Startups

4 company leaders on how to be responsive to your workforce during a crisis

At Technical.ly's first Introduced|Virtual conference, execs from SAP, Comcast, Catalyte and Clutch shared insight on the importance of transparency, and how they're making room for wellness.

Clockwise from top left: Technical.ly's Paige Gross, SAP's Lloyd Adams, Clutch's Lindsy Noble, Comcast's Mel Penna and Catalyte's Jake Hsu. (Screenshot)

In a moment when the stakes are constantly being raised and life — let along work — hasn’t felt “normal” in weeks, companies must find ways to support their employees in addition to navigating murky economic waters.

On Thursday, Technical.ly hosted its first Introduced|Virtual conference, the first all-online version of our annual conference that introduces the ideas, people and opportunities that build better companies. (Look for the IRL version to return during Philly Tech Week 2020 presented by Comcast this September.)

During the “How to be Responsive to Your Workforce During a Crisis” panel moderated by Technical.ly Philly reporter Paige Gross, over 200 live attendees heard from company leaders from around the mid-Atlantic about their strategies for communicating with employees and maintaining flexibility without compromising key tenets and standards during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Our speakers:

Couldn’t attend live? Watch the full panel below (and skip a few minutes ahead to reach the start of the conversation):

Read on for a recap of the big ideas we heard:

Transparency trumps all.

Each of the panelists spoke to the importance of honesty and authenticity in communicating company changes to employees, even as the frequency of communication may change depending on the urgency of the moment.

Strategies vary, but top-down communication is king.

Attendees shared their thoughts on responding to the crisis, too. In a real-time poll asking how their companies are responding, the most common responses were more frequent communication from the CEO and other leaders, more frequent all-hands meetings and more frequent one-on-one meetings.

Mental health matters.

Downtown D.C.-based Clutch is encouraging employees to take care of themselves, as well as offering one free day off during May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month. And SAP, with its U.S. HQ in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, is getting interactive in promoting stress relief.

Don’t forget the families.

Many workers are now WFH alongside their kids (and pets), which brings a new set of stressors. A few panelists spoke about how they’re supporting their employees in those situations.

“Normal” is a long way off.

In short: There’s no timeline for returning to work as usual, and no one knows when there will be one.

Catch the full day of panels on YouTube.

Watch this panel

If you’d like to show your appreciation for our free programming and support our independent newsroom, considering donating to the Technical.ly Journalism Fund, of any amount, including the organizational level of $1,000.

Philly Tech Week 2020 is more like Philly Tech Year, with more virtual events like this coming throughout the next few months. Get updates on speakers, sessions, attendee specials and more by signing up for #PTW20 emails today:

Subscribe to receive PTW20 insider updates

Companies: Clutch Co. / Catalyte / Comcast / SAP / Technical.ly

Before you go...

Please consider supporting Technical.ly to keep our independent journalism strong. Unlike most business-focused media outlets, we don’t have a paywall. Instead, we count on your personal and organizational support.

3 ways to support our work:
  • Contribute to the Journalism Fund. Charitable giving ensures our information remains free and accessible for residents to discover workforce programs and entrepreneurship pathways. This includes philanthropic grants and individual tax-deductible donations from readers like you.
  • Use our Preferred Partners. Our directory of vetted providers offers high-quality recommendations for services our readers need, and each referral supports our journalism.
  • Use our services. If you need entrepreneurs and tech leaders to buy your services, are seeking technologists to hire or want more professionals to know about your ecosystem, Technical.ly has the biggest and most engaged audience in the mid-Atlantic. We help companies tell their stories and answer big questions to meet and serve our community.
The journalism fund Preferred partners Our services
Engagement

Join our growing Slack community

Join 5,000 tech professionals and entrepreneurs in our community Slack today!

Trending

The person charged in the UnitedHealthcare CEO shooting had a ton of tech connections

Delaware students take a field trip to China using their tablets and ChatGPT

Northern Virginia defense contractor acquires aerospace startup in $4B deal

From rejection to innovation: How I built a tool to beat AI hiring algorithms at their own game

Technically Media