By May 8, some 30 U.S. states and territories will no longer have stay-at-home orders — a count that includes those areas that never instituted a state-level mandate. But a number of states have announced plans to loosen restrictions and reopen parts of their economies sooner, with certain social distancing measures still in place.

The shifting ground of information has been a challenge for industry members since the start of the crisis, with guidelines and restrictions changing at a sometimes whiplash-inducing pace.. (The Society of American Florists has been tracking and updating changes at the state level. Find that state-by-state information here.)

Fast Changes in Hawaii

In Hawaii, where a stay-at-home order is in place until the end of May, changes in the past week have come especially quickly.

On April 23, the governor’s office issued an order exempting florists and allowing them to conduct no-contact deliveries. The next day, the order was rescinded, a dramatic about-face right before Mother’s Day that would almost certainly have put many of Hawaii’s floral companies out of business permanently, said Monty Pereira, the general manager and sales and marketing director of Watanabe Floral in Honolulu.

On April 27, another, this time welcome, twist materialized after Pereira met with the governor and made a strong case for the industry’s ability to operate safely and in compliance with state and Centers for Disease Control safety guidelines. The meeting led to the successful reinstatement of the industry exemption.

“We are back in business, not only just for Mother’s Day, but even after for delivery and curbside pick-up,” said Pereira, who helped initiate a Change.org petition after the exemption was rescinded and worked to get the word out to the public on the potential devastation the change would create. “My message the entire time was not about the business of a florist. It truly was focusing on bringing some happiness and joy to .”

The back-and-forth may have created a silver lining in terms of consumer awareness, too, he said. “In our industry, we know how much of a benefit flowers can provide, but in a way, this last week here in Hawaii and the massive publicity this issue got over the last few days has shed a light publicly on how flowers make people happy,” said Pereira, noting on April 28 that the shop had gotten 125 orders in 12 hours. “Now, the real issue is how to we ramp up safely, in time for next week” and Mother’s Day.

Individual Decisions in Georgia

Even in states that are clearly easing restrictions, questions remain.

In Stone Mountain, Georgia, outside of Atlanta, Betsy and Ken Hall and their team at Hall’s Flower Shop and Garden Center have stayed busy since they closed their retail showroom on March 21 with curbside pickup and contact-free delivery. Overall, Betsy Hall said cut flower sales are down but garden center sales are up — “and they’re up pretty strong,” she said, adding that a major hustle to update the shop’s website with all of its garden center offering (including potting soil and vegetable plants) contributed to that steady increase in sales.

Still, even as Georgia’s Governor Brian Kremp (R) lifted state restrictions on businesses such as gyms, hair salons, bowling alleys and tattoo parlors beginning April 24, Hall said she plans to stay the course with her current limited operations.

“Even before our state and county issued shelter-in-place orders, we had already taken measures to do what felt safe to us,” she said, noting that she looked in part to her adult children, both in the medical field, for guidance, and also watched how major corporations, including Chic-Fil-A, headquartered in Atlanta, reacted. (She even borrowed a preparation idea from Chic-Fil-A, sending some of her sales team home the week before she closed the retail showroom to practice and become acclimated to remote work.)

Hall has opted out of allowing customers into her physical garden center and garden center area, even though that could put her at a further disadvantage against big box stores in the area. “As a team, we didn’t feel comfortable with that,” she explained, adding that garden center products are available for delivery — and thanks to the website updates, many have been selling well. (Manure is especially popular among homebound customers looking with fresh eyes at their own lawns and gardens.)

“We’re probably more locked down than necessary but it allows us to operate in a really efficient and safe manner as we serve our customers,” she said.

As for Mother’s Day… well, who knows, Hall said. On one hand, her business is surrounded by residential streets filled with harried mothers who have taken on unimaginable new roles during the crisis and are (in some cases very tightly) surrounded families ready to celebrate those sacrifices. On the other, as more businesses in the state reopen, Hall could face more competition for the holiday. “It’s really hard to say,” she admitted.

Constant Communication: Talking to Employees

Regardless of how Mother’s Day turns out, Hall said, some of the best advice she’s implemented during the crisis came from Floral Management contributor Derrick Myers, CPA, CFP, PFCI, who early on emphasized how important it was to communicate clearly with employees. That’s an approach Hall plans to keep embracing into the holiday and beyond.

“Communicating regularly and honestly with employees has been one of the best pieces of advice I’ve gotten,” she said. “As we’ve moved sales team members to remote work or reduced hours, we’ve tried to communicate why , and that we’re all going through this together. We’ve also asked their ideas of how to operate better.”

It’s a point that Glenna Hecht of Humanistic Consulting also emphasizes, particularly as businessowners in the industry who have had to lay off workers during the crisis begin to ramp up for Mother’s Day and find themselves asking hard-to-answer questions: If I bring people back on my team for the busy holiday period, will I jeopardize their unemployment? What do I do if my employees feel safer or are better compensated on unemployment?

The first step to answering these questions and others like them, Hecht said, is to familiarize yourself with your local unemployment laws.  For example, “some states have workshare programs that give employers flexibility,” she explained. “If an employee worked 30 hours a week before the crisis, and now you only need them 10 hours, unemployment will cover the remaining 20. But it’s very state specific.”

That’s why it’s so important for owners and managers to prioritize understanding their state’s rules. In some cases, for instance, bringing employees back on only for a busy period, such as Mother’s Day, could jeopardize their unemployment benefits. “In those situations, I would challenge a business owner to ask themselves,” Hecht said. “Is there another way I can cover these hours? Can I give more hours to other employees still on my payroll?”

A final tip from Hecht: With historic unemployment levels, workers and owners are facing situations they never imagined. There isn’t a good or single roadmap on how to operate, but good communication and kindness can help.

“The right thing to do for the employer is to communicate compassionately, honestly with vulnerability and dignity,” she said. Whether you’re talking to an employee about layoffs, reduced hours, or the opportunity to return to work, say, “Let me tell you what I know and what this means for you,” Hecht suggested.

And, when your situation changes, keep reaching out. “The truth is, no one knows from one minute to the next what the right decision will be, but the manager or owner needs to keep communicating to the best of their understanding what each new development means,” Hecht said.

During a recent SAF webinar, three florists representing businesses that have had to close and reopen during the crisis shared some of their experience and strategies. Watch that webinar now or read about the session.

Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.