Many organisations in Australia and beyond right now are knee deep in re-engineering, transformation, pivoting or whatever name is being given to the latest Covid-19 survival strategies and focus.

That is certainly my focus right now in my own company. But I see something more.

There is more to strategising and wargaming and the many conversations in the media about how things are going to be.

And that is employees – our teams – and what they can do to help and what they want.

The conversation should be going far beyond business continuity and job keeper and 2021.

Doing business in troubled times

So do companies still believe employees are their most valuable asset?

Six months ago, before the COVID-19 pandemic landed, the answer undoubtedly in the minds of most Australian business owners would have been a resounding YES.

But in these constantly changing times, many companies, having made the first cuts, are faced with the threat of their people lacking motivation, energy,  enthusiasm and the optimism to see a second wave through. It’s getting harder and sometimes surely must appear, all too hard.

I am so sensitive to this with my team, we went ahead with our usual offsite last month to ideate the year and boost each other while we planned our new vision.

Externally facilitated, the question was raised by one of our speakers, Sophia Choi, Strategic Partnerships Manager at Attention Experts. Sophia made a good point. While we try to look deeper and trace the cause of a potential emerging workplace depression, let’s consider the notion that companies reluctant to undertake marketing and social media presence during these troubles times could well be a big part of the problem.

To make my point. A case study revealed by Sophia involved a C’level exec. This senior company executive confirmed that staff morale was at an all time low due to management’s decision to disengage from any marketing activity and simply look towards Job Keeper to ‘hold the fort.’

This has led to this person to look for other opportunities having lost faith in the business to actively grow and sustain itself.

Why marketing remains important

The theme of marketing as a source of pride and optimism in a business should and must be taken seriously, especially now. I am constantly reminding anyone that will listen that difficult times create new opportunities. After 25 years in business, I’ve earned the right to a view on transformation and change as well as crisis.

It would be remiss for any business owner to overlook the fact, that marketing is often the springboard to identify and create new clients tomorrow and into the future.

It’s Time was an iconic jingle, once upon a time, from the 1972 Gough Whitlam political campaign. I suggest it needs to be resurrected in the minds of business leaders – small and large – because this is the time to dust-off your existing marketing plans and adjust it to the many new opportunities happening around you.

Watch your employee motivation lift as you do so.

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