CEO of North & Central America at Accor
We all know that our people are our greatest assets, at the center of everything we do, but never has that been clearer than through the pandemic. The closure of offices and hotels, temporary furloughs, and a general, pervading sense of uncertainty necessitated a re-evaluation of the ways in which we communicated with our Accor family. This was very real, very fast, and oftentimes, without supporting information, but communication was a lifeline during the pandemic, and I believe we are better for it.
Key lessons…
Frequency: The rapidly, constantly evolving situation required an escalation in the frequency of our communications, both to receive and share essential information. Weekly check-ins with our global CEO went daily; monthly in person Town Halls shifted into weekly virtual sessions; and our COVID-19 task force met daily, sometimes hourly. As a result, our teams received important information directly from us, and we were consistently informed and thus able to make critical decisions quickly and effectively.