-shirts, long-sleeve
sweatshirts and zipper jackets, all
humorous or serious and in many
colors.
are a vital component of a continuity
plan. The first step is to establish
eligibility for remote work. While
typically an employee should be able
to perform all essential functions of
the job to be eligible for telework,
in a state of disruption you may
choose to deem an employee who
can perform some or many of her job
duties eligible for telework. In any
event, eligibility should be based on
standards applied consistently to all
similarly situated employees.
Managing and engaging a remote
workforce presents challenges. The
plan should define the duration of the
telework phase and give employees
clear expectations as to work sched-
ules and levels of responsiveness.
Additionally, successful telework pro-
grams require consideration of how
to measure and monitor productivity,
so that supervisors can hold employ-
ees accountable. A good continuity
plan will include establishing specific
days, times and methods for em-
ployees and supervisors to interact.
Consistent and intentional follow-up
with employees, both scheduled and
unscheduled, is important.
Employers should also consider
the employees’ access to the tools and
technologies necessary to maintain
expected productivity levels. To the
extent an employee must purchase
hardware, software or internet
service in order to meet required
telecommuting demands, you may be
required to reimburse employees for
The store closes July 10 at 7:59
a.m. Items can be purchased at
heartsforhearing2020.itemorder.
com/sale.
Hearts for Hearing is a nonprofit
organization at 11500 N. Portland
Ave.
‘John Lewis: Good Trouble’ at
Circle Cinema
Circle Cinema in Tulsa is offering
John Lewis: Good Trouble viewing
in-person or you can rent a virtual
screening at www.circlecinema.org.
In-theater screenings will
include a pre-taped interview with
Oprah Winfrey and John
Lewis.
Using interviews and rare archi-
val footage, the film chronicles Lew-
is’ 60-plus years of social activism
and legislative action on civil rights,
voting rights, gun control, health
care reform and immigration. Using
present-day interviews with Lewis,
now 79 years old, director Dawn
Porter explores his childhood ex-
periences, his inspiring family and
a meeting with Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. in 1957.
such expenses.
Unfortunately, economic down-
turns can push companies to enact
cost-cutting measures that directly
affect employees. When reducing
payroll costs becomes necessary, a
company must first decide if this
need can be accomplished with
temporary furloughs or if permanent
terminations are required.
A furlough is a mandatory but
temporary leave of absence where
the employee is expected to return
to work at a date in the future. A
furlough may be limited (certain
hours or days each week) or extended
(weeks or months). Whether an
employee’s benefits continue while
on furlough is determined by the
terms of the employer’s benefits plan.
Furloughed employees are eligible
for unemployment assistance, and
a detailed furlough letter will assist
employees in obtaining these
benefits.
A reduction in force is the termi-
nation of employees with an overall
reduction in employee head count.
While employees may be invited to
reapply in future, there is no right
of return or commitment to rehire.
Reduction-in-force employees are
eligible for unemployment assistance
and benefits continuation through
COBRA.
Michael W. Bowling is a Crowe &
Dunlevy attorney and member of the
Labor & Employment Practice Group.