After weeks of Coronavirus coverage and updates, we’re all feeling a bit of COVID conversation fatigue. We’re anxious for life to return to normal as soon as safely possible. We long for the day when we can share a meal with our friends and family. We are hopeful that when businesses are allowed to re-open, we’ll feel this sudden bounce back to normal life. Unfortunately, it will likely get worse before it gets better. Organizations responded to stay-at-home orders quickly out of necessity and everyone adapted over time. Getting back to work will come with a new set of challenges … Read More
Three Early Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Crisis
While we’re still weathering the storm of the Coronavirus pandemic, there are some clear early lessons we’ve learned so far. The nature of work changed dramatically by necessity and forced many of us to consider new policies and processes that were previously inconceivable. In some cases, the changes have been embraced and may become the new normal, whereas others have illuminated points of risk across the organization. Here are a few lessons many organizations have learned so far as a result of the pandemic:
A Closer Look at What’s Essential
As we continue adjusting to a world of ever-increasing social distancing, there are widespread debates over what is truly essential during a pandemic. Naturally, First Responders, Pharmacy Technicians, Grocery Store workers, etc., are essential. But many other industries have been deemed essential as well due to their involvement in the supply chain (including railroad workers, truckers, and auto mechanics). Other industries seem to fall in the gray zone of “essentiality,” such as home improvement and craft stores. What one person deems a luxury is another person’s “essential.” Thinking beyond the definition of which industries are essential, given the changing nature … Read More
Numbers Don’t Lie: Making the Case for Employee Development
Does this scenario sound familiar? You identify a common skills gap within your team and express your concerns to HR/Leadership. They agree and say they’ve seen a similar issue. You ask for support/funding to train your team. You know they need it, and HR knows they need it, but senior leadership is reluctant to allocate the necessary budget. After all, they just spent tens of thousands on an updated virtual video library for their LMS. Often, identifying the skills gap and the training/coaching solution is far easier than getting budget to fix the issue. Additionally, using a basic ROI equation … Read More
Tips for Remote Onboarding
Of all the concerns managers have about leading a remote team, perhaps one of the most daunting ones is how to effectively onboard a new team member to a fully remote team. In many organizations where remote work is an option, they still choose to initiate onboarding in person. In-person onboarding helps set the new employee off on the right foot and enables them to be effective in their new role quickly. While remote onboarding may not be ideal, with appropriate planning and effort the quality of the onboarding experience needn’t be sacrificed. Here are a few tips for remote … Read More
Today’s Crisis—Tomorrow’s Retention Problem
In just a few short weeks the general population went from having an awareness of the threat COVID-19 (coronavirus illness) had on their lives to being faced with possible shelter-in-place orders. When so much has changed in such a short period of time, it becomes hard to remember what “normal” business/life looked like even a few weeks ago. Even now, I’m having a hard time remembering what the most immediate stressors were in my own role a few weeks ago.