We understand much of our industry was shocked by the governments decision not to allow us to reopen on the 4th July.
To question this decision, certainly seems the appropriate course of action, in order to safely re-open some time during July. That said, we can still use this time to better prepare our teams for a successful re-opening, in terms of culture, communication and consistency.
For many in leadership roles, you will have undoubtably been working extensively to ensure that your business survives this period, all the while preparing for the next phase of ‘different’.
The signage, the masks and the alcohol gel certainly matters, however, it’s how our people feel and how we make them feel that is truly paramount. The emotions they experience, will be directly communicated to our customers, who ultimately determine the outcome for our business.
Many team members have been on furlough for months now and before welcoming them back, we may wish to consider a few questions:
Culture: Have we engaged with our people appropriately to ensure they are comfortable enough to return to work? Are we consciously reminding ourselves we may have lived very different experiences over the last few months? Are your relationships still truly open and positive after all this time?
Communication: Have we proactively addressed every single concern, potential issue and expectation, with every team member? Have we allowed for questioning, challenge, and have we checked they are ready for the ‘new different’?
Consistency: Have we done all we can to ensure the mental and emotional states of our people (including ourselves, especially if we are close to burnout)? Have we done all that we can on our learning and development, so everyone is confident and competent for the coming months?
With all this in mind, we’d recommend using this ‘extra’ time, to focus on creating and defining your new culture. What is this going to look like?
From here, we’d suggest looking closely at your communication, as your perspective and that of your teams will likely differ greatly.
Do you have your strategy confirmed, around aligning these?
Finally we’d look at what you need to do consistently, with your peoples mindsets, behaviours and communications, to make your re-opening a huge success. What else do you need to do to make sure everyone is prepared?
Culture, communication and consistency – Please consider them key…
Incase you missed it here’s what Tanni Grey-Thompson, Humphrey Cobbold and Huw Edwards had to say on primetime TV to fight for gym reopening – https://www.leisureopportunities.co.uk/news/news/345776&email=chris@s849210264.websitehome.co.uk&pub=LOe&date=200626
Photo credit – @showoff_design // showoffdesign.co.uk
