As the rate of new COVID-19 cases gradually stabilizes across a number of major metropolitan areas, companies are transitioning from risk avoidance to risk acceptance and contemplating how best to return their workforce to the office in a way that balances productivity and duty of care.
To execute a safe and successful transition, it’s paramount that business leaders leverage adaptive thinking and flexible policies that accommodate a broad array of employee and customer needs to protect individuals at greater risk of severe outcomes.
As more organizations reopen, we will witness a diverse range of operating environments. However, while developing their own COVID-19 continuity approach, businesses ask, “what key factors will characterize the most effective and safe return-to-work plans?”
Critical First Steps for Business Continuity
The initial steps that organizations take to resume operation will prove critical in determining the effectiveness of their coronavirus response plan.
Right away, organizations must adopt a risk management program that’s laser-focused on COVID-19-specific risks. Regardless of industry, The Chertoff Group encourages businesses to prioritize the below action items when outlining a risk management program:
- Securing personal protective equipment (PPE)
- Utilizing proven decontamination solutions with prophylaxis properties
- Implementing a workplace capacity management strategy to facilitate physical distancing
- Offering testing and participating in contact-tracing programs
- Investing in technology to increase pandemic resilience while also improving business operation
- Redefining corporate “duty of care” to emphasize the wellness of the workforce as a driving component within their organization’s corporate social responsibility model
Once a company has solidified a proactive risk management program, returning to “the new normal” starts to become within reach.
Articulating Risk Acceptance, Reestablishing Trust and Executing Change Management
As a business accepts the many risks that will accompany its reopening, it’s important to keep an open line of communication with employees, partners and customers. Articulating a risk acceptance approach is key for any entity trying to repair its essential relationships and regain its footing in the market.
In our recent webinar, we break down top considerations for reestablishing employee/customer trust and executing change management as organizations create new business models.
A company that regularly updates its workforce and clientele on its (ever-evolving) COVID-19 response and continuity plan will be primed for a successful, risk-based reopening. For instance, a restaurant that sends out communications highlighting how they’re adhering to health guidelines will regain patrons more quickly than its competitors that keep quiet.
Furthermore, when undergoing widespread change, the importance of communication expands beyond restoring trust. As employee roles, business processes and service offerings evolve, decisionmakers must implement a thorough change management strategy that empowers their team to adapt efficiently.
When COVID-19 forced global enterprises to go remote, a company that offered frequent trainings and accounted for its workers™ concerns likely witnessed less damage to employee morale, productivity and engagement. Similarly, when it’s time to reopen, those that implement change management processes that guide employees through these new, unfamiliar operating environments, will emerge as leaders in their industries.
Building Resilience for Future Challenges
It’s no secret that our global economy was not prepared to handle the widespread impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, when we inevitably encounter another disruption, we will have no excuse for being unprepared, especially with a potential second wave of the pandemic challenging businesses this fall.
Even so, lessons learned and codifying them in our business continuity plans can be a challenge for us all. Luckily, researchers and analysts are providing a tremendous amount of data to help navigate the uncertainty of the COVID-19 pandemic, and organizations should take note.
To build resilience and emerge stronger than ever in the post-pandemic world, organizations can leverage this information through their own data analytics efforts to elevate situational awareness within their operational environments. Once they identify actionable insights on where their COVID-19 responses fell flat, facing future headwinds suddenly becomes far less daunting.
Additionally, high sensitivity sectors, such as casino gaming, airlines and hotels, can take advantage of reduced infection rates to bolster resilience to better navigate future uncertainties. Companies across industry should avoid decisional paralysis that often arises during a crisis “ understand the impacts and capitalize on this period of relative stability to enact meaningful operational changes that safeguard people, property, assets and reputation.
Regardless of your organization’s size or type, risk management and business continuity planning have never been more important for leaders in determining how to safely return to work while also “inoculating”their organizations from a potential second wave.
At The Chertoff Group, we leverage a proven methodology to help clients effectively manage risk. To discuss your specific needs and craft a robust plan for reopening that minimizes risk, schedule a consultation with us and prepare your team for the challenges ahead.
