Workplaces have changed when COVID-19 has swept across the world. Uncertainty is at an all-time high, as we experience a disruption in our lifestyle and worry about our health, financial situation, and the future.
Most companies did a great job of addressing their employees’ basic needs of safety, stability, and security at e onset of the COVID-19 crisis. However, those needs are evolving, calling for a more sophisticated approach as organisations enter the next phase. Dealing with the impacts of COVID-19 is overwhelming for everyone involved. And the path to recovery and success from the aftermath will likely be rocky. A key factor in making sure your organisation is successful on the other side is focusing inward: no matter how challenging, listen, respond, and act on your employees’ concerns and anxieties with empathy.
Recommendations for Corporate Engagement during the COVID-19 Crisis
This global pandemic has forced businesses to make drastic changes to the workplace, and as a result, caused complete disruption to the employee experience. And the truth is faced, there’s no quick fix. But it is a good time for organisations to create tailored responses to workplace challenges, expanding on the goodwill and camaraderie earned in the earlier stages.
It’s hard to process employees engagement plan during a crisis. People are feeling powerless and anxious. So, if you are a team leader, on top of worrying about whether your company will weather this storm, you have to think about being there for your employees. You need to secure their health, try your best to guarantee their source of livelihood, and, above all, bring them together in the best possible ways. All of this isn’t easy to achieve, but it can be done. McKinsey & Company suggests the following practical steps leaders can take to support employees through this next phase of the crisis:
- As a leader, you’ve had to make sweeping changes in recent months to address your employees’ most pressing needs, and your workforce thinks your instincts were probably right. Build on the trust and affiliation you’ve earned by continuing to be present, action-oriented, empathetic, and fully transparent.
- In addition to basic needs (safety and security), three other experience themes (trusting relationships, social cohesion, and individual purpose) are having a disproportionate impact on employee well-being and work effectiveness. Enable improvements in those areas by prioritising actions that will address a broad set of needs for the majority of your workforce.
- Changes are hitting your people in widely diverging (and sometimes unexpected) ways. Some are struggling, and some are thriving. Use a combination of science, technology, data, and analytics to segment your employees like you would your customers and tailor interventions to support them in personalised and meaningful ways.
Corporate leaders can do something, and that is to lean in. Listen to your employees, empathise with their greatest concerns, communicate frequently and confidently, and be flexible and supportive to meet their needs.
