How to Morally and Ethically Take Advantage of the Covid-19 Crisis

The Australian Government has announced the following measures
to support businesses
impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19).

The JobKeeper Program

You may be eligible to receive the JobKeeper Payment
if your turnover has been reduced because of the coronavirus. Following
registration by the eligible business, the Government will provide $1,500 per
fortnight per eligible employee until 27 September 2020.

The JobKeeper Payment is available to eligible
these loans.

COVID-19 is likely to be the biggest curveball your
business has ever been thrown. It has let many in the business industry feeling
lost, helpless and bewildered – to put it mildly. It is truly an unprecedented
time for everyone.

While uncertainty reigns under the present
circumstances, it can be a real struggle to focus and to be positive. However,
this is exactly what is needed to move forward, so focus on the UNIQUE
positives you can find within this situation.

We find ourselves where we all now have the time that we’ve
always wanted (more of). You can now redirect all that time you spent working
IN your business, to now working ON your business. You can step back from the
daily task load, take stock of where you are, redirect your energies, get
inspired and get STRATEGIC. You now have the time to PLAN and time to DO the
activities that will keep your business alive in people’s minds and hearts
ready for brighter days to come.

Another unique positive during COVID-19 is the fact
that pretty much the whole world is at home, and spending a great deal more time online, where
you can reach them!

Mobile app usage is up 20% (globally) more than at
this time last year. The social media platforms with the most monthly active
users are Facebook, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Instagram and TikTok.

SO, now is not the time to be distant and disconnected.
You now have a unique opportunity to capture the imagination and attention of a
great variety of people. Now is the perfect time to get content about your
business out there for people to enjoy, connect with and get excited about.

We find ourselves in a unique moment in history – a
global health and financial crisis happening at the same time, causing
the perfect storm. There is much devastation being caused by this storm, but
how can we take advantage of
the opportunities that are presented to us during this
crisis to help ourselves and each other to emerge stronger?

Very simply: Stay focused on what’s within your
control.

We can take advantage of the opportunities presented
through this crisis morally and ethically by doing the following:

Reflect on your own development

Now is a great time to take stock of yourself and
potentially hit the reset button. With travel and large meetings coming to a
complete halt, many people are more available and open to (virtual) networking
chats; and that’s great news. Currently, many life and career coaches are
offering free or discounted sessions in order to help people through these
trying times, so it’s a great time to invest some time to develop your personal and professional
skills.

Get creative

It has been inspiring to see how quickly teams have positioned
themselves to take advantage of technology as a means to connect and keep work
moving. Online collaboration tools such as Zoom, Skype and Teams have
skyrocketed in popularity for meeting face to face to continue providing
support for each other. Other technology solutions such as Miro, Parabol and
Milanote are also incredibly useful in helping facilitate creative
brainstorming and other meetings.

Lead

This is the perfect time to show leadership no matter
what career stage you’re at. So step up and build your leadership brand as organisations
now more than ever need leaders who can step up to the plate and be courageous
and trustworthy

Here are a few things you can start doing immediately:

• Check in regularly with teams and people you haven’t been in touch with for a while.

• Use this opportunity to form deeper bonds with team members and customers by connecting on a more empathetic level during this global crisis.

• Be sure to celebrate progress and wins, whether they are big or small

• Train your less tech-savvy co-workers on tools that they can use to increase productivity.

• Use your leadership skills to better manage your teams, provide transparency and help them through shifting priorities, and avoid unproductive spin and panic. It stands to reason that with so much uncertainty, it will be difficult to avoid feeling helpless and giving in to our anxieties during this time. But focusing on the opportunities presented allows us to stay positive and productive for now, and to prepare us to emerge from the crisis stronger than before.

However you choose to reach out to your audience, be sensitive to the times we are living in and ensure you show the real benefit you offer in this current context.

And most importantly, DON’T push a hard sell. Keep in mind money’s tight for everyone during a recession.