Surviving the Unforeseeable: Business Continuity during Covid-19

It is hard to find the right words to describe the last few months. Never before has our global society been so vastly impacted and irrevocably altered by a single crisis. The spread of Covid-19 has destroyed lives and decimated the financial stability of individuals, companies and countries. Even in locations taking the initial steps towards ‘reopening’, our everyday reality is constantly evolving personally and professionally. Businesses across every sector and industry have experienced immense change, both positively and negatively, and it is vital that as many as possible are able to succeed to keep our economy moving forward. That is why it is so important to take the opportunity to assess how challenges were faced, evaluate the benefits of certain approaches and learn valuable lessons for the future. Companies of every size have a responsibility to look back objectively so that they are in the best position to adapt and secure their business continuity for the future.

Here in Dubai the journey towards reopening is very much underway, with non-essential locations welcoming the public and workers returning to offices.  At EER we felt that this was an ideal time to share our experiences of operating during a global pandemic and the lessons we learnt about how to survive, and potentially thrive, as an organisation.

Determining the Reaction

Like many businesses, word of the pandemic spreading went from casual conversation to game-changer in an extremely short period of time. At EER we had an existing business continuity plan that covered a variety of eventualities, but we quickly recognised that this was going to be unlike anything anyone had seen before. Our priority was to utilise our experience to plan effectively as quickly as possible by focusing on the three A’s; Agility, Action and Anticipation.

Agility: We needed to ensure we could adapt quickly to directives or restrictions, in multiple locations, not only for our own employees, but also for our clients.

Action: Plans needed to be implemented quickly and effectively, through efficient operations and clear communications.

Anticipation:  Once the shape of the pandemic began to be known, it was easier to anticipate potential outcomes and prepare for a range of options, as well as what would need to be provided in the future.

The key element that facilitated our plan of action was the synergy between our management team. We were extremely quick off the mark when it came to discussions, strategizing and implementing agreed proposals. We knew from the start that our ability to act fast could end up being utterly crucial.  It was vital that we had the plan and resources to protect our employees and enable them to continue to service our clients during this extremely difficult period. The management team had daily calls to ensure we were always able to assess relevant updates and could make quick decisions to benefit EER, our team and our clients.

One Step at a Time

The first thing the management team did was to review our budget from top to bottom. It was evident that the impact of the pandemic would be far-reaching and therefore our ability to maintain business continuity would require a lean approach. We needed to prioritise the essential elements as much as possible, which unfortunately resulted in letting go of three employees. Having structured our operations to work within a four-day week, we also adopted a small salary reduction that was applied equally across the organisation, including management, whilst our owner took a 100% pay cut for the duration of the crisis. By incurring sacrifices as early as possible, we aimed to maintain a level of financial stability that would outlast the pandemic.

The second key step was to ensure that we could make working from home as safe and as effective as possible. Our data protection, technology and communication needed to be operating at the highest level so that we could continue to perform as well as possible. Remote working needed to work for our clients as well, which is why we increased our digitization transformation even further to include a dedicated online portal and contactless docu-signing.  All of the EER team was given extensive training on the set-up and usage of these resources so that every client could feel the benefits.

Our third step was to ensure our continued investment in our employees. We recognised how important it was to keep them motivated and engaged during this period.  Remote working needed to reflect our office environment in which every member of the team feels comfortable enough to speak up, voice concerns or share ideas. We made sure they had daily updates, that team leaders held regular virtual meetings and that the whole company joined in for a call on Thursdays where we would hear from different employees and have quizzes and prizes.

Facing the Challenges

In the initial days it became clear that our communication skills were going to make all the difference. The ability to effectively communicate as a management team, with our employees, with our clients and amongst the industry would be vital. By reaching out to our industry contacts, and even local competitors, we were able to learn and share useful information that would help us work together in an unprecedented situation. Collaborative relationship building like this is not only helpful now, it strengths us all for the future. It was also evident that many of our current, and even past, clients would require extra assistance during this time and that we needed to be able to communicate with them as seamlessly as possible. Communications and marketing were key priorities for us before Covid-19, but even more so during as information became an increasingly lucrative currency in all aspects of our lives.

Looking to the Future

There is still so much uncertainty about what the future will look like in the coming weeks, months and years. Even as countries begin initial reopening procedures, there is a chance that things will never be quite the same again. Companies need to learn important lessons from this crisis, including about preparation, asset management and flexible business continuity. At EER we have launched a series of new services designed to help new and existing clients navigate the realities of post-Covid relocation and immigration; Safe & Sound, Virtual Home Search and Rent Negotiation. Having had to postpone our 15^th Anniversary celebrations to 2021 (stay tuned for details), our hope is that we can maintain financial security, provide our clients with the highest levels of service in the areas they need it the most and start next year with a much brighter outlook. We hope the same for you.