It is the question on everyone’s mind — how did your organization respond to the Coronavirus? We believe strongly in integrity and servant leadership, so those are the principles that guided our response to the novel Coronavirus pandemic. A company’s core values are nice to talk about but frankly only matter if they represent reality. It is not always the case. Actions matter more than words, so here are key details from our COVID-19 response that underscore our core values:
1. Early Communication. As the situation was unfolding in early March, leadership engaged in emergency meetings to develop, prepare, and deliver updates to staff via email and Microsoft Teams.
2. Continued Communication. We identified main points of contact, sent out spot surveys and questions, had informal check-ins, included coronavirus-related discussions during meetings, and more. We supply as much information as we can and are transparent about how much we know (or don’t know). Monthly newsletters go out with in-depth information to our team members as well.
3. Emergency PTO bank. By the middle of March, our team members banded together to create a “PTO bank” for a worst-case scenario: either that one of our own got the virus and would need to take extra PTO to recover, or in case one of our contracts were negatively impacted. Together, we pooled hundreds of hours from our team members and enacted a policy on how to access it.
4. Facilitated Transition to Work From Home (WFH) with our government clients, when applicable – encouraging the use of Microsoft Teams, shift work within cleared facilities, and more.
5. Growth Focus. Leadership continued to pursue new opportunities with heightened urgency. We invested in internal new hires to strategically further growth, geared towards maintaining our current team members and bringing on more. We avoided the scarcity mindset not only to continue delivering top-notch service to existing clients but also to expand our market footprint.
6. We keep our offices clean, sanitized, and distant. Once stay-at-home orders were lifted in Virginia, in collaboration with our building management and in line with CDC guidelines, we created a sign-up sheet to ensure appropriate social distancing in our HQ office space. We also have masks and hand sanitizer readily available, as well as daily cleaning services throughout the facilities. Additionally, health and safety policies are in place to protect our team members when present.
7. We keep learning. Our leadership and HR teams have stayed up to date on important information from the CDC, health officials, and government agencies – and share it with our team members and prospective candidates.
We understand that this is an evolving situation. As a dynamic small business, we strive to achieve our goal of being “Mission-Oriented. People-Driven.“ so ensuring the safety of all team members is paramount. We are grateful that we have an adaptable and understanding group that is dedicated to each other and our clients. Thank you to each team member for your trust as we continue to navigate this time together.