.jpg)
To say my daughter’s college graduation a little more than a year ago was uneventful would be an understatement. During the COVID-19 lockdown, she and our family watched the YouTube video from our living room as Rollin’s College quickly flashed a picture of her on the screen. The entire school had been told in March 2020 to head home for the rest of the semester. She started her master’s program at UF last summer and although she was now doing lab work on campus in Gainesville, strict rules prohibited visitors.As the COVID rules softened last month, we were excited to go visit her and see the campus. I booked a nice hotel for our stay. Upon arriving and checking in, wow, were we disappointed. Although wearing masks was now optional for the vaccinated, the room was still in full blown pandemic mode. No microwave, no coffee maker, no iron, or ironing board. There were notes explaining that for my “safety” these items had been removed. More notes explained that no housekeeping would be performed during my visit to “protect” me and the staff. If I needed more towels, simply call the front desk. Of course, the rate was not reduced to reflect the reduced service.
I immediately thought of this column and what we as service providers should be doing to find the balance between navigating the slowing pandemic and increasing client experience. A little more than a year ago, we were all talking about the “new normal.” Well, we need to start doing it again. What is the new normal as cases and deaths decline and patient and staff expectations start to rise? Get with your teams. Talk about it. The organizations which can deliver the best possible care and experience, while still keeping everyone safe, will be the winners. It could be an opportunity to regain your pre-COVID spot as a world class caregiver or pass everyone who stays stuck in neutral and is slow to change.
