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Facing the Challenge – What to Do and What Government Support is Available? (updated April 13)

Hi everyone. Hope you’re keeping well and on track, whichever one or many that may be. The inundation of public health and government updates these days are truly head-spinning. It’s challenging trying to make sense of all the messages, and balance all of the personal and professional concerns. It’s remarkable to see how individuals, business leaders and government are responding.

Further to my March 14 post and March 17 update (which includes links to various resources), I’ve been working with clients on various strategies to try to stay afloat and do everything they can for their staff, in the context of several months of cancellation or disruption in upcoming business, with an uncertain end.

In an effort to organize, clarify and compare the various support mechanisms that have been announced, below is a chart! (Don’t you love a good one-pager??) summarizing what we’ve been presented with so far, subject to further updates. Actually two charts: one for business, the other for individuals.

Initiatives and Resources for Business
Initiatives and Resources for Individuals

Feel free to contact me if you’d like a copy of either or both charts, or if you would like to discuss any of these initiatives in more detail, and what may be applicable to you or your business.

In February, I was talking with clients about workplace health & safety policies, flex-work and business continuity plans. Now it’s mostly a deep-dive into government resources, parameters around layoffs, cuts in pay or hours of work, ROE codes etc. It’s definitely been one of the most challenging times in my career, but I am inspired by my clients and the dedication they are showing to their businesses and their staff.

Fortunately, now those employers who made sacrifices and found creative ways to keep their staff engaged and employed a few weeks ago, when their business pipelines had essentially shut down for the foreseeable future, are going to be supported by additional government support. What a strong message to their staff though, to take those steps on their behalf, before the relief efforts were known.

Please let me know if I can be of any HR assistance to you or your business, or what other topics you are interested in. Some of my clients have offered to share their experience and stories with fellow business leaders also.

Good luck and stay well!

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Practical Steps for Small Business Leaders during COVID-19 (updated March 17, 2020)

Some of my clients and I’m sure other businesses, especially small ones, are feeling quite overwhelmed or confused about what to do and how to weather this COVID-19 storm.  So this is an attempt to assimilate the massive influx of information, and to package together some useful recommendations and credible resources.  

The last few days of shut-downs and announcements have been alarming, a relief to some and an over-reaction to others, especially while most of us are asymptomatic.  The virus has a 14-day incubation period (hence the quarantine and self-isolation periods) and public health officials are telling us we all play a role in delaying community spread, as long as possible.  In other words, to flatten the curve (i.e., let’s try to avoid what happened in Italy: the complete overburdening of the medical system there due to the rapid spread and spike in cases needing treatment…).  It’s a tricky balance to prepare, not alarm people, so everyone can take necessary steps.

Staying home and limiting interpersonal contact for an undetermined period is challenging for all, including small businesses with limited resources.  The government is promising financial help, but the facts and timing are not yet clear. Meantime, many business owners are looking at ranges of options from credit/cashflow financing to pay/hours cuts to potential layoffs, trying anything they can to keep their ships afloat. This also provides an opportunity to creatively improvise and innovate how you support and interact with your staff and customers... 

Engage your team in brainstorming and problem-solving these questions:

  • How can you adapt your service offerings to accommodate this situation and client needs?
  • What internal and client meetings and tasks can be done with more physical separation, online, on the phone or by videoconference, vs in-person or cancelled? 
  • What technology and processes do you have or need to put in place to support this?  
  • Where can you maintain productivity, cut some slack, keep everyone connected and even make this very difficult and challenging situation fun and stress-relieving for people? 
  • Who from your team can you enlist – or wants to help – with these items? 

Plans, policies, practices:

  • If you don’t have a COVID-19 policy or communications prepared, including workplace etiquette and hygiene, self-isolation and quarantine policies and other expectations, you should have one, consistent with and customized to your existing policies and practices.
  • If you don’t have a work-from-home policy, you now probably need one, at least on an interim basis.
  • If you don’t have paid sick days, you may want to consider implementing them, if you can afford it.  Alternatively, the Canadian government has announced that it has eliminated the waiting period for EI to relieve some of this burden.  It also has an application-based Work Sharing program, which may allow some employers to avoid layoffs resulting from COVID-19.
  • Ontario public health officials are now indicating that employers should not be requesting doctor’s notes for COVID-19 related time off work, because it may place an undue burden on medical professionals (i.e., they’re busy dealing with the influx of cases).  If your employee offers to provide a doctor’s note to substantiate medical time off for COVID-19 or anything else, ask them to scan and email it from home (if they have that capability), not bring it in while they’re sick.
  • If you don’t have a pandemic or business continuity plan, make a record of all the things you may need to deal with – including staff, clients, suppliers, technology etc. – that you’re now or maybe soon figuring out on the fly!  (And once all this is over, go back and put a proactive business continuity plan and supports in place for the next time.) 

Please contact me if you need help creating or updating your policies or staff communications. Please also share your ideas, resources and experiences – what’s working and what’s needed.

Remember, this too shall pass…  Your staff, clients, partners and others will appreciate your leadership in the interests of their and everyone’s welfare, which should pay off in the long run.  Stay safe and well!

Links to Public Health, Government and other Resources:

Public Health ON:  http://www.publichealthontario.ca/

Toronto Public Health:  http://www.toronto.ca/community-people/health-wellness-care/diseases-medications-vaccines/coronavirus/

Public Health Canada – COVID-19 (includes printable resources): http://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/coronavirus-disease-covid-19.html

WHO – Getting Workplace Ready:  http://www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/getting-workplace-ready-for-covid-19.pdf

FAQ’s for Employers from Sherrard Kuzz LLP (Employment Lawyers): http://www.sherrardkuzz.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Briefing-Note-COVID-19-Frequently-Asked-Questions-for-Employers-Updated-to-March-12-2020-Sherrard-Kuzz-LLP-Employment-and-Labour-Lawyers.pdf

Employer Update re COVID-19 from Hicks Morley (Employment Lawyers): http://hicksmorley.com/2020/03/12/update-on-coronavirus-covid-19-ontario-announces-pandemic-enhanced-measures-to-safeguard-public/

Government of Canada actions for COVID-19 (general): http://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/canadas-reponse/government-canada-takes-action-covid-19.html

Government of Canada actions for COVID-19 (resources for business): http://www.tradecommissioner.gc.ca/campaign-campagne/ressources-entreprises-COVID-19-business-resources.aspx?lang=en

Work Sharing Program (financial assistance for impacted businesses – Canada): http://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/work-sharing.html

Insulating for isolation: a mental health checklist for getting through quarantine (Conference Board of Canada): http://www.conferenceboard.ca/insights/blogs/insulating-for-isolation-a-mental-health-checklist-for-getting-through-quarantine

Article explaining Flattening the Curve (Washington Post): http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/world/corona-simulator/

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COVID-19 – Weathering this Storm (What’s your Mindset?)

Since my last (first!) blog on February 14th, we’ve gone from preparing for COVID-19 to nearing the eye of the storm here in Canada.  For some, like China and Italy, hopefully the worst has passed.  We have been able to learn from their experience.  But the storm has now been declared a pandemic.  It is moving around the globe, and knocking at our doors. How much do we let it in? 

Storm survival:

I moved to the beautiful island of Bermuda in mid-August, 2003.  Two weeks later, a photo of a giant swirling cloud, Hurricane Fabian, appeared on the cover of The Royal Gazette.  It was predicted to be category 5, one of the worst in the island’s history, and approaching the island within days. Terrifying!  What did I get myself into here?  But I’d made the commitment to be there, so after some fretting (on my part), my partner and I got practical and prepared.

We took local advice from those who’d been through hurricanes and tropical storms before, got a *reasonable amount* of supplies (water, batteries, non-perishables, playing cards, toilet paper and red wine!) and hunkered down.

When Fabian actually hit, it was pretty terrifying. The power went out as it drew closer, so we passed the evening playing cards by candle light and then tried to sleep over the intense rattling of the doors and shutters, wondering if they would hold, what would happen.  The fear was mostly due to the unknown and when it would be over.

The next day was sunny and calm.  The foliage was mostly gone, or splintered and sprayed across nearby surfaces.  Our privacy was gone, but hey, we could wave to the neighbours!  Thankfully, everyone was ok.  We got through it.

Fabian passed through at category 4.  It was serious.  There were 4 casualties in total, $300 million in damage, several roofs blown off, and the power was down for a while.  It was significant and took time to rebuild, but could have been WAY worse, depending partly on nature, and partly on people’s behaviour, past and current.

The island had learned from history.  It had improved its infrastructure, almost all buildings were made from cedar block, not wood, most windows had shutters, and most people stayed home and calm and weren’t cavalier about the situation.  

Reactions to crises:

Like COVID 19 (and many other things we’re seeing in the world right now), we knew this storm was coming, but didn’t know how serious it would be, and how much damage it would do.  That’s the scary part.  The internet and 24-hour news cycle can spread a lot of useful and accurate information quickly.  It can also spread a lot of fear and dangerous misinformation quickly.  The good and bad can go “viral” and spread fast.  It’s important to rely on reliable sources, especially in times like these, and try to stay a little more physically distant while keeping connected – a little sense of humour and neighbourliness helps!  

We’re seeing that in crisis situations, some downplay or complain, some take no action, some over-react, and some take reasonable precautions, hoping for the best but preparing for the worst.  Most would agree the last approach is the most effective.  I also think that most want to be or believe they are in the last category, but get caught up in worry or denial.  That’s totally normal, but not the best place to stay for too long. 

Especially at times of crisis, it’s good to check in with your mindset and coping steps and see if they’re working for you – and your team.  We’re all in this together, but if you’re a leader, your team will be looking to you for guidance, direction and in some cases, support.  If you’re feeling overwhelmed, do what you need to do to reset.  Take a break, walk around the block, exercise, phone a friend, whatever you need to do to get calm and perspective.  And ask for help if you need it.