SimplyConnect

Let’s face it: We’re all going to have time on our (freshly washed) hands over the next several weeks. How are you going to spend it?  

Yes, your first priority needs to be getting supplies and then taking care of yourself and your family. For some of you, THAT may take every available minute. No problem, we wish you well.

But for most of you who are now working remotely for a while, especially you in leadership positions: you have an opportunity brewing. What are you going to do with the extra time you have to jump off the hamster wheel of corporate crazy? We have four thoughts for you to ponder with those spare minutes and hours that are going to start stacking up.

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#1 — Use this as a reset on your strategy.

We see a LOT of corporate business and HR strategies. A few of them are okay, most often they come up short. Why? Because they take the easy route and include very little, if any, real items that connect businesses to their frontlines. We literally have four clients that have hundreds of thousands of employees they have no real-time contact with — no company email, archaic communication platforms, no social media connectivity. This isn’t because no one in their organizations ever said, “This is ridiculous!” It’s because it was never important enough to make the investment. It’s truly crazy. What’s in your strategy that needs to be taken off the list because there is little to no REAL value for employees and what needs to get on the list…and fast?

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#2 — This is a wake-up call for the remote working naysayers.

Hey everyone, remote working is still working. Plus, I have more examples of people being in the office and not really working than I have examples of remote workers eating bon bons on their couches. This awful situation is going to be a wake-up call for many, many doubting leaders. So, for all of you out there that have been asking for remote working flexibility, this IS YOUR CHANCE. Don’t screw it up!

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#3 — Email is not a collaboration tool, so try something else right now.

There are a ton of awesome collaboration tools out there. Slack is the SimplyConnect tool of choice, but there are others too. Go pick one for your team and talk, chat, and video each other. Leave email to the public service announcements and inevitable millions of online shopping ads we’re going to get.

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#4 — Learning isn’t just for the kids.

Everyone is all over social media trying to figure out how kids can keep learning and doing schoolwork over the next few weeks. Hey, here’s a thought…what are you going to go learn in YOUR downtime? Have you ever checked out amazing sites like LinkedIn Learning? It doesn’t have to be physics or calculus. Learn more about software or a language. Or subscribe to Wired, Fast Company, or Fortune and surf articles until something jumps out at you. We promise it will be better than watching the news 24/7.

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Ok. That’s all folks. We’ve used enough of your precious minutes. Now, how will you use the rest of yours today?