We are entering a period which many have said has not occurred since WWII. I’m not a historian but having listened to my parents talk about the war, in many ways what we are entering now is stranger that WWII as we have an unseen enemy among us.
I’m not going to write about the horrendous impact COVID-19 will have on families, nor about the impact on the economy. No, I want to focus on how it will impact the operational side of a business and how the Leadership team at Burrows has approached the challenge of managing through the storm.
For me, the key is regular, details and honest communications.
As soon as it became apparent that we would be asked to work from home (we had over 90% of our people working from home a week before Boris announced work from home) we set up a weekly Zoom call with all the company.
This weekly call had several purposes
· It gave us 30 minutes a week for us to connect. We have all experienced the isolation and fragmented living style that Managed Remote Working has caused. Having an opportunity to see and hear all our work colleagues and friends really helped us to stay close.
· It is a forum for us to update everyone in the business about our plans for how we work remotely, how we manage projects, how we look at phased return to the offices etc. We know that the information and plans from the UK government are sometime limited in detail and subject to continuous change.
· For me it is also an opportunity for me to explain all the decision and actions that the Leadership Team are taking. My approach has always been to give people the full picture so that they understand our plans. I believe that if people truly understand the basis upon which decisions are made, even if they don’t like the decision, they are far more likely to be onboard. I have frequently talked to the company about how we run the business in terms of cost and revenue. This has made it far easier to therefore explain why, with falling revenues, we must reduce cost. I what people to feel vested in the business and to do this I want them to know that I will always be open and honest with them.
We also have in place weekly calls with the Leadership Team and bi monthly calls with the team leaders. These meeting allow the Leadership Team to agree short and medium term plans and provides us with a regular touch base with the guys in the business who are managing day to day.
by Richard Wright
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