During the COVID-19 outbreak, nothing is more important than the health and safety of people across the world. After all, individuals across organizations, families and countries are the ones suffering from the uncertainties and disruption of the pandemic. No one knows how the situation will evolve, but leaders can control how their organization functions.

At AArete, we’re practicing the following five measures to protect our people and view these as the core pillars to keeping your people healthy and operations strong during this unpredictable time.

1. Monitor and Respond to Updates Through a Task Force
   To effectively protect the health of employees and clients, any new developments around the COVID-19 need to be followed carefully and acted upon swiftly. A task force of organizational leaders are apt to make decisions on behalf of the company’s wellbeing and communicate any changes to all employees.
   
2. Communicate Frequently Across Teams and Clients
   Communication is key to a fully remote workforce. Leaders and teams must communicate frequently to continue delivering on project needs to a full capacity and instill confidence in clients that the quality of work will not be impacted.
   
3. Leverage Technology
   While working remotely, technology is the best tool to keep teams connected. Using video conferencing helps people feel united while being separate and provides an opportunity to socialize during a period of isolation.
   
4. Collaborate Across Teams and Organizations
   Working together is imperative. During times of extreme ambiguity, strength can be found by working together and communicating transparently across teams to accomplish any task at hand.
   
5. Embrace the Disruption
   The sudden rise of COVID-19 requires every organization to think and act differently. This disruption creates an opportunity to innovate across industries and organizations to build new ways to work and communicate. New opportunities to grow and learn can only be born from embracing disruption.

COVID-19 undoubtedly brings one of the biggest challenges ever faced to corporations and people across the world. We will look back and study the economic ramifications for years to come, but for now – we move forward one day at a time, embracing the measures we can take to keep employees healthy and connected.

If you’d like to discuss how we can help your organization manage this unprecedented time, please contact us at info@aarete.com.

About the Author

Loren Trimble

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About the Author

Loren is the Chief Executive Officer of AArete LLC with a primary focus in creating and molding AArete’s business solutions, while also helping clients achieve short-term and long-term goals related to profit improvement. Before founding AArete, Loren was a Managing Director and Strategic Sourcing Practice Lead at Huron Consulting. Prior to Huron, he started the Strategic Sourcing services for Arthur Andersen, developing the methodology and refining the approach through numerous client engagements. He has extensive business and operations strategy experience, serving clients in the pharmaceutical, distribution, consumer products and business services industries globally. Specific areas of expertise include strategic profitability improvement, revenue cycle improvements, strategic sourcing, procurement transformation and pre- and post- merger value generation. In addition to Loren’s client focus, he also plays a significant role in thought leadership for the firm as the core of AArete’s Knowledge Management Center™ and driver of demonstrating the founding principles in his everyday work, exemplifying the passion for excellence with AArete’s personnel and clients and sustaining the firm’s unique culture. He holds a Masters of Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, a Bachelor of Science from The University of Iowa, serves as a member on the Boards for the Center for Healthcare Innovation and the Friendship Senior Options Foundation.