Unprecedented times call on an exceptional business response
The COVID-19 outbreak brings unprecedented challenges.
A recent global survey shows the importance that business will play in this crisis, from being a trusted source of information, to supporting staff, contractors, consumers and local communities, to being perceived as a key partner of Governments to team up and “play its part” in the solutions that will be needed.
Our societal response to date is encouraging in how business, government and civil society have come together in a unified response with a strong sense of social solidarity and trust.
At Business in the Community Ireland we continue to support our member companies and programme participants in our education and employment programmes during these exceptional times. We want to provide our members with guidance, best practice and strategic advice on how to support employees and contractors, engage with customers and clients and continue to connect with local communities. We will also continue to support the clients and schools who engage in our programmes targeting education and employment.
All events up to 30th April have been cancelled, postponed or moved to tele-conferencing and we continue to review our other upcoming events.
We are communicating inspirational examples of business leadership and our Twitter and LinkedIn hashtag #BusinessResponseIRL will bring together the voice of responsible business.
All our own staff are safely working from home and you can continue to contact us as usual.
This crisis and how it is resolved will redefine the purpose of business.
Our organisations will be judged by our response to this crisis. The definition of a responsible business will change and critical elements of business strategy such as corporate reputation, employer brand or customer preference will be strongly influenced by how businesses responds.
We understand that these are testing times and we want to support our members and key stakeholders.
How can we help? How can we best advise business on engaging employees, communicating to stakeholders on crisis management or re-design engagement programmes with communities?
As a community of business, how can we help convene and learn from each other?
We know we will overcome this crisis. The purpose of Business in the Community Ireland is for business to drive an inclusive and sustainable society where everyone thrives. Collective action on sustainability will remain fundamental in the next phase of sustainable and responsible business. CEO leadership will be critical for future success.
Working together with a shared purpose of responding to this crisis with resilience and empathy will be essential tools for the challenging times ahead.
Stay safe and well,
Tomás Sercovich
CEO
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