Wow, I got a LOT of great feedback on Part 1 of tips for uplifting and encouraging your employees during COVID-19. Check it out if you haven’t. As we discussed, management can seem even harder now because of added internal and external pressures. Anxiety is at an all time high, in and out of the office. I wanted to expand on my first set of tips. I have still been stumbling, and sometimes falling, navigating my team in our “new normal”. Someone might as well learn from my mistakes!
The first 5 tips focused on what you can do while bringing your staff back to work to help them feel comfortable and excited to work. This next set focuses on what you can do for them as you continue on together.
Providing structure, guidance, and support will help your staff feel more confident in their return to the workplace.
5. Make Health THE Priority.
Staff want to feel like their safety and health is the number one priority of their employer. Now obviously, we still have to stay open and doing business! I personally have opted to provide all of my employees with medical grade personal protective equipment. Hand washing instructions have been posted and sanitizer is at every station. Because complacency is the enemy of success, I regularly post nudges and reminders about our guidelines. This includes keeping partitions closed, wearing masks in the office, and wiping down work surfaces frequently. If they feel ill, they stay home or go home. Period. If someone is taking advantage of this, you will have to evaluate, discipline, and terminate accordingly. An encouraged, engaged team will understand that their roles are important and show up for work when they are able.
4. Provide Guidelines.
If you have been around my blog, you know I love a good protocol. A well written protocol gives me the warm fuzzies, and it’s the single most helpful tool at your disposal when running a team. Your team is an extension of you. So you can best help predict their performance by providing guidelines for how to handle certain situations that may arise. I like to have a script and protocol for nearly everything. A good place to start is with your most common “what ifs”. Write out what you expect your employees to do for the below scenarios and how you want them to respond. Coach them on this and give them a copy to reference. For example:
- What if someone comes in without a mask?
- What if someone answers anything but “no” to a screening question?
- If someone brings their children, who do not have masks?
Figure out your major “what ifs” to start, you can always add or change things as the situation develops. I use *** Microsoft Teams*** to provide company wide updates as workflow develops.Slack, Email or handouts work just as well.
3. Read The Room.
Business is still moving forward. As the person in charge, it can be easy to get swept up in putting out all the fires that arise. You can forget about the internal and external stressors on employees. Before you step in to correct someone or snap at a question or behavior that shouldn’t be happening, gauge where your employee is emotionally today. Do they seem anxious? Agitated? Upset? If so, consider tabling the conversation for a couple hours or a day. Staff are people. People can be fragile. Too much pressure in an already high stress environment could cause them to crack. Even my best employees have had more bad days than they did before coronavirus.
2. Be Genuine.
Women in management and leadership roles often feel like they have to be ice queens. Staunch, no nonsense warriors of business. My employees appreciate that I am a human being. I too have fears, anxieties, concerns. You can be genuine without oversharing! When they express their concerns, practice active listening and engagement. Be empathetic, even if you don’t agree with their outlook. If they call out sick, express authentic concern in their wellbeing. If they mention an issue at home or otherwise, check in with them a couple days later to see how they’re doing. Expressing genuine interest in them as individuals helps them feel engaged and invested in their workplace because their workplace is invested in them.
1. Take Time For YOURSELF
I am a big fan of the adage “you can’t pour from an empty cup”. The single most important thing you can do to support, uplift, and encourage your team is to make sure you are at 100%. Get enough sleep. Move your body. Drink water. Eat good, nutritious food. Take time to disconnect. Do things that bring you joy and relax your mind. I need to get in my workout and have my coffee in the morning in order to be my best self. If I don’t… it’s gonna be a rough one, folks. I also need to cuddle my dogs and (way more often than usual lately) have a wine when I get home. If I scarf down pizza and soda every day, my mind is sluggish and I’m noticeably irritable. LISTEN TO YOUR BODY. Take care of yourself so that you can help others.
Have these tips helped you? What other tips are you using to keep your ship afloat? Comment below.
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