As governments all over the world begin to ease the lockdown restrictions to allow for the re-opening of public spaces and businesses without a vaccine on the immediate horizon, staff won’t be returning to the old “normal” anymore. It is obvious, for instance, that the opening will take different forms, with different countries and different business sectors opening up in different ways and at differing speeds.

In a new report from the research firm Forrester, analysts call this the management phase of the crisis, lasting well into 2021, which will consist of re-organizing how we work, travel, congregate, eat, move and connect.

Thus, before re-opening of offices for the resumption of business, C-Suit Executives and managers of SMEs need to consider managing the risks associated with COVID-19, other uncertainties, and ensure a safe and healthy environment for both staff and customers. You need to be concerned about identifying and putting in place practical measures to control the risks at your workplace. Such measures must include but not limited to the following:

• cleaning, handwashing and hygiene procedures in line with government guidance.
• reasonable steps to maintain a 2-4m distance at all times in the workplace
• wearing of masks
• other practical to manage the transmission risk especially where space would not allow for the 2-4m distancing.

The World Health Organisation Emergencies Director, Dr Mike Ryan, has already revealed that the novel Corona virus will not be completely wiped out as many people around the world had hoped.  “I think it’s important to put this on the table: this virus may become just another endemic virus in our communities, and may never go away,” Ryan was quoted by Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) news.

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What that means is that the several measures announced by different governments and health experts since the beginning of the year aimed at stopping the spread of the viral disease are likely to remain in place – the impact of the outbrea­k will linger.

It is therefore clear that the rapidly escalating challenges from the COVID-19 global outbreak present critical people issues for businesses and organizations to assess and address with effective and efficient supply chain and HR policies, particularly as employees begin to return to work. Michael Bertolino, the EY Global People Advisory Services Leader, has said that “as organizations focus on the immediate, they should take the time to think through the consequences of their actions. “Short-term responses should be built on a clear understanding of impact,” Bertolino says.

Therefore, executives must start thinking about what lies beyond, and the reality that employees’ health and well-being remain crucial to the organization’s continuity, resiliency and capacity to reframe its future in the new normal. To help executives and SMEs manage and mitigate the impact of the Pandemic on its workforce, we at Human Capital International have identified five critical areas that have a direct effect on the lives of both personnel and businesses.

1. Prioritize and protect the mental and emotional needs of Employees

The abrupt transition to wide-scale social distancing resulting in remote operations following the global lockdowns of non-essential services has exposed several new risks that, if left unmitigated, will have substantial consequences on staff and business operations.” Large numbers of employees have been struggling with anxiety, loneliness, depression and lack of motivation. As such, there is the likelihood that returning to work can trigger a huge range of mental and emotional challenges. Many with and even those without existing health conditions are hesitant to return for fear of possible exposure in the face of the non-availability of vaccines. By all standards, how these psychological and physiological needs of employees are dealt with by their respective employers, is central to the success of post-pandemic business.

A study by Qualtrics and SAP in March and April, involving 2,000 employees in Australia, France, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, the UK, and the US, for example, showed that the pandemic is taking a heavy mental toll on workers. The study indicates that 44.4 percent of those who are now working from home admit that their mental health has declined. “Furlough workers have the highest proportion of mental health declines (48.5%) followed by newly remote workers (44.4%), and then all other employed workers (34.1%),” The study adds that” those who have worked from home for more than 2 weeks are 50 percent more likely to say that their mental health has declined due to “more chronic sadness, loneliness and more fatigue”.

It is, therefore, important for C-suit executives, employers and mangers to put in place mechanisms that will support employees to handle COVID-19 related mental and emotional stress. Constant counselling and giving hope to employees has never been essential like now.

2. Stagger the return of your staff to prevent the spread of the pandemic

Just as the world health body has warned that the virus is not likely to be defeated very soon, individual employers should put in place strict measures that will make the workplace safe for everyone. Business leaders need to think about which roles they absolutely need to have in the office and plan accordingly, so as to reduce the health risk to employees and customers.  Edwin Hewitt, CEO of Hewitt Associates, has one piece of advice for all executives and employers on what not to do in these troubling times as businesses prepare to bring back their employees, and that’s NOT to bring back all of your staff in one go. “You bring people back in shifts, you stagger it,” he says. “You certainly don’t bring everybody together.”

There is the need for HR Managers to revisit their HR policies to offer adequate protection for employee safety in the workplace through increased testing of employees, more remote working and redesigning of workspaces. Also, to reassure and guarantee the confidence of workers, companies will need to emphasize their concern for their wellbeing through regular and factual communication, and by exemplifying what they communicate.

To establish a gradual returning process, executives could bring workers back say, in rotating shifts, to help maintain and implement social-distancing policies and avoid full office occupancy.

Hand washing policies, less interaction with the public as much as possible, and the use of facemask should be enforced. This is not the first disease that affects the workforce. The world has lived with HIV/AIDs, Ebola, measles, malaria among others. So, employers should emphasize preventive and curative measures to tackle the spread of this pandemic. It might be worth thinking about building a sanitation area outside of the office to make sure that every device, such as laptops, handheld smart phones, etc., etc., gets a proper clean before coming in.

3. Embrace Technology utilisation in the new normal

For many business leaders, especially owners of SMEs, the thinking is that, the current remote working conditions are temporary as countries and health authorities manage the spread and threat of the coronavirus, and that we’ll eventually get back to standard working practice. However, the reality is that the workplace will never be the same post-pandemic. This is therefore the time to shift IT and technology in your business into restart and fast track mode.

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If your business has not invested substantially in technology and data analytics tools, the current situation presents a rare opportunity you must embrace. The new normal means that digital and contactless payment systems, remote work, large scale technologies including teleconferencing and enterprise chat have become part of us, and we must embrace them if we are to survive in the new normal. This is the time to adopt digital transformation to serve new customer and employee needs, improve data-driven decision making, new working practices and an increase in e-commerce as normal operational standards of your reborn business. Even as the rules around social distancing eventually get relaxed, it is obvious that these technologies will continue to remain and become an integral part of our working lives.

CEO of Lululemon’s stores, Calvin McDonald has said he believes retail shops will be closed because of the pandemic for longer in the U.S. than they were in China, where COVID-19 originated. However, more people are going to be shopping online, and those habits are going to stick, McDonald said, calling this the “new reality of retail.”

4. Reassure employees about their health and safety at the workplace.

To ensure the health and safety of employees, businesses have to follow all the necessary health and hygiene measures at the business site. All staff, including support staff, security guards, cafeteria staff and customers who visit the site must be regularly updated and trained on best practices to maintain hygiene and prevent the spread of the virus. This can be through outlining how staff and customers can keep themselves safe, for example taking temperatures as they enter office, wearing of face masks, providing hand gel, more contactless payment, drive-throughs and click and collect services.

Emirates airline, for example, has introduced thermal screening of all passengers boarding flights in Dubai and requests them to wear face masks, while hotel chain Accor has created new hygiene and safety certification labelling for all its numerous guests.

The health and safety needs of all your stakeholders have to be well thought out to ensure that while you open up your offices, you take every step possible to minimize the impact of the pandemic on employees, thus ensuring their well-being and safety.

Where possible, alternative working arrangements, especially for office -based employees could be adopted, such as home-working or split-team working. Also, strategize to put in place an emergency response mechanism and prepare for the potential shut-down scenario if an employee tests positive at the business premise. Be sure to communicate the guidelines for the emergency responses to the entire staff as guarantee that their employer is taking their health seriously.

5. Inspire Confidence with your Leadership

As C-suit executive, manager or entrepreneur, one principal thing you should focus on, is how you inspire confidence with your leadership style – post-lockdown. This is crucial, considering the level of anxiety, health and safety concerns among employees and customers. Thus, when you give any directive within your company on any issue regarding safety and hygiene practices, business decisions, or in communicating to the team during crises, be mindful to be the example of what you preach.

In our previous article “inspirational leadership imperative in times of crisis”, we discussed the need to remain visible, approachable and calm as a leader. Although it is a fact that you may not have all the answers, maintaining regular, transparent and open communication with your larger employee base on whatever is going on within the company, becomes extremely important. That is where your attention should be if you are to retain trust and faith among the rank and file within the business.

Alternate your “top-down management” approach to respond to contextual concerns and seek to promote self-care. These are trying times, and you should do all you can to assure your people that not only do you understand them, but you also want to support them to take care of themselves and their families.

Do whatever you can during these difficult times to inspire confidence and trust among your staff with your leadership. ­­­