Friends, I don’t have to tell you these are not easy times. 

But I do feel a responsibility to be in touch with those in our ecosystem–whether it’s our core team, clients, freelancers, or my colleagues in the tech industry–about IOD’s operations during this period of social distancing due to COVID-19.  

We at IOD are very lucky. Because of our typical work culture, processes, and habits, very little has changed for IOD. We are operating business as usual. 

Of course, like many of you, I have children at home I now need to parent and homeschool during the work day, splitting time with my wife who also has professional responsibilities. And like you I am concerned, of course, for their health and well-being, and the well-being of my extended family and community.

In Tel Aviv, one of the most bustling and alive cities in the world, life has come to a screeching halt. As depressing as this is to me — someone who lives in this city precisely because of how busy it is both day and night — I fully believe that shutting down is necessary. We must slow down the progression of this virus. It’s critical not just for our own health and safety, but for our economic survival. 

It’s so very painful and frustrating to see great countries drowning right now because of Coronavirus. Even if in Israel the situation ends up not being so severe, the world is already changed because of this pandemic. 

What will become of conferences, like re:Invent, where we get to meet up with old friends every year in Vegas? It may take years for the world to recover economically, not to mention the potential for extended travel restrictions, and therefore years before we may meet up in person again. I hope I’m wrong. 

Here are some updates regarding IOD policies and processes.

IOD on Social Distancing: We are asking our staff and our freelancers to stay home, stay away from crowds, be part of the solution, and not the problem. Whether or not your country or state has required you by law to stay home, please stay home. 

IOD on Operations & Delivery: As mentioned, above, we are operating business-as-usual. If you are a client of ours, that means you can expect all your content delivered on time. You can expect regular communications from our staff. If you are not yet a client, but need content creation during these challenging times when marketing is moving almost entirely online, please reach out. We are here to help. 

With that said, please note that, as always, we are a flexible organization, and we understand that business may not be as usual in your workplace. 

If you are a client who needs more time to review an article, let your account manager know. We understand you may have babies to care for, elderly parents to buy groceries for, and you may have less ability to focus on your work due to stressful distractions.

If you are an IOD freelancer who needs to take a break from writing for a few weeks because you are ill, let our operations team know. We want to support your health, not contribute to your stress. We will be here when you feel better, and we will have work for you.

If you are a tech expert or an editor who needs more work, be in touch with us. We may have work for you. 

We value each and every one of the people in our ecosystem. I consider IOD a “human-facing” organization. Our work is remote, but that doesn’t mean we don’t have meaningful relationships with our points of contact and our freelancers. We do. I encourage you to be in touch with me if your personal or professional situation could benefit from support we can offer.

Unfortunately, we have yet to see the deep impact Coronavirus will have on our local communities and global society. I’m trying to stay hopeful and optimistic, and focus on those things that are most important to me. 

To that end, I’m emphasizing again, how grateful we are to be operating business-as-usual. If you have any questions or concerns not addressed above, please do reach out to me personally.

I’m wishing you all good health. Please be safe, and take into consideration that others may not be as strong and as healthy as you are. Now is the time for us to exhibit our capacity for empathy and kindness. Let our technology continue to assist us in our work, but let our humanity rise above our fear and our greed.