WHAT ARE THE PEOPLE THAT WORK IN ITALY LEARNING FROM THE COVID-19?

Everyone knows about the negative impact that Coronavirus is having on Italy. Right now if you walk around any Italian city you have the feeling of being in the TV series "The Walking Dead" or something similar.

In the beginning, we were not taking it seriously we thought that this was “only flu”, but now thousands of people died, and hospitals are getting fuller and fuller.

In this catastrophic scenario, where we still don’t see “the light at the end of the tunnel”, is there anything good that we -as company managers- have learned so far? Is there any positive message that we, as people that live and work in Italy, can share with other countries that are looking at us hoping to not get in the same situation?

In my experience so far, I have found 3 key learnings which I hope will help us to see some light in this darkness: 

1. BEING MORE RESILIENT.

We understood that being resilient is one of the most important characteristics that we should develop. I am talking about the ability to change, adapting, re-organizing our routines, learning new tools and change business models. We are now really discovering the full potential of digitalization: new management tools (Trello, Monday.com, Wrike and many others), video calls instead of meeting face to face, using social media to stay connected with the team so on and so forth. The companies that are more resilient are the ones that are suffering less from this very tough situation. 

2. FEELING GRATEFULNESS.

There are things in life that we can’t control, like a “pandemic”. Very often we work under such time pressure that we think we are “saving the world” while in reality, we are just selling cosmetics, beverages, sunglasses, luxury fashion clothes, phones, etc.

It is only now that we are realizing that –probably- we were exaggerating to not sleeping at night because the next day we had an important presentation or we had a market visit to prepare or an interview with the human resources. Now, it seems that we start giving the right “weight” to everything.

The government has implored us to take care of what really matters: the health of ourselves and our close ones. This, at least, has a very nice consequence: spending time at home with our loved ones allows us to make up for the lost moments. We are grateful to be home, safe and healthy. These days is hard not to be thankful to all the doctors, nurses, and the rest of the hospital staff that in first-line are helping are fighting this invisible enemy called COVID-19. We are also grateful to all the people that have to go to work to make sure that we can get the basics to live. Thank you, cashiers at the supermarket, thanks to truck drivers and postal workers who keep delivering essential letters and packages, thanks to all the people that are helping the community in more ways than I can list here. We truly feel grateful. When this difficult chapter in our life story end, all the people mentioned above will be remembered as the true heroes.

3. WE ARE MORE HUMAN.

It seems a paradox: the usage of new digital tools to stay connected while working from home, helps us discover the human side of our colleagues. We see and appreciate them as fellow human beings that live full lives.

In this difficult situation, we are all more spiritually and emotionally connected even if physically far away from each other. When we are at home, we are more at ease, more sincere, and also more vulnerable...in other words, we are more human. When we are at home we don’t wear masks (in all senses). We can discover for example that our colleague plays the guitar because we saw one in the background while he was sharing the camera during a video call. For example, the last time I called my colleague she had in the background an opera music theme and that gave me the opportunity to learn more about her passion for ballet and classical music. At home, we don’t need suits and ties, and we can discover that our quiet and silent colleague is a strong fan of Metallica, because of his t-shirt that says: “Nothing else matters - 1991”. Then, during video calls, we can “spy” what kinds of books our colleagues have in their libraries. We can see their family when accidentally pass behind the camera. We can see how they react when the kid is making too much noise in the next room, or how do they call their husbands or wives (my dear, my love, some strange sweet made-up word). It seems like a paradox but technology makes as more humans in this case. We get to discover the human side of our colleagues and this improves connection and affect in a positive way the working output.

This situation, unfortunately, will likely last longer than we expect. Thus, I thought it was interesting to ask the same questions to different employees working at different levels of management and in different industries across my home country of Italy – one of the most impacted areas of this pandemic we are all facing. The good news is that you will be amazed by how many things we are learning during these very rough days.

Francesco Sodano: Head Of Channel Marketing (HUAWEI) 

“We all developed a bigger sense a responsibility towards the people we love and also towards family members, friends and colleagues that live in other countries where the virus has not spread yet so widely. I've been personally in contact with many of them located in UK, US, etc. be sure they were taking care and applying precautionary measures also trying to transfer them what we faced in Italy in the past days so that they could be more conscious and prepared deal with this particular momentum”

Tatiana Zueva, Consultant (Garrison Group)

 “In our constantly busy lives, we often forget to appreciate small things we have and almost always are taking everything for granted – aperitivo with friends, morning chat over a coffee in a bar, weekend hike in the mountains or even a simple evening in a cinema. Being stuck at home and not able to have the same lifestyle as before gives an opportunity to redefine priorities and start living here and now, without waiting until we earn more money, meet ‘the one’ or find a perfect job. This crisis has shown us that you can never be sure about tomorrow, thus try to make the best out of today and appreciate everything we have. Imagine, how great it will be in a month (hopefully) to dress up, go out and hug everyone you have seen only by video calls during these last months!

Moreover, being Russian living and working in Italy, it was noticeable that the Italian digital market is not always using its full potential in comparison with Russia or the USA, especially the SMEs. Now, during this ‘coronavirus time’, when the Internet has necessarily substituted for almost all personal interaction, it is the right time to start appreciating its possibilities, using every advantage that the digital world can offer and conquer the hearts of your consumers, understanding their needs and helping them”.

Davide Ballabio, Merchandising Manager (Bally) 

In our day-by-day work sometimes happens to get stuck with long and pointless meetings, where it’s easy to get distracted and weary. With less downtime and everyone’s attention focused on a single point such as a shared presentation, offline sessions are usually shorter, more on-task and productive than face-to-face meets. "More productive meetings", it means "more productive teams", which means "more productive organization" and better performances. 

Luigi Visconti, Vice President (Investment Banking)

“This is indeed an unprecedented challenge for modern society and maybe the major economic threat of all times because it wipes out some fundamentals of the whole economic system. Furthermore, I am very sure that this cannot be fixed with the injection of “more liquidity” as we have been recently used to think. However, in bad times one can only think of the positive side. And this period might turn out as an incredible chance for self-reflection. People have now the time to think about what they have achieved so far personally and professionally. What we tend to put aside with the excuse of always having to rush. I believe that this will really help us to speed up and improve our way of living once the storm has passed, hoping the aftermath won’t be too bad”

Alessandro Martinengo Villagana Advisor & Startupper

“In the first days of quarantine, people have seen the importance of adapting and changing habits. I have seen businesses slowed down, mostly because people are not yet fully used to “working smart” (from home). The good news is that people are improving their work-life balance. As a result that will positively impact all of us after this is over companies are forced to digitalize more and became more efficient”.

Albina Alvino, National Key Account (Manetti & Roberts)

“Now that we have more free time, we are using it more wisely: reading more, doing online training, home work out, learning new instruments to play, learning how to cook or use video and photo editing tools. If we work smarter then we have more time to do things that before we did not have time for. Now it is harder to find excuses and say to ourselves: “I don’t have time”. This is the time to rediscover ourselves, to learn and think more. We have more time for ourselves and there is something magic in the question – what can I do for me today?” 

Ezio Terzi, Head of field (Reckitt Benckiser)

“I think that there are two key learnings from this story. First, the quarantine allowed us to understand the importance of the physical interactions that before we felt guaranteed like small daily office routines: the importance make a little tour of the office to say good morning to everyone, smile, or nods just to say that "we are on the same page", even the social importance of the 11 o'clock coffee break with colleagues. It is much harder to run a business without physical contact and we are learning this on our skin now. 

Second, unfortunately, one of the major blocks of home working is the lack of trust of many managers. This situation has imposed an "obligatory trust" towards their own carry-overs, which have also proven to be fundamental in the management of work through "smart working". I am sure that even the more skeptical ones will now understand that "working from home" is not synonymous with less work and that great goals can be achieved through trust, technology, and organization”.

Gessica Giulini, Retail Brand Project Manager (Nike)

“Working from home or a different place than the office is a great opportunity that allows workers to be free and autonomous from a physical point of view. Physical flexibility makes the organization of time easy and manageable, based on our priorities and needs. Now we feel more empowered to set our own schedule, to plan our own time. Furthermore, when working from home, I can create and personalize my space! Plants, paintings, lights can make the environment more comfortable and also increase my mental wellness and thereby, my productivity.

If there is one thing I cannot live without, it is sport and movement. Indeed, I feel it much more when I’m doing smart work. I discovered that, on the contrary of what one can expect, at home, I can really manage my time and work-out whenever I want, which I prefer to do through NTC (Nike Training Club) App. Using this app, I can literally train next to my desk, making it much easier and instant - who could have imagined it possible only a month ago!”

Nicola Fortunato, Category Manager (Bolton Food)

“Productivity, individual well-being, and a balance between working life and personal life are just some of the positive effects of this challenging situation that Italy is experiencing. Everyone has the opportunity to express themselves in real-time and contribute to the quality of the projects we are committed to working on because, yes, we are operating as we have never done before. We are experiencing a form of connection that is not limited to mere work but works as a sort of collective embrace that makes us feel part of an extraordinary network. I believe that the commitment I am seeing these days is a useful thermometer to measure the passion for what we do. It's nice to go virtually and on tiptoe into the homes of colleagues, often for the first time, and their smile, the cup of coffee, the music, the joke help us to find that special harmony that has been and will soon return to be, our daily life”.

Francesca Donzelli, Trade Marketing Manager (GAMESTOP)

In these weeks, by staying all day at home we are experiencing several activities to spend our time and to keep our mind elsewhere, far from the worries we are all feeling. In this critical situation, we are figuring out, more than ever, how gaming can be a true relief to take anxiety of these days away. As a company, we decided to immediately focus on this positive aspect and develop a new scheme of communication accordingly. Every day through our social media channels we suggest a list of the best game to be played together with the family such as board games, card games, or the most popular games for different gaming consoles. All our stores are closed due to the pandemic, therefore, we serve our customers through e-commerce. We were not ready for such a big explosion in e-commerce sales, but we are quickly adapting to the situation to ensure quick delivery to our customers. More than ever people want to play, relieve stress and have a good time and we are here to serve them.

Vincenzo Galeno, Senior National Account (L’Oréal)

“Today’s employees can be compared to soccer players: They change teams every year, weakening the link with the company they work for. Ties are formed over time and through daily teamwork, by actively meeting and solving problems together.

I honestly think the current situation is creating a major problem that companies are having a hard time facing: Finding ways to maintain a strong motivation and a sense of belonging among their employees despite the physical distance.

I think that in times like these, where people can no longer see each other every day and every task is carried out through digital outlets, it will be very clear which teams will continue to perform and those that will not. Like the few soccer players that are loyal to their jerseys, team players with a highly structured and close-knit organization, and a sense of belonging will continue to perform well despite the physical distance. On the contrary, employees who are less involved and don’t possess a strong background and work ethic will feel less pressured and controlled by their managers and risk losing focus on their business objectives. This will definitely affect productivity and increase poor performance.

In summary, the current situation may become a turning point for many companies to understand which players (employees) to bet on, whom to bench, and whom to sell in the next transfer market”.

Luigi Cigliano, CEO (Amedei)

“We are living moments of anguish and fear. It is in these moments that we reconsider what is that we really value in life. As children, we work hard to finish homework quickly and then go to play with friends, brothers, sisters, and parents. When we were children our lives were revolving around “playing”. With time, the importance of “play” lost its relevance, and “ambitions and recognitions” took its place.

This surreal period that we are experiencing has one positive effect: it is giving us back “the time”. We are re-discovering and valuing the time we dedicate to our families, readings, playing games, and visit virtual art exhibitions. We rediscover the importance of having fun.

Just like when we were children that our only goal was to finish our homework quickly for then having the time to play, now, thanks to the Smart Working (that many companies were forced to discover only now), we can work more effectively and more efficiently by making better use of our time: avoiding long meetings, unnecessary activities that not bring real values to the company.

In this terrible momentum, adults are learning from their childhood how to become faster and more efficient, in order to have more time to dedicate to themselves and their close ones. Now that we see doctors dedicating their precious time to save lives, help those who are suffering and try to stop invisible enemy, we value time and their work even more. To all of them goes the applause and gratitude of the entire world”.

And from all of us to the world we share together in good times and bad; everything will end up well (andrà tutto bene). Trust and appreciate both yourself and each other. As the Beatles famously said; The love you give is equal to the love you make.”

By Matteo Rinaldi

About the Author

Matteo Rinaldi is a Partner and Regional Director at Garrison Group. He has been involved in consulting projects for Danone, Carlsberg, Juventus, Pans&Co, Revlon, Sanofi, IKEA and many others in from different industries.

Matteo is Adjunct Professor at LUISS Business School in Rome. He has also done several guest lectures, from Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, (US Ivy League), to several universities in Italy (BS Sole24Ore as well as LIUC and Federico II), Plymouth State University in USA, Kadir Has University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is also a Visiting Professor at Cracow University.

He is a published author of numerous articles and he contributed to writing several marketing books and just published his first book in Italian (Human-Centric Marketing, prima di consumatori siamo tutti persone). Matteo lived in 9 different countries and came back to Milan which become one of the key offices for Garrison Group.

Before joining the consulting industry, he worked for the marketing team of L’Orèal as well as for the sales team of Coca-Cola Italy.