Message to our Friends and Partners

JR BECHTLE & Co. | March 2020 | Publications

Message to our Friends and Partners

I have never experienced a time like these past weeks.
And I have lived through my share of difficult times: While growing up in Germany the Asian flu pandemic in 1957 as a boy in Köln (it killed nearly 2 million people worldwide), and the so-called Hong Kong flu pandemic of 1968 (which killed nearly as many people) during my first year at college in München; the military takeovers in many nations of Latin America and the disappearance and murder of thousands of college students while I was teaching at universities in Peru; the Black Monday crash, just after I had purchased my first house in the U.S. (Minnesota); the Mexican currency crisis during the time I worked in Puebla; the Swine Flu pandemic 2009 (probably originated in Mexico) which infected nearly 1 billion people worldwide and killed 284,000 (CDC estimate); September 11th, during the morning commute on my way to our office in Boston; the global crash of 2008 while already living in Florida – and others that I can’t even remember anymore.

But what has been happening during the past weeks is new even to me. The forceful combination of a pandemic, combined with a global economic breakdown (including an oil price war), and some truly impressive incompetence of leadership in many nations around the world – that is even new to me.

Perhaps the most challenging issue about this whole situation is the level of uncertainty surrounding it.
We have more information, updates, models, and expert analysis at our disposal than ever before — yet no one seems to know what is going to happen.

That can be especially scary when we’re talking about the health and safety of our family, friends, and co-workers.

Here at JR BECHTLE & Co., we’re slowing things down at our main offices and are now working from home offices, to allow for important safety precautions including maintaining the recommended social distance between our employees and for parents to take care of their children at home from school.

Luckily, we have prepared our processes, phones and computer systems for years now towards higher flexibility, since many of our consultants travel frequently and needed to be able to work from anywhere at any time. The result is that while our people are safe and with their families, our project processes are barely impacted by the current situation.

In the face of tough times such as these, we are focusing on what we can control — our attitude, our outlook, and our mindset.

At JR BECHTLE & Co., it has always been our mission to focus on what matters the most to our partners and clients: Being their trusted local counterparts in the American markets and a truly experienced advisor for the most crucial decisions at any company – the hiring of key employees who can make or break the subsidiaries in these important markets.

We recognize that you are being inundated with information from all sides right now, and we want to be respectful of your time and your headspace.

I wish I could tell you that the worst is behind us, but I don’t know that. But I believe that we are up to the challenge and that we can get through this working together.

However, my long experience during and after very complicated times has also taught me that the companies being ready when the crisis subsides will have a serious head-start and advantage.

We certainly will help you to set in motion any changes or upgrades you consider for your North and South American subsidiaries. Together we can find a way of working out arrangements that can overcome the travel restrictions and the financial complications at this time. The extensive personal experience and qualifications of our consultants allow us to manage much of the process as your local surrogate with just your long-distant guidance and coordination.

We have made hiring decisions during our former work-life for companies large and small; and our company has worked closely with you on crucial hiring decisions in the U.S. and across the Americas for over 40 years. We have the knowledge and experience to represent you well!

It takes time to work through the process of finding, developing and selecting truly qualified candidates – usually 12-15 weeks. That may very well be the time when the restart of the markets can begin.

Fortunate are those who have prepared early and are ready to get back to work first!

Our thoughts are with you,

Egon L. Lacher
Geschäftsführender Gesellschafter
JR BECHTLE & Co.

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