We are going to be living with this virus for the rest of our lives I think. So for a person like me who works with people in groups and has traditionally travelled globally to deliver workshops, I have to start thinking about considerations related to the health on me and my colleagues and team members and the adherence of public health measures around the world. We know we can do good work online, so that is always an option. But for work in which clients expect me to travel and become exposed to COVID 19, I am considering using language like this in all our contracts:
All work planned with your organization needs to be flexible in delivery taking into account public health measures, and consultant health. For in-person events where travel is involved and quarantine required, your organization is responsible for all costs relating to national public health regulations. Our team members will always adhere to all national, local and commercial COVID-19 safety protocols and will meet or exceed expected standards of protection while travelling for this work. Should our team members contract COVID-19 in the course of their duties, your organization is responsible for costs relating to quarantine and travel plan changes and any health expenses falling outside of our corporate travel insurance. We will develop at least two options for any work to be delivered in person that includes a back-up online contingency plan and a cancellation plan.
I want to be able to do work with people, but I don’t want to put our team members at undue risk or under undue hardship, nor do I want to be creating in-person events that are unsafe or inaccessible. The language above seems fair and relational, given that we are a small company. What do you think? This is a tender new world and despite vaccination which lowers the risk of death, COVID 19 is a very dangerous virus that spreads rapidly and can create long term health risks that may impact my ability or my colleague’s ability to do their work.
I welcome your thoughts. How are you negotiating potential costs and client needs related to COVID in a world that is desperation to pretend that we are back in November 2019?
Smart business thinking, Chris. It makes contracting (writ large, not the document) even more important.
There is an additional layer for me that goes to “when is it most appropriate to be F2F?” taking into consideration climate change, options for great local practitioners rather than us flying in and models that create larger value than a single consultation engagement. It is east for me to say this because I don’t HAVE to work. But I want to walk my talk/values better and better.
This is a tough one. I did some online work during the height of pandemic, which showed my skills are adequate to it–yet it lacks the joy. I’m not up for working as hard or harder than before for so much less satisfaction. That’s aside from the fact that the quality and depth of remote sessions, even well-designed ones, is almost always lower than in person, so they aren’t as good for my clients.
Now that the pandemic has eased a bit, i am back to in-person work. With masks and testing when needed. For myself, that means working locally. Many years ago i was willing to jump on planes for gigs. I’ve long since passed the point where i can justify that to myself. I haven’t sworn never to fly again, but it’s been nearly a decade since dumping that amount of carbon in the atmosphere at high altitude (where it does far more damage than closer to the ground) seemed worth it. It took years to transition my consulting business from national to regional to rarely traveling out-of-state–a long, slow journey to a saner life.
When the pandemic arrived there was, briefly, a Great Pause. Human activity slowed, the planet rested a bit. There was talk then of making real change, of not returning to “normal”–as if ruining the ability of our children and grandchildren to survive could ever be “normal”! While i have watched in despair as the gears of industrial society have attempted to rev back up to a frenetic hum, perhaps the shifts arising from the pandemic can still nudge people toward the changes we’ve all been needing to make anyway?
Thank you, Chris,
This is a welcome reminder. I am starting a series of Circle Way sessions and the organization wants them in person.
This is helpful language for me. I wear masks when asked to deliver training in person, but have opted for most my work to be virtually. It protects everyone’s safety.