Page 13 - BusinessWest May 26, 2020
P. 13

 Reopening
Continued from page 11
Compromises in the form of hybrid schedules are one solution, said Wise, adding that the new timetable for fully reopening the state is creating a new sense of urgency among some employ- ers, whether they like it or not.
“Organizations probably thought they had a few more months before they had to actually roll out any new policies and procedures regarding how and when they’re going to bring people back and whether they’re going to require them to come back full-time or work a hybrid schedule,” she told Busi- nessWest. “Now, with everything being lifted as of May 29, do they rush this, do they put it on steroids and get it going a lot faster, or do they still take their time and be more thoughtful and more planned?”
Knowing that business owners are uncertain about how to handle this situation, EANE is preparing to survey its members on this matter, said Wise, adding that the results will be eagerly awaited by those pressed to make
“Instead of thinking about how we can get free money from the government,
I’m 100% switching to becoming a manager — how do we manage this labor shortage? How do
we motivate staff? How do we get staff ready so we can manage this influx
of business that’s right around the corner?”
decisions.
“Everyone wants to know what
everyone else is doing,” she told Busi- nessWest. “They want to know how to compare and benchmark against everyone else.”
What happens in offices in Spring- field, Northampton, and other commu- nities will certainly play a role in how quickly and profoundly some busi- nesses bounce back, said Sullivan, add- ing that he expects that aspect of the economy to emerge much more slowly than the tourism sector.
“The bounceback to the office
work as it was before the pandemic is going to be slower than the travel and tourism industry because everyone
is going to be careful and methodical when it comes to opening back up,” he explained, adding that it might be fall or a little sooner before most offices are back to something approaching pre- pandemic conditions. “There will still
be a significant amount of mask wear- ing and social distancing, especially in a larger office setting, even with the relaxed CDC guidelines.”
Back to Normal?
In many respects, the governor’s announcement amounts to more piv- oting, said Creed, adding that, by now, most businesses have gotten pretty good at it — a trend she expects to con- tinue into the governor’s ‘new normal’ stage of reopening the state.
“If there’s one thing we’ve learned through all of this, it’s that we can abso-
lutely can pivot, and we’re incredibly resilient and can adjust,” she said. “So now, we just have to adjust to slowly getting back to normal.”
Meanwhile, for Rosskothen, the acceleration of the state’s reopening plan means something else — getting back to doing business as he did before the pandemic.
“The exciting thing about this is that we’re going to be real managers again,” he told BusinessWest. “Instead of thinking about how we can get free money from the government, I’m 100% switching to becoming a manager — how do we manage this labor shortage?
How do we motivate staff? How do we get staff ready so we can manage this influx of business that’s right around the corner?
“It’s real management again,” he went on. “No complaining about COVID or restrictions ... it’s about work, and that’s a good thing.”
That’s just one of many good things to come from an announcement that brought a large helping of joy and relief, but with some anxiety on the side. u
George O’Brien can be reached at [email protected]
            Choose a business bank that doesn’t have shareholders, only neighbors.
         As a mutual bank, Florence Bank has no shareholders. That means our first and only responsibility is to you, our customers. It’s what we have always believed. And it’s why we have assembled the Valley’s best business bankers and equipped them with the products and services your business needs. Let’s talk about what Florence Bank can do for you. Neighbor to neighbor.
FlorenceBank.com/ChooseAlways
Member FDIC / Member DIF
               FEATURE
MAY 26, 2021 13
BusinessWest

































































   11   12   13   14   15