How to Protect Your People Against
Maskless Morons
The science may be unequivocal--masks
saves lives--but the issue has now become politicized. For business owners,
keeping employees safe from Covid-19 now means keeping them safe from unruly customers.
CREDIT: Getty Images
The medical
professionals unanimously tell us one simple truth. We need more masks on our
faces, not more people in our faces, in order to stop the spread of Covid-19
and protect ourselves. And it's basically up to all of us because the maskless
narcissist in chief and his sidekick, who until recently also denied
the science, refuse to accept the shameful reality that things are once
again getting worse while they run around the South holding largely unwelcome
rallies for super-spreaders. Shame on us for sitting back and assuming that our
leaders would do all the heavy lifting.
Deciding how to handle
your team's concerns about your customers' social issues, and how to navigate
the pre-election cultural wars without cratering your company, is going to be
excessively challenging. And as the boss, these issues are likely to land right
in your lap. Not that it's fair, especially with everything else on your plate
right now, but honestly, who else would you rather have working on the
difficult problems? You need make a plan and take some prompt action to try to
stay ahead of the curve, if and when the world returns.
The squabbles in
Starbucks and the stink eyes on the subway are just the beginning. You can't
talk or turn around in the elevator. You can't stick your head too far into the
salad bar (as if that was ever okay) and, of course, there's no double dipping.
You can't really interrogate the driver at length from the curb before you grab
your next Lyft or Uber. And what are you supposed to do when you walk into an
important business meeting and no one else in the room is wearing a mask?
At the same time, you
can check out a new confrontation or 10 every day. Seniors screaming at
seniors, shoppers yelling at store clerks, cranky crusaders lecturing us about
their medical problems, and phony First Amendment protesters carrying fake
"exemption" cards telling us not to pounce on their rights with our
stinkin' masks. Your team members - especially the critical front liners - are
all going to be stuck right in the middle of these scenes.
For the moment, let's start with something pretty simple: how do
we make sure that everyone has a mask on and that no one spends their days
trying to get up in other people's faces? And, most importantly, how can
you be sure that your team and your people have a clear and concise understanding of your position, the new
rules of engagement, and who's gonna explain and enforce these new behaviors
for your customers. Because we're all going to be stuck with these new
realities for quite a while and everyone is going to have to be part of the
process and the solutions rather than part of the problem.
As we've discussed
this with a wide variety of business owners and operators, there are a few
common things to keep in mind.
Take a stand. Write it out. Distribute it widely.
Stick to it.
If your message isn't clear and simple, your people are going to
try in their own ways to express, explain and justify the new rules, meaning it
will be a mess regardless of how sincere their efforts. Consistency is far more important than correctness right
now. As "inhuman" as it seems in these complex times when basically
there are no right answers, it's actually better to have them simply repeat the
rules, respond politely to whatever they're told, and plan to escalate disputes
with problem customers to the appropriate managers. You can't do business with
debates raging all over the store and you don't want to have new issues arise
because the message gets muddled or the customer claims to have been told
something else.
Protect your people and your property.
Even your most well-intentioned
and charitable team members are going to quickly tire of being screamed at,
tormented, and otherwise abused -- and their reactions are perfectly
understandable. Businesses can't live without customers, but you're going to
have to put your people first in these situations if you want to stay in
business and you'll need to step in to protect them when necessary. The
customers are always right except when they're not and you have to be the one
who draws the line. Ultimately, this is critical because - just like with our
kids - you're never any happier than your least happy employee. And it's those
front-line employees who drive and dictate how your business looks to your
customers.
Don't take it personally and give even the bozos the benefit of
the doubt.
As Little Steven
always says, there's nothing more personal than your politics, but mixing your
business and your politics is a prescription for heartache and disappointment.
It's beyond sad that wearing a mask has now been transformed into a political
statement by our thin-skinned President, who says people are doing it just to
aggravate him. Of course, everything is always about him. But remember,
notwithstanding his bluster, that it's never really about you. So, don't take
it personally, don't get hurt or upset, and try to remember that there are
undoubtedly some decent, if deluded, people who think that wearing a mask is
some kind of intolerable imposition on them and their inalienable rights. If
you look around, you'll quickly find that some of these folks are family
members, relatives or neighbors and not just nut cases. There really aren't two
sides to any discussion with them - just like the anti-vaxxers - or the idiots
who are vaping their lungs away. So, it's best to leave them be and simply
encourage them to get in, get out and move on. It's not your job to change
their minds.
Bottom line: your job
is to take care of your team and your business. Give them masks and the tools
and other information they need to be successful. And just as they tell you on
every airplane (in case you've understandably forgotten), "put your own
oxygen mask on first." You can't help others if you're helpless
yourself.
PUBLISHED
ON: JUN 30, 2020
