In the face of uncertainty and fear, we have to support each other. Especially when it’s at a distance.
Not so many days ago, our country didn’t fully grasp the gravity of the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. Now a global pandemic, COVID-19 has demanded international attention as it has uprooted whatever sense of normal we’ve grown sleepily accustomed to. We’re a global community and have a responsibility to our fellow humans. First and foremost, we owe it to each other to stay healthy. It’s weird to get used to, but it’s not that difficult to make lifestyle changes in the name of health and safety. We may not feel as though our individual efforts move the needle, but they do. When individuals help a common cause together, they begin to work wonders for their communities as a whole.We’ve banded together with like-minded businesses in Upstate New York to make a Pledge of Action Against COVID-19, rallying our collective efforts to fight this pandemic. The fight must go further than that. We’ve put together this short post to discuss a few simple things we’re doing and we believe others can do as well.
We’re Staying Home, For Real
We already know that the most important thing we can do for everyone else is to stay home. We’re among the fortunate who can work from home with little disruption, and if you are as well, please do. The ability to work remotely is something not everyone has. Our healthcare and emergency workers, who don’t get that option, are urging people to remain home when they can. Please honor their requests as they work tirelessly in the closest proximity to infection to ensure people are cared for. We owe that much to them. From March 16 forward, Jorsek has instated a mandatory work from home policy. We plan to have it remain as long as necessary, even beyond the state-mandated requirements, if that’s what’s in the best interest of our employees, their families, and our communities, until the virus is well-controlled. We’ve also stopped employee travel altogether, and encourage businesses who have the option to do the same. We’re seeing a great trend in the tech industry, too. Companies like Atlassian and Zoom, who make working remotely easier, are offering their software to schools and businesses for free, to help foster remote learning, working, and collaboration. Not every organization can go so far, but we can start where it counts most: staying home.
Stay Informed
The unfortunate fact of the matter is that we live in a time where disinformation and misleading information is all around us. In the best of times, that’s dangerous. In the middle of this crisis, it can be deadly. It is our belief that staying informed through accredited news sources is a civic duty. We’d recommend NPR (National Public Radio) as a trusted go-to source for news and, of course, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for health updates related to COVID-19.
This Will Affect Others Worse, Help Them
Staying at home is the right choice right now, but we’ve already seen the toll COVID-19, social distancing, and isolation has taken on millions of businesses across the world. In tech, we’re fortunate enough that working remotely is fairly standard across the industry. Still, regardless of company size, there are countless others who support us on a daily basis who are being put out of work.It’s up to us to help the businesses and the people who clean our offices, empty trash bins, water plants, deliver supplies, and repair our facilities. For this reason, Jorsek is prepaying for months of pay-as-you-go services because they need income to continue on and we have every plan to continue our relationships once this crisis is over. If you’re a company, tech or otherwise, with a secure and recurring revenue model, we encourage you to do your best to support the other organizations in your ecosystem who are less fortunate.Similarly, non-profit organizations are the first to help during times of crisis, but they’re also the first to lose funding sources because of broad financial hardship and economic stressors that decrease donations. They, too, need all the help they can get, which is why we’re asking that our employees consider supporting local and global non-profits on the front lines against COVID-19. If you’re in the Rochester region, consider a donation to FoodLink, ACT Rochester (part of Community Foundation), or United Way, all of whom have COVID response funds. At Jorsek, we’ve chosen to directly support FoodLink because we’re familiar with the good they’re doing in our community for those who need it most.
#MicroSupport People & Businesses
What’s micro support? It’s the little things that lots of people do individually, together. It’s the 1,000 Facebook friends we can get to donate $5 each to that tiny local restaurant that rocks. Our #microsupport matters! Numerous local small businesses have been affected (and will continue to be) by mandatory closures. Service industry workers of all types have been put out of work as restaurants, bars, salons, and countless small shops deemed nonessential are forced to close until further notice. Just last week, Yelp saw that interest in restaurants dropped by 54% and interest in nightlife businesses by 69%.The majority of these workers depend on gratuity as their main source of income and, as we know, in-person services can’t just transition to working remotely at a moment’s notice. Small businesses and the people who depend on them for their personal livelihoods are struggling right now, and we can offer help to the ones closest to us. There are lots of ways to help businesses themselves and the people they employ.
- Buy a bunch of gift cards from local restaurants, bookstores, bars, and shops
- Send your bartender and server friends a virtual Venmo tip, or ask businesses on social media how you can offer direct, personal support to employees
- Order a ton of coffee beans from a couple of local roasteries
- Buy a haircut from your barber, leave a tip, get the haircut later when it’s safe
- Take to social media and share takeout, pickup, and delivery food services being offered by local restaurants
The list goes on, but you get the picture. Micro support initiatives are endless and those seemingly small gestures of support encourage community action. And when you find these little ways to help, share them with others. Everyone wants to help, but since helping needs to be a combination of many small actions, no one has thought of them all. ---Here at Jorsek, we’re scared too, but we know we’re going to survive this. As a team, we’re doing everything we can to keep our heads held high and our feet pointed forward. We know we can be both realistic and optimistic at the same time. We also know these are going to be trying times and they may not be over quickly, but we have a great deal of faith in those around us, both inside and outside the company. We may be physically apart, but we’re still going to get through this together.With love, from home,Patrick
