People

This is an unparalleled situation and people are both anxious and uncertain. It's vital that you offer your team confident leadership and clear direction in the face of adversity.

Keeping your people safe, motivated and enabled will be a major challenge for HR teams and the wider organisation. They will need to feel re-assured and secure, as well as understanding their positions. These are complex and emotive issues that can’t be taken lightly or without due diligence.

Actions to consider

Assess

Constantly reviewing the immediate impacts of the situation is essential. Information you find that's relevant to your business needs to be communicated to your unions and used to update your employee value proposition; capacity and capabilities; scenario planning; and immediate strategic requirements.

Protect

Communication with your teams is vital. Help them understand what will change, share your approach and be clear about where they can go for support. Make sure you’re listening and adapting to feedback effectively. Create engagement plans and support communities to manage change and minimise uncertainty. Protect both your people and your business through training and succession planning, and explore all the options around reduction, retention and flexibility of your workforce, while delivering against changing market conditions.

Restore

One day, all of this will be over. Then, you will have a wealth of experience in dealing with crisis situations and continuity planning. Be sure to document the steps you've taken and what you've discovered. Incorporate what you've learned from increased remote working and other solutions into your new standard operating procedures.