What happens after Groundhog Day ends?

For those states that have been locked down during these last couple of months, we have been living through some interesting, and in some cases, debilitating times. Paying attention to daily COVID numbers and vaccination rates has become a preoccupation of many Australians, with most of the news stories shared by the media being a constant pool of COVID-19 updates.

I was seeing my elderly parents last weekend and was discussing with my step-father, who is 93 and vividly remembers the second World War, the obsession with the media reporting about the pandemic. He reflected that there was a similar obsession during the war and recalls a time when his family were discussing what newspapers were going to report on after the war ended. So, this is certainly not the first time an obsession of one topic has occurred and overtaken our day-to-day lives.

However, with the lifting of restrictions to take place earlier than expected, I’m confident that the voice of business will start to take precedent over the numerous, but very valid, health concerns.

This opening up of restrictions in the next few months gives us an opportunity to not only normalise our businesses but to take advantage of the fact that many of us will be out and about visiting clients and doing face-to-face meetings (I think we’re all sick of the numerous Zoom and teams meetings, and are bursting for some in-person interaction, I know I sure am!).

So my advice to all business owners and clients who work in businesses is as follows:

• Organise that event that you’ve been wanting to have to host clients. I guarantee you’ll get 100% acceptance for those events
• Take this opportunity with the lifting of restrictions to think outside the box in terms of what you may do for your clients and staff. Maybe even a celebration with them for powering through the pandemic together.
• Whatever you do, don’t be divisive. There are a lot of things to be divided about between communities already. Let’s set the example of being a unifier rather than a divider.
• For those who have been hard-hit by the pandemic and its adverse effects, work out how you can assist and support them by putting yourself in their position.

We can all be proud of the way we’ve rallied to endure the current difficult situation and let’s continue being a good example of those who create unity, not those who defy it. To learn by example from our proud ANZACs, we should remember our cultural roots of mateship, whereby we band together and help one another through times of hardship and struggle. Together we have worked to claw our way out of lockdown, and we can continue to persevere as our businesses start opening up.