It has been said that, in moments of historical significance, one should frequently notate their thoughts and observations. Herein this blog series, I will state my thoughts on what is happening as I experience, potentially adding in some helpful information in relation to my studies/research at Harvard. That said, let me get you up to speed with the last few weeks!
March 3rd: With the market slowly declining in late February, I arrived back in America after a brief trip to Ireland with little to no concern of COVID-19 or a financial crisis. At the time, uncertainty about the growth of COVID-19 and an oil trade dispute were the likely cause of market volatility. Disruption was hardly in the American zeitgeist.
March 9th: After a normal weekend, our small firm’s management meeting went on with nothing abnormal to report. Our IT vendor was to come in on Thursday to introduce our account team, and so the week was set to go.
March 12th: The Dow Jones is at levels as low as May of 2017, signaling the end of a bear market. Employees begin asking if we have a plan, what is happening, etc. Seemingly out of nowhere, our introductions with our IT firm has become a springboard for mobilizing our entire workforce within 4 days. Some employees expressed concern working in public, many concerned their elderly parents could be seriously harmed. Our own government began to change their tone from “this is nothing to be concerned about” to “this is about to get worse.” Universities, including Harvard, immediately shifted toward virtual learning and forced their students off campus with nearly zero notice. The US put a travel ban on people entering the US from Europe, I was days shy from living in Copenhagen for 3o days or more!
March 13th-16th: Our executive and admin team devise a plan based on our meetings with IT, other firms’ actions, and our own experiences both professionally and academically. Friday our CEO sends a message ensuring our staff a plan is being made and on Monday we institute mandatory training and equipment sign-out for all employees. Employees were mobilized and given specific, rotating time-frame for when they may access our physical servers via VPNs. Our new IT folks (trial by fire you may say) helped with on-site support of each employee to test equipment. Seemingly, employees’ fears faded while we all made sure to laugh and make the best of “the great migration” towards teleworking and self-isolation. Did we know if come March 17th our entire staff would be able to work remotely and effectively? No. But we had a plan based on our best information and proceeded as best we could.
March 17th: The sun rose, as did I with my cup of coffee in hand in my home office, awaiting a server or network failure and a complete halt of productivity…. yet alas… nothing to report. The rotational schedule and use of different software worked well! Our small business may remain operational! On the 17th, our president suggested people not to eat from restaurants or bars; I ordered lunch at my local favorite shop and was the only person to be eating there. My fiancé and I walked down the city streets that night, nearly every bar was completely empty and the sidewalks bare. It was then that I realized, this is not a temporary situation, this will have economic effects on millions of Americans.
March18th-20th: Our workforce is humming along, though some are showing beginning signs of stir-crazy. Our household has tried to order as many meals as possible from our favorite local restaurants (for take out, you may not dine-in anywhere anymore), hoping to keep them afloat a little longer. Our frozen food reserves will be there in a week, should the situation become more drastic. Gatherings of more than 9 people are prohibited. Many local shops have shut down and already laid off as much as half of their workforce. Unemployment websites are crashing and the Dow Jones now sits 30% lower than it was last month. Those in the professional services space are fortunate for now, as they may be able to telework. Thus, the first 100% remote work week concludes.
As a paid Faculty Aide/Researcher for Harvard, my sponsoring professor and I are trying to find the best way to gather information on the greatest test of long-term remote work in history. For more info, see here: http://blogs.harvard.edu/ryanmccreedy/covid-19-virtual-work-study/
Great Job! Very concise, objective and well stated.
I have no doubt that these times will test the mettle of mankind.
Love and Strength To All.