Lockdown is the biggest shock since the 1920’s. To bounce back, as a priority, businesses need to protect employee wellbeing and team morale.
Lockdown — that’s the new reality of our lives. Many countries are in lockdown, and many more will follow. During lockdown, we are being told to stay at home. For some, this is a retreat to a peaceful oasis. For others, it’s a den of tension with little privacy. For many businesses in survival mode, lockdown means a sudden shift to remote working.
As dramatic and unprecedented lockdown is, it will be lifted. It’s a temporary measure. It may be weeks or months, and we may have reduced travel and physical contact until treatments and vaccines are ready in order to deal with the virus. However long it takes, there will be an end to this.
As the Sufi poet, Rumi said, “This too shall pass.”
It’s important to remember this, even as we cope with the emotional fallout and disruption to our daily lives. But it won’t pass without everyone doing their part. Whilst healthcare workers put themselves on the frontlines, we can do our part by staying at home and displaying acts of kindness in our communities.
Businesses are doing their bit too. Zara, the Spanish fashion brand, has switched its production to create protective masks and gowns for medical staff. LVMH, the luxury perfume brand, is making hand sanitizers. Dyson, the iconic UK domestic appliance company, are building ventilators. And, small businesses are also adapting and reaching out in their local communities.
At Friday Pulse we want to do our part too. This is why we’re inviting companies and teams (50 - 1,000 employees) use of our people platform free of charge for 12 weeks, wherever you are located in the world.
Our responsibility to one another is not limited to social distancing. We also have a responsibility to look after one another’s wellbeing, whether its physical or mental. Because remote working is now required to protect people, companies need to be aware of what they need to do to protect employee wellbeing, team morale and organizational culture.
Friday Pulse is designed to track how everyone is feeling week-by-week, as well as collecting frontline feedback. This information gives you real-time insights into how people and teams are faring in this new reality. In addition to the data insights, our team and our founder, Nic Marks, is also on hand to provide tips and advice based upon the research he has conducted into the science of happiness over the last 25 years.
Lockdown does not mean down and out. To bounce back, we all need to display team spirit and work together. We need to support each other as we deal with our personal and professional challenges. Together we can adapt and adjust — building resilience as we recover from our difficulties.
Coronavirus is a global shock on a scale none of us have seen in our lifetime. It’s hard to overestimate the impact that it will have. Despite the efforts of our governments, many businesses will not survive. But we hope many will.
It is not the time to count profits — instead, it’s the time to work together.
For more information on how you can use Friday Pulse for free and help your team navigate this crisis please contact our Head of Helping People, Clive Steer at clive@fridaypulse.com
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