As the threat and reality of COVID-19 simultaneously sweep the earth, the only certainty is the uncertainty, which is the least favourable place for businesses and individuals. The complexities of this situation cannot be underplayed, with multiple layers to consider, from human health both physical and mental to world economies. Whilst COVID-19 may be a great equaliser in terms of its indiscriminate contagion, the response from governments has varied widely.

I recently met with a group of experienced business leaders from two key regions – the UK and Middle East, to discuss how different sectors, and businesses are dealing with the management of their operations, as we all try to fathom the best way to deal with this extraordinary situation that we all find ourselves in.

As if you to remind us of just how fast governments are moving to deal and manage the threat, when this discussion took place construction sites in the UAE were still operating but with stringent health and safety guidelines being followed. Only four days later new restrictions were announced in Dubai, requiring movement permits to be obtained from Dubai Municipality and the Permanent Committee for Labour Affairs by vital sectors, which includes construction.

The building blocks of the economy

What is very apparent is just how vital to the global economy the Construction sector (in its broadest term) is, not only as a huge employer across many social strata’s but also an indicator of the health of an economy, along with its close relative ‘manufacturing’. It is therefore not surprising that government, only with one or two exceptions, have been prepared to insist on a blanket shut down of either and leaving it to the discretion of the businesses.

This has been a huge dilemma for many organisations – the health of the business versus the health of people may on the face it appears very simple because every right-minded person would choose people surely? Except it is far more complex than that – company owners need to endure the long term health of a business to guarantee a future for its employees.