For so many of us, our working life is rooted in human interaction. We’re used to offices filled with the noise of phone calls, meetings, and chatter. Our colleagues are often hosting business meetings, or else off out to meet clients and associates themselves.
Although, it’s possible that prior to the COVID-19 outbreak, some of us were used to working from home the odd day here and there – or even more than that – being forced to do so in the midst of an infectious outbreak can still feel daunting.
As business leaders, it’s our job to take this into consideration alongside the wellbeing of our employees. We should take steps to support and manage the mental health and morale of our teams as we navigate this uncertain terrain.
A new challenge
Like many others, our business has undertaken a swift switch to online communications during the government advised social distancing. Using comms tools such as Skype, Slack, or Microsoft Teams, or task management software like Asana, Trello, and Hubstaff, we’ve managed to keep in touch with one another and keep the work flowing.
Still, separated from our usually vibrant teams, many employees are at risk of feeling lonely or isolated right now.
As well as being bad news for the mental wellbeing of staff, over time, isolation can cause employees to feel disconnected from the company and its larger goals.
To mitigate this risk, below are some easily actionable tips to aid boosting morale and productivity for businesses during this time:
Stay focused
Rightly or wrongly, many business leaders are concerned about productivity whenever staff work from home. This is particularly true for firms where it’s not the norm. However, the good news is, you can prove the stereotype wrong!
Ultimately, your accomplishments during this time will speak for themselves (however you track them, be it billing figures, hours logged, projects completed, and so on), so staying focused is key as staff continue to self-isolate.
~Business Game Changer Special Promotion~
At the moment, one of the biggest distractions you’ll face is the news. Checking for COVID-19 updates, or clicking on alerts as and when they pop up, is going to be hard to resist.
Employees should be wary of scrolling themselves into despair, however. Relying on unreputable sources for news about the outbreak can fuel anxiety, making it difficult to concentrate and putting your wellbeing at risk.
Remember, many news sources rely on click-bait and scaremongering for views, so schedule “news breaks” – maybe 1 or 2 a day – and stick to them. Turn off news alerts and choose your outlets carefully, ensuring they are quality sources (try Gov.uk or the World Health Organisation).
Inspire your team
During times of global business disruption, it can be easy to feel concerned and uncertain about the future. Your employees may feel overwhelmed or worry that there’s ‘no point even trying’ to meet their goals.
It’s your job to maintain momentum during these instances, so communicate updates frequently and offer positive feedback. This is one of the best ways to inspire and motivate your team (and it will help you to keep forward thinking too).
Keep the future bright by sharing your plans; ensuring employees are ‘in the business loop’ will mean they’re far more likely to work with you as you implement business continuity plans.
Communicate effectively
Communicating effectively whilst away from the office is suddenly very important for businesses, and especially for managers with a team to support.
Remember, video calls are far more effective than email and even phone calls when it comes to avoiding miscommunication – video chat is a way to humanise virtual communication.
Seeing your employees and clients face-to-face in this way is important, as it allows you to pick up non-verbal communications and character cues, e.g. their environment, facial movements, and clothes.
These aren’t things anyone would think to email you about, but they allow you to get to know people better, in an intuitive way, and make judgement calls.
Maintain a work/life balance
For staff used to going into the office, blurring the lines between work and home can feel stressful.
There’s suddenly no need to dress smartly or stick to a routine, and even the lack of commute (a time we use to enter into one mindset or another) can mean it’s hard to switch off at the end of the day.
Sadly, this can mean bad things for mental health.
Since many businesses will be so reliant upon online communication during this period, it’s going to be very important to ‘go off grid’ after your workday is complete. Try to stay offline and relax in other ways, e.g. cooking, watching a movie, or reading a book.
Another tip is to integrate a ‘transition’ period between work and leisure time – a sort of symbolic commute, if you will.
Perhaps you will walk the dog every day at 5pm, search the internet for a new recipe to try, or enjoy a bath. Whatever it is, developing this habit over time will signal the end of the working day for you, helping to begin your evening wind-down and maintain your wellbeing.
By Darren Hockley
Darren Hockley is MD at DeltaNet International.The company specialises in creating engaging compliance and health and safety e-learning for businesses around the globe, including training on remote working
