5 tips on how to motivate your employees during a pandemic
5 tips on how to motivate your employees during a pandemic
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization announced a global COVID-19 pandemic. The announcement led to lockdowns in numerous countries across the globe. The lockdowns and quarantine orders affected everyone, including millions and millions of employees around the world. Most of which are forced for the first time to work remotely. As a result, it is important to know the best ways to motivate your employees.
According to the State of Remote Work report by Buffer.com, 19% of remote employees feel lonely and isolated. Furthermore, many employees feel that it is difficult to collaborate and communicate online. This number likely skyrocketed when lockdowns are announced around the world. Having said that, it is crucial that as an employer you do your best to find ways to motivate your team members during this time of stress and uncertainty.
Best practices
We have looked into how other companies are coping with the pandemic. By understanding how companies keep their employees motivated, you will be able to adapt new strategies to help out your team. Some of the most common options are regular team huddles, virtual coffee chats, online meetings, and scheduled video calls in between for friendly and non-work conversations.
All of these practices are a great way to help your employees feel that they are not alone. It also encourages bonding to foster better relationships and improve collaboration. At Conker, we have put together some of the best ways to ensure you help your employees stay motivated.
Encourage Transparency
Due to the pandemic’s impact on the economy, many businesses are forced to reduce the size of their workforces. Major changes could cause anxiety and feelings of instability for your employees. As your company moves forward to rebuilding your business, make sure to reassure your employees of their future in your organization. This is a good way to help them become confident again and stay motivated. Make sure to continue upholding your company values and be transparent with your employees.
Some of the information that you can share with your employees are:
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- How is the company doing?
- What are the areas your business is struggling in?
- What are the plans moving forward?
It is crucial not just to tell but to really show your employees about the status of the business. Present important charts and data during company-wide meetings to help your employees see where everyone is currently standing.
Communicate with Your Employees More
Over the months, the COVID-19 pandemic has always been in the news spotlight. However, it is a topic that is a common source of misinformation. Moreover, it is also common to see rumors and fake news consistently shared about the topic online. Never brush off your employee's concerns regarding the Coronavirus. Instead, deal with anxiety by promoting better communication with every member of your team. The best way to be concerned is by communicating more about the steps the business is doing, especially should an outbreak occur within the office or sites.
Keep your employees posted with official updates and news from credible sources like the World Health Organization or your local government. Include the most important announcements in your weekly newsletters, emails, or during meetings.
Listen to Staff Concerns
It is important to put into place a process to ensure that every staff concern is addressed promptly at all times. When communication can be challenging it can be also hard for your employees to raise concerns. There are dozens of benefits when employees feel they are being listed including:
- Better Work Turnover Rates – When employees' concerns are answered promptly you can help improve clarity in whatever work they do. As a result, you can encourage focus and concentration to quickly complete tasks.
- Show a Caring Attitude: When you listen and care for your staff's concerns shows your employees that you care about their health, as well as their safety.
Prioritize Staff Safety
As offices have also started to reopen, it is important to let your staff know you prioritize their safety. There are dozens of ways to prepare your office for when employees start to comeback. For example, you can sanitize workplaces, space out desks, post handwashing posters, provide soap and hand sanitizers. Moreover, you can also put a contact tracing policy which can immediately reduce the risk of getting more people infected. Through maintaining a safe environment, you will help your employees focus better on doing their tasks and stay motivated.
Optimize Workflows
To help your team work better, you can create ways to optimize your workflows and streamline communications. For example, you can establish policies regarding the official communication tools to use to continually connect those who are working remotely, at your sites, and at your office. Other than communication tools, you can also reexamine inefficiencies that cause a delay in completing tasks. There are plenty of options. For example, you can get project management software or productivity tools. If budgets don’t allow for that, there are plenty of free productivity tools available for use online.
Your Business Growth Depend Highly on Your Employees
A pandemic spell an uncertain economic climate for any kind of business. Therefore, to sustain growth, it is crucial to focus on employee morale and overall well-being. While it may be the best time to encourage productivity, it is also important to help your staff navigate through their emotional and psychological challenges due to the pandemic.
