It’s a lock opener, not a lockdown
In line with the Government of India’s lockdown initiative, we have, over the past few weeks highlighted the importance of staying home and practicing social distancing by using our social media handles to communicate this message to our global audiences. I have had the opportunity to hold positions of highest responsibility with various industry bodies like IEEMA and have major influences in many others.
Using this position, I have appealed to my industry colleagues to follow the RR Global model and ensure there is no disruption to our industry and to the greater economy. We believe every little initiative helps in ‘flattening the curve’ and stopping the spread of this deadly disease at the same time sustaining livelihoods.
Staying Safe, Staying Connected
To ensure that work continues as efficiently as possible, the concept of ‘work from home’ has never played a more vital role. It is a relatively new idea for our industry but one that I think will catch on, considering the amount of time and finances it can save. Regardless, it does take some getting used to. In order to help our staff get used to it and stay connected and most importantly motivated, happy and hopeful from a personal and professional standpoint, our HR team along with sales and area heads through regular interactions over the phone or through video conferencing ensure our team and their families are keeping safe.
We have developed an e-newsletter called ‘Opportunities Unlimited’ that is both interactive and informative and acts as fun read for the entire family. We have also ensured our health insurance covers all costs related to Covid 19.
Investing in Upskilling
On a professional front, we have developed tutorials & internal training programs conducted on a daily basis by the sales and area heads as well as the technical team. We decided to use this time to help brush up our team’s product, brand and market knowledge as well as communication and marketing skills. This lockdown has provided us with the optimum opportunity to keep target-based training on the backburner and rather focus on interpersonal and relationship building, which we believe will only benefit our staff and the company in the long run.
The current scenario has created a change in culture, where I believe companies and individuals alike
will invest in the future not just for monetary gains but for their health, their relationships and for the broader society. Over the years, we have all been in such a ruthless, frantic race to earn more materialistic wealth that somewhere along the line we forgot the real meaning of life. That life goes far beyond money. That it is our relationship with ourselves, our family, our society and nature that is far more important.
Some may call this wishful thinking, but I do expect that there will be a big change in our collective thought process for the better. These are some values we impart to our staff during our training and through our conversations. In hindsight, the lockdown isn’t really a ‘lockdown’ per se, I see it as a ‘Lock Opener’, it has helped us open our minds to a more caring, more beautiful world. May we continue to learn from it.