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COVID-19 Black Swan

By Madison Hanscom, Ph.D. The current pandemic is shining a spotlight on mental health. Individuals are experiencing extreme mental distress and uncertainty — demonstrating a need for greater attention to this topic [1]. There have also been concerns that the new realities of this time, such as social isolation and loneliness, are creating a troublesome environment for many individuals because these are risk factors linked with suicide and substance abuse [2]. Mental Health Difficulties in Different Industries Another part of the conversation should be industry. People spend about a third of their day on average working; this time adds up quickly [3]. Industry

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By Josh Williams, Ph.D. In Part 1 of this blog series, we addressed leadership guidelines for safely returning to work during COVID-19. This included specific actions like setting up entry stations, physical distancing guidelines, emergency response preparations, and cleaning/disinfecting plans. In Part 2, we’ll cover leadership “soft skills” to support employees returning to work and those working from home offices. The manner in which leaders show caring and compassion now will pay dividends in the future well after the COVID crisis is over. Here are some key reminders for leaders in checklist form:   Leadership Checklist Please take elements of this checklist and create your own. Also,

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By Eric Johnson There are increasing indications that the pressure of the current state of lockdown parameters is creating anxieties and a push by affected citizens to re-open businesses and organizations, at least to a certain degree. Organizations are approaching this with the idea that demand to a certain extent may increase due to the pent-up nature of the economy looking to restart. While this may depend on the particular goods and services offered, all organizations can benefit from specific approaches during this period of potential customer return. Over-protect employees Employees are the first component of the business that management should be concerned with.

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By Eric Johnson We discussed the potential of a second wave of state and local mandated closings as a result of the impacts of an increased number of infections and hospitalizations due to the coronavirus pandemic in a previous blog post.  But what happens when that situation actually occurs? Here are a number of considerations to keep in mind for a potential second wave of closures, which may involve different sets of circumstances than the initial set of closures that took many by surprise.  1. Understand the effect that a closure will have on products and services The types of products and services offered by

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By Josh Williams, Ph.D. Leaders are searching for guidance as companies begin opening back up with our “new normal” under COVID. In British Columbia, WorkSafe BC is working with local businesses to provide specific criteria required to resume safe work operations. This includes guidelines for assessing current risks, implementing risk mitigation strategies (e.g., cleaning, physical distancing), policy development, communication plans, and ongoing monitoring. (1) It is noteworthy that BC is more strict in dealing with COVID than other Canadian provinces (and the U.S.) and have had far fewer deaths (126) than analogous regions like Washington State (891). Although the federal government in the

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By Madison Hanscom, Ph.D.Whether you have already been working in a remote environment or you are new to world of virtual meetings as a result of COVID-19, it is always a good idea to check in to reflect on the effectiveness of meetings. At Propulo, we have been holding virtual meetings long before the pandemic, and here are some ideas from our desk to yours: Don’t forget the interpersonal touches  Sometimes it can be difficult to engage with employees or coworkers in the same way you would face-to-face through a video platform. When you are not in the same room as

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