Staff morale is one of the major factors responsible for a company’s success or failure. Notable rises and falls in productivity can oftentimes be traced back to the overall attitude or morale of employees. Information like this is extremely important, especially in times like these. By paying special attention to staff morale, you can adjust your policies and maximize efficiency even during this lockdown.
1. Provide More Flexibility:
Introduce a work-from-home model that is both flexible and sustainable long-term. It’s impossible to estimate how long this pandemic lockdown will be in effect, letting your employees work from will put their minds at ease and reduce the risk of infection.
During this COVID-19 pandemic, schools are closed, and most companies offer solutions to match this sudden change. New dynamics are being established in homes all around the world, and parents don’t necessarily have the same freedom and time as they used to. As an employer, it can sometimes be difficult to deal with this new change. We recommend giving your employees more flexible hours. This way, they can still fulfill their duties at times they are most comfortable with.
2. Encourage Virtual Social Communication and Interaction:
Most workers have never worked from home full-time and it will be normal for them to experience a sudden loss of morale or interest in communication. You can make the distance between each employee less obvious, by encouraging virtual calls, lunches, coffee dates, etc.
3. Readjust Work Goals:
Employers need to understand that the world economy is in decline. That means many businesses are not doing well financially and are struggling to survive. Set realistic goals for your employees based on the market scenarioo and be transparent with the developments to build trust.
4. Drop non-Essential Work:
In such unpredictable times, keeping numerous small and non-essential activities running in the background can be bad for morale in the long-run. Leaders need to focus on only the essential work. Identify the main challenges and focus your employee’s efforts where they’re most efficiently spent. Aligning your staff with clear goals and including them in business decisions will help you build a stronger community.
5. On-site Employees must be provided with Basic Hygiene Amenities:
If a certain part of your workforce has to work on-site, then take extra care of their safety by providing all the basic hygiene amenities. Hand sanitizers and face masks are proven to lower the likelihood of contracting the virus. Also, enforce strict social distancing protocols on your workforce in the facility and provide each department with thermometers to monitor the temperatures of your employees.
6. Communicate with Your Employees Regularly:
There are a lot of poorly written articles going around on social media because of how little has been truly discovered about the pandemic. These articles feed on people’s worst fears, and can directly affect worker morale. It is your job as a responsible employer to communicate and provide accurate information about what remains known and unknown about the virus.
Clear communication and support show that you care, not only for your business but for the people working for you. Real leaders are born in situations of crisis, so take the opportunity to develop your management (and people) skills. You should consider sending out weekly newsletters, schedule some frequent 1 on1 meetings (virtual of course), and gather your staff for group discussions/feedback sessions- Transparency is the key.
7. Encourage and Appreciate and Your Staff Members:
The management needs to make sure to appreciate and encourage each and every member of the organization as they are giving their best to the company during these trying times. You could create some sort of reward for the best employees of the week or month.
8. Do Not Forget Social Norms:
While the world fights big battles, small and simple gestures of love and community can make all the differences. Make sure to emphasize the importance of small moments like an employee’s birthdays or accomplishments. Sometimes a simple happy birthday can boost morale.
9. Educate Staff Members on Insurance and Medical Claims
Discuss with your employees about their current health insurance coverage and teach them how to access or use the company’s insurance benefits. They should have access to the medical information they need to make the right medical decisions.
Consider extending additional benefits to employees during the crisis. Putting additional benefits in place, and reassuring your employees of their coverages and rights is one of the best ways to boost morale.
Although it might be true that most companies are no longer turning profits, that doesn’t mean things won’t turn around eventually. Its times of crisis like these that forge irreplaceable bonds between employers and employees, and cause sporadic changes and development. Now is the time to stay the course and buckle down – that won’t be possible without the right employees.