With cases rising and a return of Phase 2 restrictions, some of your employees may be experiencing a similar setback in terms of mental wellbeing. After all, yet another set of shifting guidelines and restrictions is in place, which may have a destabilising effect on staff morale and cohesion.
What can you do to keep everyone’s spirits up, and their productivity from being affected? Well, start with:
- Open Lines of Dialogue
Management should always communicate clearly to employees what rules there are, how they will be enforced, and who they can talk to with questions. In particular, HR representatives or Covid-19 response teams should always be available via email or for a video call.
- A Culture of Communication
Encourage your staff to talk to you, talk to each other, just talk to someone! Communication helps ease feelings of isolation and loneliness, and it provides clarity too! Many of us miss the days when confirming something just required a cubicle-to-cubicle shout. Replicate this effect with Slack, Whatsapp, or even Discord to make sure communication is alive and well.
- Documented Policies
Any new policies or instructions should always be documented and available for employees to refer to. Some examples include updated requirements for leave usage, payroll issues, or staff trips that were cancelled or encashed. By documenting all this, no employee will be left in the dark – or in doubt.
- Looking Out for Signs of Sadness
Even as you and your team institute company-wide initiatives, look at the individuals as well. Does anyone seem to be particularly withdrawn, depressed or quiet? You might want to schedule a chat with them or ask a colleague they are close with to check in. Sometimes, just knowing someone cares makes all the difference.
- Team-bonding and Team-Building Initiatives
We don’t need to go to Escape Rooms or karaoke sessions to bond as a team. Companies have come up with virtual coffee chats, playing online games together, or even just showing off their pets and kids on a Zoom call. Whatever it is, do something that brings the team together!
Once you’ve got these in place, you have the basics down. Wishing you and your company all the best in getting that sense of stability back!
