Managing People and Organizations during COVID-19
As the COVID-19 crisis tests Governments, economies, healthcare systems and impacts the lives of billions of people across the planet, we are confronted with the greatest leadership and management challenges most of us will encounter during our lives.
In a statement on 08 April, the pandemic was described by the UN Secretary General as “one of the most dangerous challenges this world has faced in our lifetime” requiring an “unprecedented response.”
Many are dealing with bereavement and grief, separation from loved ones, loss of livelihoods or unimaginable disruption to their daily lives and routines. Many people are scared and there is a great deal of uncertainty about the future.
But within this crisis and it associated sense of threat and danger, there is also opportunity. Conversations are taking place at every level of society about the truths – sometimes uncomfortable – that COVID-19 is surfacing. How unequal, how separate from our natural environment, how greedy and short-termist we have become. This is a moment of inflection when the choices we make will reverberate for generations to come and have the potential to catalyse the changes the world needs.
Within this context, it is important to have the confidence and the humility to recognise that no-one has all the answers – we are all learning and adapting as the virus compels us to think, respond and act in completely new ways.
In recent think pieces from the Humanitarian Advisory Group and ICVA, we are urged to see the wider changes and opportunities this crisis may present for the international development and humanitarian sector. Here – in a spirit of humility – we offer five tips which we hope may help local and national organizations to deal effectively with some of the HR / people management issues they may experience during the COVID-19 crisis, and to organise themselves to be stronger and more resilient in the future.
Five Tips for Local and National Organizations:
#1
Remember...
Most people are scared right now and all your team members are facing different challenges dependent on their individual circumstances. Some may be most concerned about their own health, or that of their loved ones; others may be worried about their jobs or financial security; others may be isolated and at home alone or separated from their loved ones; and others might be trying to take care of their children whilst schools are closed. Find out how all your team members are affected and put in place the wellbeing measures which will support them.1. Focus on wellbeing
As the crisis unfolds, there has never been a more critical time to focus on the wellbeing of your workforce. People are looking carefully at how their employers are responding and a clear demonstration that your organisation cares is vital and will be remembered in the future.
#2
Remember...
2. Strengthen internal communications
“Nobody’s personal medical information or other personal information (such as illness or death of a relative) should ever be communicated to the workforce without their written permission.
Clear and effective communications become particularly important when people are working remotely, either at home or in different local offices.
Be creative and experiment with new ways of communicating and engaging you may not have tried before.”
Regular and clear communications about the crisis and how the organization is responding should be shared by its leaders, and in particular the most senior leader of the organization. In the absence of this, rumours and speculation will quickly take over.#3
3. Maintain external compliance
National Governments are putting in place new laws and measures to both contain the virus, and to deal with the economic impact of the crisis. It is important to ensure you are monitoring this at the national and at the local levels and implementing the necessary actions to remain compliant in a dynamic and rapidly evolving context.
Remember...
This is a fast moving situation and local and national laws, restrictions, and health authority advice and guidance are changing rapidly and must be constantly monitored to ensure compliance.#4
Remember...
Employment law varies from country to country. You will need to ensure that making temporary adjustments to benefits does not have any long-term implications for the benefits your staff or other personnel will be entitled to receive. Always prioritize local labour law compliance and take local legal advice where necessary.Whilst you need to take account of individual circumstances, remember to be fair and consistent with the benefits you provide. 4. Show flexibility and make reasonable adjustments
All of your people will be impacted in different ways and at different times during this crisis. Show flexibility and recognize that a ‘one size fits all’ approach is unlikely to be effective. Use management judgment and discretion to make reasonable adjustments where needed, ensuring risks associated with this are identified and managed.
#5
Remember...
Even the most effective leaders cannot navigate a crisis of this scale effectively on their own. It is important at this time to allow leaders at different levels of the organisation to step up and help. Be confident and humble enough to acknowledge you may not have all the answers, particularly about the aspects of the situation which are not within your direct control – nobody does in this situation. This is more reassuring than presenting inaccurate or misleading information which needs to be corrected.A more detailed think piece outlining some of the activities and with helpful resources for each of these five areas will be published soon. Watch this space and stay safe and well.5. Demonstrate effective leadership and management
The nature and scale of this crisis and its human and economic costs call for exceptional leadership and management skills. This may be the biggest test of leadership in your lifetime and it is the responsibility of leaders in every organisation to step up and meet this challenge.