Leadership Series | From Paul Rodrigues

 

Start operations now or later? With the changing business landscape, do we adapt, or do we get left behind? These are the constant debatable questions that started since mid-March. Post the pandemic the offices look a lot different than it did at the start of 2020. Abiding by the new government rules, Mindspace regulations, great attention is given to the wellbeing of the employees and the surroundings. Practicing healthy behavior like wearing masks, performing temperature checks, washing hands, and staying six feet apart are constantly practiced when outside the home. These healthy behaviors need to be inculcated in our daily routine too.

I have been in this administration field for more than two decades and I know what it takes to create a rapid, profound, and sustainable behavior change. As a leader and an administration head, my plan includes all the below mentioned six sources of influence they are:

1.           Social support

2.           Personal Motivation

3.           Personal Ability

4.           Peer pressure

5.           Structural Ability

6.           Structural Motivation

Trust me, if all the above sources of influence are present in a robust form, we will definitely see a positive change that will go up tenfold everywhere. I have jotted down the five best practices that collectively affect all these sources of influence. Therefore, the five practices for reopening our office safely are:

• Be clear on reopening guidelines and plan accordingly: Always gather information, assess and adapt your business model and create a step-by-step plan. Guidelines can differ from state to state but always stay abreast of current rules and regulations Maintain proper protocol consistently: Always remember that the only way to create and sustain change is to have 100% accountability. It is not only your responsibility to follow safe practices but also try to ensure that everyone around you is abiding by them. As a part of the administration, I always instruct my team to politely remind employees of the safety practices, but this is not enough; my team works day and night to ensure the safety of all employees. Starting with disinfection of the buses and cabs right up to the office premises to foot-operated sanitizer stand and foot-operated taps and temperature checks – my team ensures that no stone is left unturned.
  
  
• Prepare and train employees: Always remember that different roles have different risk levels of COVID-19 exposure, so training and prevention should be aligned accordingly. It is very important to update and inform employees about the following –
  
  
• Health monitoring and screening of COVID-19 such as temperature checks and most importantly the proper usage of the Arogya Setu app.
• Mandatory usage of face mask and maintaining a social distance of 6 feet.
• Take leave if unwell.
  
  
• Perform daily checks: As a part of the administration management, I believe in the saying ‘Don’t get what you expect; get what you inspect’. Hence, it is advisable to maintain a checklist oversee and measure compliance results. It is your responsibility to observe the degree to which proper behavior is being practiced.
  
  
• Keep score publicly: Posting and publicizing results of the organization’s level of compliance everyday will help keep us on the right track. This will help us to keep each other safe and healthy.

If everybody takes ownership and practices all the safety measures seriously, we will all be able to inculcate new norms rapidly. Doing so is not only important for employee safety but for the health of our business as well. Adherence to these behaviors will make it possible for any business to reopen and to stay open.