Thank you to all who participated in this second BCP-related Weekend Poll, which represented an opportunity to compare how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted business continuity practices.

I drafted my first Weekend Poll on the topic in late February 2020, published it March 2nd, and shared the results on March 12th. A reader who responded shortly after the first Weekend Poll on this topic would have been experiencing different workplace scenarios than someone who responded less than a week later.

With an eye to this rapidly shifting landscape, I published a similar Weekend Poll just 18 days after the first COVID-19 Weekend Poll. In preparing questions for the Pandemic: A Snapshot in Time Weekend Poll, I tweaked response options where circumstances or news dictated, and also added some new questions.

The results of this latest Weekend Poll reflect responses received over a 12-day period, between March 20th and April 2nd. Read on to see how our workplaces and lives have changed over the course of less than a month.

 A time of rapid adjustments

Individuals and their employers have had to make rapid adjustments of late. By late March, 100% of respondents reported that their employers had issued communications related to COVID-19, up from 90% earlier in the month. While barely two of every three respondents reported in early March that their employers had issued revised travel guidelines, that spiked to 90% when I posed the same question on March 20th.

Who’s working where?

With March drawing to a close, 38% of respondents said that they and all their respective colleagues were working remotely. Another 25% reported that theirs are split workforces, with some individuals working from home and others continuing to work from their offices. Yet another 8% reported that they and their colleagues are rotating periods of working from home and the office. You’ll find full results below.

When it comes to assistants and their principals, 52% of respondents said that you are working from home and that your principals are also working from their homes. Fifteen percent said that both you and your principals continue to be based out of the office, and another 15% are rotating between home and office. Yet another 13% reported working from home while your principals continue to work from the office. A smaller number, 5%, reported that you’re working from your offices but your principals aren’t.

How are you conducting your meetings?

Forty-eight percent of respondents said you and your colleagues are turning to Microsoft Teams. For 20% of respondents, this software is new to your participants.

When I listed a series of web conferencing/meeting resources and asked which was in greatest use at your place of employment, Teams came out on top, followed by Skype, then Zoom, WebEx, GoToMeeting and Google Hangouts.

BCP: Business continuity planning

In early March, 68% of respondents reported that your employers had business continuity plans (BCPs) in place. That percentage remained fairly consistent, at 69%, in this latest poll. What changed within a matter of weeks? Well, for starters, 19% of respondents reported that BCPs were now in place and had been developed because of the pandemic.

The percentage of assistants who didn’t know whether or not their employers had BCPs dropped significantly, from 25% in early March to only 4% in late March/early April. It’s good to be informed.

Supply chain challenges on the increase

While only 14% of respondents reported in early March that their employers were experiencing COVID-19-related supply change challenges, that percentage jumped to 52% when I posed the question again on March 20th.

Guidelines, policies, and lessons learned to date

Rather than drown you in detail today, I’ll turn in my next post to how employers are doing with respect to IT and remote working policies and guidelines … and the career and life lessons you’ve learned to date from this pandemic.

For now, you’ll find most of the data below. Check back for the balance of the results, or subscribe to my post and e-newsletter to receive alerts with links to these articles.

THE DATA

1. Were you aware of the coronavirus (COVID-19) before reading this article?

• Yes: 100% of respondents, compared to 100% in early March 
• No: 0% of respondents, compared to 0% in early March 

2. Has your workplace/employer issued any communications related to coronavirus? 

• Yes: 100% of respondents, compared to 90% in early March  
• No: 0% of respondents, compared to 10% in early March 

3. In the course of your work, are you referring to health authorities/accredited bodies or government/international authorities to seek insights/recommendations on travel and other practices as a result of coronavirus?

• Yes: 92% of respondents, compared to 79% in early March  
• No: 4% of respondents, compared to 16% in early March 
• I haven’t yet, but that’s a good idea: 4% of respondents, compared to 5% in early March 

4. Has your employer issued revised travel guidelines in light of coronavirus?

• Yes: 90% of respondents, compared to 65% in early March  
• No: 10% of respondents, compared to 35% in early March 

5. Please identify changes, if any have arisen in light of coronavirus, in travel practices at your place of employment.

• no travel at all (a response option not included in the March 2/19 poll): 68% of respondents
• no international travel: 13% of respondents, compared to 24% in early March 
• domestic travel only: 11% of respondents, compared to 1% in early March 
• assessed on case-by-case basis: 4% of respondents, compared to 23% in early March 
• no travel to impacted regions: 2% of respondents, compared to 28% in early March 
• no changes: 2% of respondents, compared to 24% in early March 

6. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Which of the following best describes the situation at your workplace?

• All employees working remotely: 38% of respondents
• Split workforce; some at office and some WFH: 25% of respondents
• Majority of employees working remotely: 23% of respondents
• Rotating periods of WFH and office: 8% of respondents
• We are sorting out WFH options: 6% of respondents
• Business as usual: 0% of respondents
• We have temporarily closed; I am out of work: 0% of respondents

7. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Which of the following best describes your current working situation?

• I’m working from home & so is my principal: 52% of respondents
• I’m working from the office and so is my principal: 15% of respondents
• I’m rotating between office and home: 15% of respondents
• I’m working from home & my principal is working from the office: 13% of respondents
• I’m working from the office but my principal isn’t: 5% of respondents

8. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Which of the following best describes current meeting practices at your place of employment?

• We’re relying on Microsoft Teams; we used it before: 28% of respondents
• We’re relying on Microsoft Teams; it’s new to us: 20% of respondents
• We are using other meeting software: 52% of respondents

9. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Which of the following web conferencing/meeting resources is currently in greatest use at your place of employment?

• Teams: 34% of respondents
• Skype: 27% of respondents
• Zoom: 21% of respondents
• WebEx: 9% of respondents
• GoToMeeting: 7% of respondents
• Google Hangouts: 2% of respondents
• Jabber: 0% of respondents

10. Does your workplace/employer have a business continuity plan (BCP)?

• Yes; it was already in place: 69% of respondents, compared to 68% in early March  
• Yes; it’s been developed because of the pandemic (a response option not included in the March 2nd poll): 19% of respondents
• No: 8% of respondents, compared to 7% in early March 
• I don’t know: 4% of respondents, compared to 25% in early March 

11. Has the coronavirus driven any increase in the number of employees in your organisation working remotely, or the rate at which colleagues work remotely?

• Not that I’m aware of: 35% of respondents, compared to 35% in early March 
• Yes: 28% of respondents, compared to 28% in early March  
• Not at this point; it’s under discussion: 24% of respondents, compared to 2400% in early March 
• No: 13% of respondents, compared to 13% in early March 

12. Has the coronavirus prompted you or your employer reviewed internal contact lists to ensure access to current info?

• My employer already does this on a routine basis: 46% of respondents, compared to 45% in early March 
• Yes: 21% of respondents, compared to 19% in early March  
• I keep my lists current; don’t know about others: 15% of respondents, compared to 18% in early March 
• No: 18% of respondents, compared to 18% in early March 

13. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Does your employer have an IT usage policy or guidelines to which employees are expected to adhere?

• Yes: 86% of respondents
• No: 10% of respondents
• I don’t know: 4% of respondents
• We didn’t until now; they’re being developed or have just been developed: 0% of respondents

14. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Does your employer have guidelines or a policy for employees working remotely or working from home (WFH)?

• Yes: 58% of respondents
• We didn’t until now; they’re being developed or have just been developed: 23% of respondents
• No: 13% of respondents
• I don’t know: 6% of respondents

15. Has your place of employment experienced any supply chain challenges as a result of coronavirus (COVID-19)?

• Yes: 52% of respondents, compared to 14% in early March 
• Not that I’m aware of: 19% of respondents, compared to 41% in early March 
• Not to this point; that may change, depending on how long it takes to contain the virus: 17% of respondents, compared to 26% in early March  
• No: 12% of respondents, compared to 19% in early March 

16. Do you personally know anyone who has been diagnosed as having coronavirus?

• No: 74% of respondents, compared to 99% in early March 
• Yes: 26% of respondents, compared to 1% in early March 

17. Has knowledge of the coronavirus prompted you to change any hygiene practices?

• Yes; I’m washing my hands more frequently: 54% of respondents, compared to 27% in early March 
• Yes; I’m making an effort to not touch my face if I haven’t just washed my hands: 27% of respondents, compared to 23% in early March 
• No; I routinely wash my hands and cough/sneeze into tissue or my upper sleeve: 19% of respondents, compared to 49% in early March 
• No: 0% of respondents, compared to 1% in early March 

18. Has word of the coronavirus impacted your travel plans for 2020?

• Yes; I have had to cancel plans: 50% of respondents, compared to 16% of respondents who selected the “yes” response option in early March
• To some degree; I’m still planning to travel, but will wait to finalise plans: 23% of respondents, compared to 37% in early March 
• No; I don’t travel much anyway: 13% of respondents, compared to 18% in early March 
• Yes; I was going to travel this year but won’t (a response option not included in the March 2nd poll): 10% of respondents
• No: 4% of respondents, compared to 29% in early March 

19. (a question not posed in the March 2nd Weekend Poll) Which of the following best describes your approach to having travel insurance for personal travel?

• I buy trip-specific insurance with each booking: 40% of respondents, compared to 16% of respondents who selected the “yes” response option in early March
• I/my family have/has annual travel insurance coverage: 32% of respondents
• I’ve never bought it, but will in future: 15% of respondents
• I’ve never bought it, but will in future: 13% of respondents