Week 188

Positive post Sunday, September 27, 2020…. Week 188. 

First, my prayers are with the families of all those who have lost a loved one to CV-19 and my appreciation with those essential workers who have spent tireless hours helping others.  May the good Lord watch over you and keep you in his grace.

In addition to the loss of life, this pandemic has had an enormous impact on our economy, where many businesses have been devastated and others are prospering.  Many small businesses, including restaurants, theaters, barbershops and salons have simply not been able to withstand the loss of business and have had to shut down permanently.  Others have thrived, not necessarily due to innovation but in many cases due to the need for their product or service during the pandemic.  Although not without struggle, businesses like Amazon and Netflix and sectors like high tech, supermarkets, bicycle shops and sanitation supply providers have seen spikes in business and profits over the past 6 months.

There is clearly a significant disparity among those who are suffering and those who are prospering during these most challenging times.  Here’s an article with a list of so-called winners, losers and inbetweeners: https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-your-guide-to-winners-and-losers-in-the-business-world-134205.  Regardless of whether your business is a winner or loser or somewhere in between, we have all been impacted by this pandemic in one way or another, considering that, according to the U.S. April jobs report, the country has lost 20.6 million jobs since mid-March, resulting in an unemployment rate of 14.7%.  to put this in perspective, the number of jobs lost is more than double the number seen in the 2007-2009 Great Recession, when 8.7 million Americans lost jobs.  One silver lining is that, according to USA Today, of the 20.6 million jobs lost, 18 million are expected to be temporary losses during the pandemic.

By now you are likely wondering why this is a POSITIVE post.  Well, in addition to the uplifting and inspiring efforts of all the essential workers who have allowed many of us to work through this pandemic, there are many businesses that have stepped up to help.  Here are 50 examples: https://www.forbes.com/sites/blakemorgan/2020/03/17/50-ways-companies-are-giving-back-during-the-corona-pandemic/#8d4b90e47238.  I’d like to add SoCalGas to the list.  As a member of the leadership team, I am incredibly proud of all the steps we have taken to support our employees as well as our customers.  We have gone above and beyond traditional benefits and services to create a healthy and safe environment while providing essential services.

It’s my hope that those who are prospering, and less impacted by this pandemic, have hearts of philanthropists, and generously share their new good fortunes with those who have been most impacted.   

If you read the link with 50 ways companies are giving back during the pandemic, then you will have a deeper understanding of my question.  Are you one of the helpers, one of the caring people in this world?  How have you helped others during this pandemic?