Great leaders show in times of great difficulty. With the global crisis we’re facing right now, leaders should pay attention to their team’s wellbeing more than ever.
Team members need the support of their superiors to help them remain productive. But that’s not all. During these unprecedented times, teammates need all the help they can get to cope up with the anxiety and stress that is brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This is especially true because clinical studies have proven that anxiety and depression can result in declining productivity. This is what experts refer to as a ‘catch-22 scenario.’ This means your team cannot escape a situation because of a strict limitation. This often results in bigger backlogs.
Moreover, people feel less confident about their work which worsens the cycle of lowered productivity. How should you take care of your employees during this challenging time? Make sure to focus on these areas:
Take care of their well-being
Whether you have team members coming into the office or you’re working with a remote team, it’s essential to take care of their physical and mental well-being. Because of our current situation, the best place to start is to do our part to stop the spread of the virus.
Make sure you comply with rules and guidance from the CDC (Centers for Disease Control.) This includes daily health checks, social distancing, wearing of masks at all times, and improving your space’s ventilation system. Likewise, you should also offer them flexible sick leave as well as contingency plans if ever they get sick.
Provide them with the right tools
Your employees can do their jobs at home. However, you need to make sure that they have the right tools and technology. This will help them work easily and efficiently. More importantly, load it with collaboration and communication tools like Slack and Zoom. This will help the team communicate and finish each task in a timely manner.
Offer them flexibility
Working from home presents added responsibilities to work related tasks. This is mainly because they have to take care of their kids and spouse since schools and daycare facilities are closed. This makes it harder to balance work and family tasks. IF the work permits, offer your team flexible working hours.
Flexibility tends to lessen stress levels on your employees. This will allow them to make a schedule for all their responsibilities. This also shows that you respect them as a person by helping them with their personal wellbeing. Moreover, it will make them feel that you value their contribution.
Relax strict deadlines
The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically changed our life. It changed the way we do business as well as our priorities. Before, employees can work regularly up to 50 hours a week. But when the pandemic strikes, your employees need to spend more time with their family.
Work is not the top priority, family and health is. That means, strict deadlines aren't as important as they used to be. It’s best to adjust project deadlines so that your team can focus on their top priorities. This will free them from worries of approaching deadlines.
Inspire growth and development
Studies show that supervisors and managers who talk to their employees about their career growth, encourage development and offer opportunities tend to have higher sales, increased productivity, creates loyal customers, and lower turnover rates.
Likewise, learning boosts resilience, leads to happiness, improves their ability to adapt, and keeps them involved. It’s also the best way to prevent boredom. Virtual team building activities are a great way to keep you team inspired and motivated during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Support them with monetary aid
Giving your team members cold hard cash is a great way to show that you care for them. Wynn Resorts for example kept payrolls for all their employees even when they closed all their casinos. A one-time cash bonus to help them with their unforeseen expenses can help them a lot.
There are also affordable ways if you don’t have the money to spend. Small gestures like paying or the cost of their home delivery meal services, paying for their work equipment at home, or giving them Amazon gift cards are good enough to make them feel that you care.