As lockdown restrictions lift, organisations must carefully manage the safety, mental health and wellbeing of their staff. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s good for business.

As delegates get set to tune into Airmic Fest 2020, the UK risk association’s first-ever virtual conference, it is a very different world from that of just over a year ago when risk managers descended on the northern British spa town of Harrogate. 

And not just because the conference centre, restaurants, bars and hotels will stay quiet while meetings, workshops and networking are conducted from behind a computer screen. But because a risk that had been deemed almost too remote to feature on many risk registers has shifted the universe on its axis.

COVID-19 is far from over. With second waves in many countries and ongoing restrictions, including local lockdowns, it is a far cry from business as usual.

Our vocabulary has changed. We talk about ‘remote working’ and ‘social distancing’, sign off emails with ‘stay safe’ and host renewal discussions via Zoom and Teams. As UK comedian Michael McIntyre quipped in a recent sketch where he visits a fortune teller back in 2019, “Furloughed? You can’t just make words up!”

The global pandemic has reaffirmed the role and value of the risk manager within the organisation, and not just because they have proved the worth of their business continuity plans.

It is now more appreciated than ever that risk professionals have an important strategic role, not just in managing the latest crises, but as a key business enabler, supporting decision-makers with the insight they need to make the right choices at the right time.

Putting people first

As lockdown restrictions lift, organisations must carefully manage the safety, mental health and wellbeing of their staff. It’s the right thing to do, and it’s good for business.

As Tracey Skinner, group insurance director, BT Group and Airmic chair observes: “Taking care of staff’s physical and mental wellbeing as we emerge from lockdown will lead a company to flourish over the longer term as their staff will be more engaged and productive. Businesses that do this will be rewarded over time.”

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