We all know the story .. on the 12th March, the country was effectively shut down except for essential services.
It was a time when each and every single employer in the country had to figure out really quickly what they needed to do to protect the business during this uncertain shut down period – how long would it go on for, how many bills do I have, how much money do I have in the kitty, how much do I need to survive?
All huge questions and with no simple answers and no playbook to refer to.
What we did next reflects who we are, who the business is, our values, our ethos.
A week later, I checked in on a good friend of mine who worked as a baker in a coffee shop (part of a small but well known chain) around the corner from our office, just to make sure that he was OK.
What he shared with me was a tale of two very different HR philosophies and two very different approaches to their employees.
On exactly the same day he was given notice by his employer and his partner who manages a creche was also told that her place of business was closing because of the “lock-down”.
However, there was a huge difference between both.
In his case he was “left go”, unceremoniously with no guidance towards where he should go to for supports and no word as to what his status would be when this “pause” was over. Effectively it was a P45.
In her case, she was also left go temporarily, but with absolute clarity that her role would still be there when things returned to normal, she was guided towards the supports she needed and the employer set up a WhatsApp group so that the team could stay in touch during the lock-down.
While both of these scenarios were identical, they couldn’t be any further apart.
I have sadly heard of so many cases where loyal employees were just cast away on the 12th March, with virtually no concern as to how they would put food on their tables next week.
Your team are your business, and how you treat them will absolutely determine how successful your business will be and how deep your team will dig for you when needed.
When the lights come back on, I know of a great guy and all of his colleagues who will be looking for a new opportunity, and I know of a great gal and all of her colleagues who be delighted to get back to work and will dig deep for their employer when the chips are down.
What type of employer are you?
Greg
