Stakeholders are critical in the back-to-work-movement

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What roles will they play for your business?

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As businesses determine their post COVID-19 opening strategy, it’s clear that the steps taken today will have a long-lasting impact on reputation and business performance for the future. Where many business owners falter is figuring out exactly what those steps are and how to take action today to ensure business doesn’t become stagnant and crumble for the remainder of 2020.

THE FIRST STEP IS TO IDENTIFY YOUR STAKEHOLDERS.

These are people who are acutely affected by your organization and who have a direct interest in your company’s success following COVID-19.

THE SECOND STEP IS TO UNDERSTAND THE WAYS YOU CAN BEST COMMUNICATE AND COLLABORATE WITH YOUR STAKEHOLDERS.

The Back-to-Work Movement is a complex process with a significant and varied group of stakeholders. Part of your task today is to formulate methods for collaboration amongst your stakeholders in order to bring necessary confidence to workers and customers. The challenging part of this process is that there are so many stakeholders. So, we need to start at the macro level.

STEP THREE IS INSTILLING CONFIDENCE AMONG YOUR PARTNERS, WORKERS, AND CUSTOMERS WITH A RE-OPEN FOR BUSINESS ACTION PLAN THAT APPLIES INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC GUIDELINES AND PROTOCOLS.

From a distance, we can see that one of the largest groups of affected stakeholders will be those businesses that are directly involved in providing a safe, secure environment at the workplace.

1. Real estate holding companies

2. Property management companies

3. Cleaning and janitorial service providers

4. Workplace redesign

5. Brokers, tenants and landlord representatives

6. Food service

7. Security

8. Maintenance

We assume tenants will have some resistance to directly sourcing and shouldering some of this burden that traditionally falls within the scope of the stakeholder’s perceived responsibility. Leadership from these various identified stakeholders will need to work together to develop a cohesive plan and then communicate clearly and often to build the sense of security necessary to bring back the people.

STEP FOUR IS ESTABLISHING PLANNING MEETINGS AMONGST THE STAKEHOLDERS to review best practices and determine the responsibilities of each service provider and how change in service can dovetail with the operation in total. All planning should be based on clinically driven guidelines with an eye towards practical implementation.

Tenants will look to these stakeholders as trusted advisors to help them navigate the safety and security of their employees.

Survive Today. Grow Tomorrow.

The stakeholders in the real estate space who implement the most visible and confidencebuilding solutions will grow through this challenging time-period and be better poised to take advantage of opportunities in the future market.

Vendors are currently offering unique solutions to the problems facing the industry. Dr. Steven Schnur, the driving force behind the “I’m Healthy Today” app, states: “From nanotechnology-applied cleaning and surface protect that lasts for months while fighting microbes mechanically, to physician-driven compliance programs that provide turn-key solutions for tenants to bring employees back to work, creative solutions to the problems we face are going to be a driving force in providing leadership with the tools necessary to build confidence in their brand and drive people back to the office, factory or other place of business.”

Implementation of a clear, concise plan that manages people’s privacy and security, along with clinical-based decision making, will be the hallmark of stakeholders who manage this challenge successfully.

The author of this article, Brian Panessa, is a healthcare attorney and Co-Founder of Republic Healthcare. Republic relieves stakeholders from the liability associated with developing and maintaining their own Back-to-Work Plan. Learn more about our unique turn-key solutions, clinically driven guidance, and specific plan implementation at www.republic.healthcare/reopen

Renee Ratliff