CHARLOTTE, N.C. — On Monday night, the Charlotte Hornets would have played their home finale against the Miami Heat at Spectrum Center. Instead, employees continued making contingency plans for ticket-holders and sponsors as part of a telecommuting work day scheduled to include mental health counseling courtesy of team sponsor Novant Health.
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The previous sentence would have made little to no sense before last month, when the novel coronavirus pandemic shut down the nation, including the NBA. Now every company understands the need to reshuffle while ensuring as much as possible that some semblance of normality and morale can be retained amid near-constant upheaval.
A huge stress-reliever for the Hornets’ 200 full-time employees came courtesy of Curtis Polk, the organization’s vice chairman and right-hand man to owner Michael Jordan. During a regularly scheduled online all-staff meeting a couple of weeks ago, Polk disclosed Jordan’s mandate to maintain current staffing levels without any pay reductions.
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Current work life for the Hornets mirrors that of many businesses in Charlotte and across the country. Meetings conducted by videoconference on Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Checking in on employees and clients alike. Emphasizing mental and physical well-being. Sharing best practices with their counterparts in other parts of the country. Revamping scuttled schedules and events while laying the foundation for a resumption of more typical business conditions whenever that day arrives.
Hornets President Fred Whitfield talked with CBJ about what business looks like these days. Read the full story here.