Recovering Your Business Post-Pandemic
Just like every crisis in the business world, recovery holds a special significance to every crisis management team. Following the tension and mixed emotions that were dominant during the crisis, a solid crisis management team will explore better ways for a smooth and painless recovery phase.
Businesses have shown three themes of managing recovery:
a) The favorable effects of the crisis on most businesses are starting to fade
Shorter meetings, concise and efficient communications, freedom of working from home, and genuine social team interactions, all seem to wane. Several teams have reported that they are starting to miss their old work routines and the new normal is becoming mundane and monotonous after all.
b) Complicated mix of emotions
Many managers reported that they felt closest to their colleagues and even to their inner selves. They were able to identify new realizations that were unseen before. They could see who is efficient to the prosperity of their business, who are the problem-solvers, who loses control, and who stays full of faith.
Teams were working in harmony to solve problems; stepping up when needed, covering for each other, and reporting faster than ever. Many teams have gone through an avalanche of mixed emotions, which was psychologically intense, as it showed the unbreakable ties and the weak links in the team. All this requires to be taken into consideration when things go back to normal.
c) The burden of the work ahead
Businesses are now understanding that during the pandemic it was all about solving urgent matters, which was like living only in “the now.” After the crisis is over, managers will have a heavier task of planning and ensure a stable business plan is in place.
No matter what theme is going on in your business, you will need to make sure that your team will cope with your recovery plan, which may include some psychological effort as well.
1. The recovery is the start of a broader challenge, not the end of the crisis
COVID-19 will not have an announced end day; it will not be gone in all places at the same time, its aftermath can be harsher for some businesses than others and you will need to face this reality and share it with your team as honestly as possible. It will be a missed opportunity if you just go back to your pre-Covid strategies. You will need to reprioritize your needs and prepare for similar crises with realistic and optimistic plans.
2. Recalibrate your team
The crisis has exposed your strengths and weaknesses. You now noticed an informal hierarchy of your team. You noticed who rose to the occasion during the tough times, and who stood back, even without a formal restructure. You can use the recovery phase to make more informed decisions to redistribute work responsibilities.
Several managers have stated that even the financial losses were devastating, the cultural effect of the crisis was very educating. The crisis has pushed people to a whole new level of thinking, performing, and collaborating; revealing new talents and skills in calibers who were hiding or for some reason were not apparent in the pre-pandemic time.
3. Reopen with attention to the small stuff
You should put into consideration that reopening is not just about asking people to operate from the office once more. You will need to pay attention to smaller details, and you need to do that seriously. You will need to set clear rules for social distancing. You will need to make sure to continue exploring new digital routines. You will need to pay attention to even smaller details, such as break times, coffee bars, and other socializing spots. People will need open spaces, good scenery, and better chances to socialize, share experiences, and exchange those little chats that add fun to the social life at work.
You should use the recovery phase to reintroduce your team to the business culture that you are adopting.
In general, the crisis management team should not only be focused on performing well during an emergency. It takes intricate planning for a smooth recovery phase. Your work is not all done once the crisis is over. You cannot assume that your team would revert to the old ways automatically like machines. There will always be continued insightful surveillance and attention to detail.
Wedell-Wedellsborg, M. (2020). Leading into the Post-Covid Recovery. Retrieved from HBR. Accessed 26 March 2021, https://hbr.org/2020/08/leading-into-the-post-covid-recovery
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