“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” – Maya Angelou
In these unprecedented times, how you make your employees feel will be remembered in the years to come. And if you do it well, even the coming generations will take lessons from your actions.
Humans are adaptive to change; what they are not so adaptive to is uncertainty. And currently, with employees experiencing job insecurity, financial instability along with looming health concerns, the uncertain atmosphere is bound to have them on edge. Employers and companies ought to approach these concerns in empathetic and impactful ways.
Here are three ways that your company can support employees during COVID-19
Amp up the communication:
Humans are social beings; isolation can be a hard battle to fight. Taking the time out to listen and being there for each other will be beneficial in forging healthier relationships that’ll last even after the storm has passed.
It’s necessary to realise that it’s not business as usual, and our ways of work have taken a drastic turn. Keeping this in mind, it’s a good idea to stay in constant touch with your employees, not just about deliverables and timelines but also about how they are holding up. Practise supportive listening and try to understand your employee’s state of being, genuinely.
Flexibility and compassion:
Nailing work culture is important at any given time. Be it during remote work or even otherwise. As a company shifting its gears to accommodate the ongoing changes better, it’s vital to offer employee flexibility in these times.
It’s also necessary to remember that not everyone has the home set up to have optimal levels of productivity. Be mindful of the common barriers in remote work: dodgy internet access, lack of technology, differing time zones, lack of space and even a lack of necessities like food and access to healthcare. As a company, be considerate of these concerns by offering flexibility, necessary work tools, and compassion to your employees.
Emphasize on learning:
When times get tough, the tough get going. To emerge stronger from the pandemic, companies should focus on reskilling their employees. With the world’s leading companies opting for virtual learning and leveraging spare time during the lockdown, up skilling has become the norm of the hour, as being in tune with the skills required to function in a post-COVID working world will be of significance.
Moreover, organizing virtual learning programmes can increase employee interaction while enhancing performance. It will also help employees grow professionally and discover newfound interests.
With various measures to sustain employee engagement and provide them with positive working experience in place, an organization will be remembered for the thoughtfulness with which it handled this crisis. A company’s response to the COVID-19 turmoil will have a lasting impact on its employees’ wellbeing, productivity and mental health and their families’ too. Let’s approach this crisis with empathy, compassion, and open communication to emerge as better human beings and better employers.