No, I am not referring to the classic Johnny Cash song that I often heard my father play in my youth. Although perhaps a few lines of the lyrics are fitting.

No doubt the pandemic crisis and social unrest have shaken many of our companies, our work colleagues, and ourselves to the core. We have had our hands full trying to address challenges amid massive uncertainty. A friend and I were recently lamenting how customer service appears to be at an all-time low. We could cite several examples of carefree and lacking customer service. Seemingly, it is OK to explain away poor service and quality “because of COVID”. Understandably, our companies are challenged to perform. As leaders, we have likely taken our eye off the basics while dealing with the onslaught of uncertainty.

This article is co-authored by Ashley Beaudoin and Lisa Kenney.

COVID-19 continues to disrupt organizations worldwide and uncertainty remains at an all-time high as leaders and members of the workforce begin to rebuild the new normal.

As companies transition back to normalcy, it is important for leaders to gain insight from employees to make sure the workplace and company culture return to a place of stability as quickly as possible.

Spoiler Alert:  This blog will not be about which web-based platform is the best investment or the best digital products in the marketplace.  This blog will be about LEARNING, and how, even though today it may be delivered in different ways than we are accustomed to, learning should not take a back seat in the workplace.  In fact, how workers are trained and upskilled today will require great leaps in creativity, innovation, and change management along with strong practices of human interfacing that you may have left to chance before.  So read on …

While the way we get the work done has undoubtedly changed, the business environment is just as demanding, competitive, and perhaps even more complicated than it was before the Coronavirus. It’s up to leaders to guide the workforce through these changing times to continue meeting production goals. 

Who would have thought that only a few months into the year 2020, we would all be living through another life-altering crisis? Like previous major crises, they are unwelcomed and unwanted. As we are in the trenches of this current experience, we must remain united and look ahead to a new world that will forever be impacted.

It’s hard to be a leader right now. You have people relying on you that are worried about their jobs, scared that they or someone in their family may become ill, or are just incapacitated by the overwhelming sequence of events that have occurred due to the COVID-19 crisis. At the same time, you may have some of these same worries and concerns. So, how do you take care of yourself and all the others who are relying on you?

During this time, we need to be more alert than ever. In many cases, the demand from our work has increased, our families continue to need our love and support, and we as individuals need to make sure that we are mentally focused.

It’s nearly April, and April is the usual time for spring cleaning at my house. Since the word “clean” has taken on a whole new meaning for all of us, I decided to really dig deeply into old dark corners to tidy up and truly sanitize. When moving some old picture frames and clay pots aside, I found a resource that I’d forgotten about. Published in 1992 and written by Donald T. Phillips, the little paperback Lincoln on Leadership is a profound, timeless reminder of the simple yet effective things we can do, not only in times of trouble, but every day to build confidence and loyalty among our employees. (And I found it on Amazon for as little as a quarter! Now that’s a bargain.)

Regardless of what is going on in the world and within our community, company leaders must be able to effectively communicate when a quick response is needed. Here are three methods for communicating with your workforce in a timely and reliable manner:

Part 3 of the Remote Work Best Practices series addresses concerns around creating  telecommuting policies. Thank you to our partners, Greensfelder Attorneys at Law for their guidance.