Business leaders play a critical role in helping to ensure people are kept informed, and more importantly safe, during times of uncertainty within the workplace.
In the case of the current COVID-19 pandemic, senior leaders are having to navigate around rapid developments, misinformation, a change in where and how we work, and an uncertain economic landscape.
So, what steps can be taken and what can organisations consider putting in place to help staff stay well-informed, connected, valued, and supported? Here are our key take-outs to consider:
Keeping employees informed
Employers need to be aware of employees’ health and follow relevant guidelines and policies from government and experts. The latter needs to be communicated on a regular, or daily basis.
By creating a two-way dialogue, questions can be answered that may not have been originally addressed and staff will feel more connected. The voice of leadership, particularly the CEO’s, can go a long way in delivering critical communication.
Helping employees feel valued
Employees are either working remotely and potentially feeling alone, or on the front lines making sacrifices for their organisation. In both cases, if employees are not feeling valued, their mood will be impacted, productivity will decrease, and their quality of work will decline. It’s more important than ever to deliver strategic recognition for the contributions of staff to reinforce the behaviours needed to get through this challenging time.
Supporting your team
As the Group HR Director, I was focused on making sure our people had the support they needed to work remotely and adapt to our current environment.
We launched an internal COVID-19 Info Hub through our employee engagement platform with relevant information for employees, including a way to provide feedback and ask questions. The Hub aggregated vetted information, including RSS feeds of global health information centres, the latest government advice, quick links to our EAP program, and our Employee Wellbeing Hub – which delivered advice on staying healthy and mindful. We have now begun to promote our employee discounts benefit to help teams save on essential items.
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
Speed is of the essence
Keeping employees up to date on health and safety policies, showing care and concern as well as minimising anxiety by reducing any scaremongering, needs to be actioned quickly and consistently. It’s not easy without the right tools, especially if you’re geographically-dispersed or have a large number of employees to reach. Solutions such as Slack or engagement and employee experience platforms can distribute vital information to your people.
