Most of us have seen one of the Hollywood blockbuster movies which focus on a global pandemic. However, we never thought that this would become our own reality.
We all now find ourselves in a very challenging period of our lives – both personally and at work. Being agile to change and adapting our ‘normal’ will help us to thrive, not just survive.
Time for a review?
We’ve been in this situation for a few weeks now, so most organisations are up and running with a new way of working. Some employees may be on the government's furlough scheme, but for those still working, now might be a good time to review how your new processes are faring and if you need to make any changes. Here are three areas to think about:
1. Your priorities
You won’t be able to do everything during this time of global lockdown and your organisation will need to operate differently. If you haven’t already, work out what your priorities are now. What is it that you can do and do really well? Your physical premises may be closed, but perhaps you can offer advice or help to your customers? Now is the time to be creative and positive and think about what you can offer, not what you can’t.
2. Communication
Now that we can’t meet in person, meetings are all moving virtual using platforms like Google Hangouts, MS Teams and Zoom. This is a great way to connect with your colleagues and customers and stay in touch face to face. However, this medium can also be draining on time and of energy. A day of video calls can make you feel like you’ve been on a long-haul flight. Instead of replicating your usual meeting structure, it’s worth re-thinking your approach to meetings and team communication in a virtual world.
Some points to consider are:
Outside of a virtual team meeting, it’s really worth deciding how you undertake every other interaction - not every single touch point needs to be via video. Phone is still a great way to connect as is email.
3. Information
Do you and your team have an efficient system for finding information or is this period of lockdown causing delays and frustration in obtaining what you need? If the answer is yes, have you considered an intranet for your organisation? An intranet is a brilliant way of providing a central portal for information and communication and can have different levels of access for different people. We’ve been working with customers over the last few weeks to enhance existing intranets, discuss new projects and look for creative ways to take their activities online.
Access the freebies
Don’t miss out on the free content being developed and delivered through webinars, blogs, articles and live talks. There’s lots of interesting material available on LinkedIn and across other social media platforms and is a great opportunity to learn or consider things in a different way.
Time to take stock?
If your workload has quietened, now might be a good time to take stock of your business. This is a great opportunity to reflect on a certain aspect of your business that you may not usually have the time to. Perhaps something has sat on your to-do list, or has been niggling away in the back of your mind that you want to take a closer look at – now’s the time.
How up to date is your website?
With more time on our hands, it’s likely that your website will be under more scrutiny from customers than usual, so now is the time to ensure that it is up to date. Does the content and messaging reflect what is happening at the moment? Are there any improvements you can make to the site – not just for now, but for the longer term? Perhaps your business needs have changed and your website is lagging behind? Or maybe it’s something as simple as wanting to get a regular blog up and running?
We’re here
We are still operating as normal, taking amends and updates from our clients, or considering new briefs from new clients. Or we’re here if you just want to chat
Stay safe everyone.