During the coronavirus pandemic, your people should be top priority. As we always start with safety, this situation should be no different. Figure out how to prepare your workplace. Revise policies, meetings, and critical work so that you can follow social distancing requirements and keep your employees as safe as possible. Be proactive and know how to deal with whatever situations arise. This is where top-notch trusted advisors will prove valuable and supplement your leadership team and HR resources.

Beyond safety, think about how you can lessen the negative impacts your employees are suffering. Can you be more flexible in scheduling hours or staggering shifts so that you can accommodate for children at home and other complications? Can you provide resources to help employees deal with stress and other issues?

If you are not considered a critical business, how can you navigate for the best for your employees and your future? There are several options: lay off your employees, furlough your employees, keep your employees and reorient them to innovation and virtual work, and more. Unfortunately, none of the options are easy; however, how you handle this situation (and what you do while the shutdown is underway) will have a significant impact on your future business.

Beyond your employees, how are you handling your supply chain partners, trusted advisors and other partners? Are you proactively communicating? Just as we’ve never seen a business with unhappy employees and happy customers, we also haven’t seen a business with a disgruntled supply chain with happy customers. Have confidence that people will rise to the occasion, and proactively communicate and coordinate. There has never been a better time to stand out from the crowd as a go-forward partner as there is now. Remain calm and lead the way to future growth and success.

We will continue to post resources to help clients and colleagues navigate the HR and organizational development challenges associated with this unprecedented situation. We are also participating in local, state, national and global sessions to be able to bring information, ideas and best practices to you. Please feel free to contact us with requests for information, resources and advice to move forward during these challenging times.

If you are a consultant, coach or entrepreneur, our Society for the Advancement of Consulting organization is hosting a “Thriving Through Ambiguity” webinar series which is included in membership, and we are offering a discounted price for new members during this crisis (use code THRIVE-NOW). We have an exceptional speaker lineup to help you thrive through ambiguity.

If you are in manufacturing and supply chain and want to learn more about how to successfully navigate these turbulent times, check out our coronavirus blog articles, videos and podcasts. Additionally, LMA Consulting is sponsoring a webinar series, “Navigating Through Volatility” for the Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM/ APICS) Inland Empire Chapter. We are offering this as free to our members, symposium panelists, sponsors, and business partners. We have an outstanding speaker lineup to help you navigate through volatility for both your organization and your personal career.

Please send feedback, ideas and resources that we can share with our newsletter subscribers. We will not win this battle alone; however, we can win together!