I’ve been thinking about this recent Covid-19 phenomenon of categorizing products, services, and people based on whether they are considered “essential” or not.  I’m not exactly sure who made the distinction, but in my mind’s eye I pictured a group of really smart people somewhere in an underground government bunker doing their best to decide what was critical and what wasn’t. Apparently, Wal Mart and Home Depot made the cut, while churches and schools did not. Whatever the process, In the end, they designated certain industries and public service functions as being deemed “too critical to be halted during the crisis”.  I understand the concept, and in fact many of our business clients were part of the “critical infrastructure workforce”. We have been busy supporting them throughout the crisis and their efforts to continue to produce products and services have been nothing short of heroic.  They have, in fact, been essential and the workers supporting them have been critical. But what about those considered non-essential? Are they any less crucial?

I’m dating myself a bit, but there was a one-hit-wonder song in the late 90’s by the band Semisonic called “Closing Time”. It’s one of those really catchy tunes that you occasionally hear on 90’s music stations…anyone 40 or older would instantly recognize it and probably sing along. Anyway, there is a line in the lyric that has always struck me as meaningful…which is ironic since the song is about closing time at a bar and is anything but deep or moving. The evocative line is: “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.” Think about that – every time something new starts, something else must end.  Whether its career, relationship, business strategy, or culture the “new normal” replaces the “old normal”. In fact, oftentimes, its necessary to end something for something better to start.

The time has come for many businesses to reopen their doors and bring people back to work. However, as you may have already figured out, it’s more complicated than just that.

In Episode 6 of The Skillwork Forum, “Responsibly Reopening America”, Brett and Tim have some practical tips on how to support your team as your organization gets back up and running.

Visit skillwork.com for help in overcoming the skilled labor shortage in America 🛠🇺🇸