Calculated Risk
I was just talking to my friend Roy who works for Ferrari here in the U.S. What a cool job, I envy him. He’s in his mid-30s, married, has a newborn baby at home.
Ferrari in Italy is now opening up their manufacturing lines, so there is a lot of pressure for the U.S. divisions and dealers to also get back to work and get the revenue flowing again.
Roy is skeptical, but is willing to take the risk and go back to work if that’s his only choice. As the general sales manager of the local dealership he is critical to the operation –– unless he doesn’t go back and gets replaced.
I saw it as a case study for what we’re all doing right now –– measuring, calculating the risk to ourselves and family from interacting closely with others. Just the commutes can be dangerous, walking in crowds, greeting each other, parking the car, getting lunch. Should we be more worried? Stay at home no matter what?
In a couple of years, we’ll know if May 18 was too soon to go back into the mix; right now we have no idea. Anyone who pretends to know is an idiot.
For some CEOs and business owners (not all), right now it’s all about increasing productivity without looking insensitive to the health of their employees. This is making the relationship between employee and these employers a bit more adversarial.
It’s doing the same to the relationship between employee and customer.
The issues between the employees and employer are getting much clearer now, bringing out their true character. Some employers realise that a few more weeks closed are worth the loss versus endangering their people. They actually care. Others are showing that they don’t actually care about their individual people as much as they do about their business success. And there are many employers stuck in the middle.
Most employees resent being forced back to work without any choice or protection legally (The Employer Shield Act) if they get sick. You can see it in their attitude and anger and protests.
Never before in the U.S. have we had this particular situation. During the Spanish Flu, there was much more sympathy for the working class. The government stepped in to help families cope with the pain and financial losses. Not this time.
So that changes the calculation. Each state is different, the rule are muddy and often change. Nobody quite knows exactly what is the right solution to most of the problems this virus and societal interruption has brought to all of us.
For Roy, I suggested he stay home a few more days or weeks. Try to work virtually for a while longer. I think that’s the right calculation.