President Cyril Ramaphosa’s COVID-19 address to the nation on Thursday, 23 April 2020, explaining the “gradual and phased recovery of economic activity,” should have companies across industry sectors thinking about frameworks and protocols for business recovery.

While the current lockdown period has, in many instances, resulted in a complete shutdown, others have experienced an exponential decline in customer demand and productivity.

According to President Ramaphosa, “the return of the workforce in batches of no more than one-third,” brings new challenges for companies, and not just for those who have permission to resume operation under Level 4.

Kenny Archer, an ActionCOACH business coach, is working to help business leaders or owners and entrepreneurs through lockdown challenges and has outlined a framework to help fast-track operating efficiencies. He says, “Everyone has to learn new behaviours under this new normal, and these aren’t natural for us. Company leaders must prioritise efforts to create a working environment that will make it comfortable and safe for staff to return and resume productivity without fear of getting ill.”

Archer shares his recommendations through three approaches;

Planning and Preparation

Without thorough planning and preparation, a company could end up worse off than it currently is.

Start with a 90-day approach that focuses on your people and unpack what and how you will market and sell, and deliver and charge. During the week after going back, your focus needs to be on surviving before thriving.

Consider your role as a leader to manage employee mindsets, helping them to turn their fears into focus. Outline the new standards, and train and retrain all active employees on the new daily rituals that focus on learning and growing.

That first week may feel chaotic as people adjust to the changes and figure out what’s allowed and what’s not. Expect that no matter how much you’ve planned or accounted for, there will be things that you haven’t considered and that why it’s critical to test and measure.

Also consider who needs to be preparing in advance of going back to work while still in lockdown, i.e. how do you ensure that you can be operational from the day one?

Identify areas that can be improved on to be as efficient and effective as possible without overcomplicating the process. Expect to go through an extensive learning curve. Depending on the company or industry you’re in, learnings could last from between one to six months.

Essentially, all companies have goals and targets that need to be met, and these are usually achieved through a plan. While plans need to be adjusted during these unique circumstances, remember that your goals don’t change.

Lastly, the government has warned all South Africans that this move to Level 4 from 1 May 2020 is somewhat of a probation period. Failure to comply with the strict regulations may result in being forced back into Level 5. Plan for that. Anticipate and plan for this using what you’ve learnt during lockdown so that you can still be productive.

Communication

The stress and strain of the COVID-19 pandemic are evident in President Ramaphosa. In his address on 23 April 2020, it was clear that this is affecting him too and some of his mishaps during this speech affirm that he is human. Further, in demonstrating how to sneeze or cough and apply a mask, he reveals that he sincerely cares and genuinely wants to help protect his nation.

If every business leader shows this kind of compassion and leadership to their staff, often referred to as ‘family’, they will garner respect and commitment to the company.

Culture is often described as a soft issue, but it should be a strategic cornerstone of every business strategy. Companies describe their culture using words such as integrity and trust, but this pandemic is exposing the true colours of company cultures. There are too many examples of companies practising unprofessional, inconsiderate and in some cases, unethical treatment of staff during this time. Culture is only culture if the leader practices it. Leaders need to actively participate in activities and remind staff of their purpose and the process to kickstart productivity.

Employees need regular updates if not after every Presidential address, advising them of the impact on their situation, i.e. explain your approach. Detail how you intend to roll-out your plan, e.g. who will form part of the one-third that are due back at work, will there be rotation schedules, do they still have a job, or will they get paid, and if their salaries have been reduced, what provisions have been made to make up for that loss, etc?

Another critical communication is for customers. Many companies have shared that they’re working remotely, but others have remained silent. If your company falls within the sectors that can operate from 1 May 2020, have you advised your customers yet?

Back to Business

Finally, once people start to settle into the new ways of working and operations gain momentum, consider how you will get back on track or play catch up to start refocussing the team on the company goals. A word of caution though, “Those who go in too quickly will fail, and if too late, you’ll never make it.”

This goes back to your plan. The timing and overall approach from the week after lockdown until the end of the year when goals need to be met must flow. Return on investment, margins and net profits still need to be achieved, and while budgets will be amended, the key goals should not.

Companies still need to make the numbers and/or sell products and/or serve customers. The plan will be adapted to operate with the same efficiencies and the same expertise, even if it takes longer to achieve the overall goal. The sooner employees understand the revised plan and buy-into it, the quicker a company can recover from this historical global shift.