No matter the reason you are reading this blog article, it is a fact that business models are rapidly ALL changing right before your eyes as the world slowly opens up after COVID-19 stay at home orders are lifted. Regardless of if you are an Executive Director or Coordinator of a Meals on Wheels program you have or will soon realize business as usual is a thing of the past. The best advice we have seen may be to just forget most of what you use to know about running your Meals on Wheels organization and start re-educating yourself.
Just think how much of your daily life has changed since COVID-19: Shaking hands is no longer a good idea and a sound business protocol. If you cough in public, it is now similar to pulling a fire alarm. A face mask is the new must have fashion accessory. Grocery stores now have stop lights or some type of social distancing markers and grocery store workers are now considered essential employees. PPE’s (personal protective equipment) are now in everyone’s vocabulary and along with toilet paper are the 2020 new GOLD standards. Increasing food costs and food shortages are more common than in any other time during most of our lifetimes. You can no longer find an all you can eat buffet/serve yourself type restaurant. Fans are not currently allowed at sporting events that have been allowed to reopen and the dining in experience has drastically changed as many people now prefer dining at home versus dining at a restaurant. Zoom is the new business tool everyone has to have and Tik Tok is the new Facebook. Live talk and virtual reality TV shows since March 2020 have been produced and filmed entirely from home without an audience and if an employee is reporting to their work place, taking their daily temperature and getting them to answer daily health monitoring questionnaires are now more important to an employee job success and the successful operation of your day to day business model then regular performance reviews.
What is next? For starters many businesses have separated into one of these two categories (A) Redesign or (B) Work From Home
(A) This group which is comprised of, for example banking, is currently pouring money into redesigning offices and hiring interior design experts to lead their new business teams. Open floor models for employees are now out and healthy offices and businesses are now trending. Spaced desks, safe elevators, portable hand washing stations, UV lighting, new age cubicles, moveable wall dividers and one-way hallways are now the new normal.
(B) This group which is comprised of, for example, Tech Giants and probably more relatable to Meals on Wheels Organizations which generally does not have a budget to allow you to hire expensive interior designers and redecorators. This group is embracing working from home.
Bottom line: A hybrid of group A and B above seems to be the early expert favorite and the may be the very best way for Meals on Wheels to begin this new business transition process. Additionally, making it a goal of saying YES more often each day than saying NO when new ideas and new business models are presented seems like another likely outcome to trigger the best results as the nation and your local municipality re-open.
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