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Perspectives on COVID-19 Long Term Impact
Perspectives on COVID-19 Long Term Impact
Like many of you, I am spending quite a bit of time reading, listening to interviews and podcasts, learning as much as I can about what the experts are saying about the post COVID-19 world.
In an interview yesterday morning on CBS Face the Nation, Eric Schmidt, former Google Chairman and CEO, said that the past two months has brought forth 10 years of forward change. I found his perspectives interesting and worthy of further discussion. Schmidt shared that the crisis has made the internet a necessity if one is going to be part of society—employment, education, consumerism, health care—all driven by access to the internet. He delved into the concept of telehealth, citing that 80 percent of medical appointments are now occurring via telehealth; that it is much easier for users and has been something people have been advocating for, only going into the doctor when absolutely necessary. Is this the future of health care?
He also discussed the potential need for employers to be much more flexible about the concept of where employees work, possibly considering more space if employees are going to come to the office and practice social distancing, implementing a hub and spoke system to minimize commuter travel, and of course carefully evaluating who really needs to come to the office. He emphasized that the crisis has uncovered the weaknesses in the technological infrastructure in rural parts of America as well as some city and state governments—stating that increased access to broadband and upgraded hardware must be part of the post COVID-19 environment.
Forbes also took an interesting approach to their examination of the future in an article by Tracy Brower predicting how COVID-19 will change the future of work. Some of the things that rang true in the article for me include:
Employers will maintain the expanded support they provide employees. Many employers have added to employee support systems as a result of the coronavirus crisis, and I agree that it is likely this new programming will be maintained, including support for employee mental health and overall wellness. We have all learned in profound ways the importance of employee engagement, and this knowledge should drive our approach to employee communication.
Leadership will improve. In the toughest times, the leaders who excel are those who communicate clearly, stay calm and strong, demonstrate empathy, think long-term and take appropriate decisive action. These are the leaders who leverage the crisis as an opportunity to improve systems and service delivery.
Company culture will become a focus. Like leadership, company culture is paramount to an organization’s success. Brower suggests that is it very likely companies will increasingly acknowledge the importance of culture as context for performance and employee engagement.
Work will become more flexible. Many companies have been resistant to letting employees work from home, but as Brower states, “this unexpected global work-from-home experiment has forced companies to accept it as a legitimate option.” Many of us have increased our technology infrastructure and software options to facilitate remote work. “Teams are figuring out how to collaborate at a distance and leaders are improving their ability to manage based on outcomes and objectives rather than presence, leveraging a growing comfort with technology,” says Brower.
Innovation will flourish. As I have shared in previous blogs, innovation often stems from crisis. We are forced to imagine new solutions, new ways of seeing problems. “Companies will learn from the requirement for greater innovation and create the conditions for expanded levels of creativity, exploration and problem solving,” indicated Brower.
I suspect a bit of all of the above will be true. We will adapt, we will learn, we will evolve and eventually, most companies will come out the other side stronger.
COVID-19: Impact on Philanthropy
COVID-19: Impact on Philanthropy
The Coronavirus pandemic has inspired help and support from all levels of society, from billionaires to corporations to individuals around the world, as the crisis brings us together with a common purpose, whether it is offering support to health care organizations and workers or a neighbor in the building who is unable to go out for groceries. Because much of what we are doing in providing these critical services is unfunded, many of us have looked to our donors and foundations for help.
There is a lot being discussed about demand vs capacity.
Aaron Dorfman and Bethany Maki from the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy indicated that we are in “a perfect storm of nonprofit challenges including high demand, an uncertain economy, a constantly changing news cycle, and a real fear for the future. Nonprofit leaders must urgently strategize about how to help those affected while at the same time keep their organizations afloat.”
According to the National Council of Nonprofits, this perfect storm will continue for some time and will result in a growing awareness that “every nonprofit organization (and their board) must become active and vocal advocates for policies and funding to meet the needs of the most vulnerable.”
“Leading during times of turmoil, whether organization-wide or society-wide, can be demanding, bewildering, taxing, and exhilarating,” warns Alex Counts in the Chronicle of Philanthropy. “Today leaders must focus on ensuring organizational survival and adapting programs to the limitations and demands of this difficult moment.” While the nature of the work remains the same, in some cases the volume has changed dramatically. “In other words, it has required a major, rapid—and almost certainly imperfect—re-engineering of programs.” Counts is an adjunct professor of public policy at the University of Maryland and founder of Grameen Foundation.
So, what do we do?
- We should work hard to stay connected to our donors. At The Fedcap Group we are posting short videos from our Board Chair as well as others on our website (and other companies of The Fedcap Group) about what we are doing during this time of crisis and why we need our donors’ help.
- We should continue to tell the important stories of our work.
- We should hold video conferences with select donors.
- We should structure giving into smaller, monthly payments that automatically renew. This provides a stable and predictable income stream, and it provides a pool of baseline donors to move up the giving ladder.
- We should engage in significant digital philanthropy. With digital phones powering every human’s life, mobile donations are starting to become a trend in the world of philanthropy. Donors can contribute using their credit cards linked to the mobile payment systems on smartphones (i.e. Apple Pay, Android Pay, Samsung Pay), making transactions and sending donations easier than ever.
This unique time calls for creativity as we remain clear about our mission and leadership. Strengthening relationships—and improving communications with donors as well as our clients and staff—is more important than ever.
Crisis Can Drive Innovation
Crisis Can Drive Innovation
Crisis stimulates innovation, and war, with all of its horror, tends to be a petri dish for innovation. In researching this topic I learned that canned food was developed as a way to safely feed troops during war time, and duct tape was originally invented because the military needed a waterproof tape that could be used to keep moisture out of ammunition cases. I learned that because the English love their tea, and it was challenging to make tea on the battlefield, the tea bag was born. By packaging tea in small bags that could be dropped right into a pot of boiling water, the issue of tea on the battlefield was resolved. And medical progress meant wounded soldiers could survive wounds that would have been fatal in earlier wars, but that often meant living with severe injuries. A New Zealand-born surgeon, Harold Gillies, came up with ways to graft skin, bones, and muscles, paving the way for plastic surgery.
The Coronavirus pandemic—another kind of battle— has also driven companies across the world to new kinds of innovation.
Many of us are using a video platform to provide services to clients that we used to do in person.
We were used to in-person meetings—felt that in many cases they were a necessity—only to find that we can be more efficient, reduce travel and share information easier by using video conferencing.
We thought that classroom learning was a bedrock to child education (and still believe that in-person interactions are a critical part of child development) only to learn that much can be absorbed by children online.
And at The Fedcap Group we were looking for creative ways to connect our nearly 4,000 employees across our international footprint. During this crisis, Java Junction was born—where once a month staff from across our footprint join small Zoom groups to discuss topics such as music, poetry, meals, TV shows, podcasts, gardening, desk exercises and many more.
I anticipate many more innovations to come.
I believe that we all need to consider how we redesign workspaces in order to open up programs and services and bring staff back to work.
I think it will be imperative that we continuously practice some kind of “remote work” fire drill—ensuring that we are flexible and can react on a dime as the need dictates.
And I believe that we will need to innovate in areas of Talent Acquisition. Forbes, Korn Ferry, McKinsey are all talking about the need to future-proof leadership. What does it mean to have leaders who are fully prepared for an uncertain future in which turning on a dime may be the norm?
CDC COVID-19 Guidance for People with Disabilities
Most people with disabilities are not inherently at higher risk for becoming infected with or having severe illness from COVID-19. However, some people with disabilities might be at a higher risk of infection or severe illness because of their underlying medical conditions.
There is no returning to normal after COVID-19. But there is a path forward.
After weeks of the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic and widespread lockdown, we must now take stock of how the crisis has disrupted the strategic decision-making framework for organizations and try to build a new one to look beyond the immediate crisis.
How Our Cities Can Reopen After the COVID-19 Pandemic
What we do over the next 12 to 18 months can ensure that our city and metro economies get up and running again while protecting themselves against similar scenarios in the future.
Whose Life is Worth Saving?
In Washington State, people with disabilities are afraid they won’t make the cut.
My Life Is More ‘Disposable’ During This Pandemic
The ableism and ageism being unleashed is its own sort of pestilence.