SUPPORT YOUR STAFF DURING COVID-19

While we can’t ignore the seriousness of the COVID-19 situation, re-opening your business and getting back to work is a priority. Whether your work is based in an office environment, farm, manufacturing plant or warehouse, employee health and safety is paramount. Here’s a few ways you can support your staff through COVID-19:

1. Support essential site-on staff

Invest in personal protective equipment (PPE) like gloves, masks, face shields and other necessary apparatus. Take proactive measures like providing sanitisers, wash stations and requiring hourly use of either. Enforce social distancing guidelines by discouraging use of social spaces, separating work spaces and minimising personnel in an area. If you’re operating at full capacity, space out your workers as much as possible.

Don’t consider these guidelines optional. Strictly speaking, investing in employee safety is essential in keeping your business open. If a single employee were to contract the virus, it would slow down your output and jeopardise your business. If any one of your staff were to present symptoms encourage them to stay home and recover. Also consider getting everyone else tested.  

2. Educate and Communicate

Just like the uncertainty of the situation gives you anxiety, your employees are no different. In supporting your staff, aim to be open and clear in your communication with them. Be honest about the situation and the implications. Devise a crisis communication strategy to figure out how to disseminate the necessary information. Remember to also make time to address any questions and concerns they may have.

3. Check in with your employees

While working from home or slowly migrating back to office life is going to be tough, make it a point to check in with your employees. As team managers, directors and CXOs’ your primary objectives should be supporting your staff and ensuring your employees are adjusting well with any changes to their work life. Maintaining as much normalcy as possible will make it easier for your whole office to cope. Consider mandating weekly group meetings (online) and one-on-one sessions with your employees – this is also encouraged when normalcy returns.

4. Anticipate secondary effects to better support your staff

COVID-19 has had an unprecedented global impact, anticipating consequences and situations can be tricky when planning for your business’ future. However, you’ll have to make informed guesses to estimate outcomes. To make it easier, start with some self-reflection on how you’ve been impacted and how it affects your work. Chances are, you’re not the only one in that situation.

Typical examples are school closures and home-schooling obligations that typically impact productivity or, employees who have to take extra precautions due to pre-existing conditions. By anticipating these obstacles you can mitigate their effects. For instance, you’ll know that employees with kids will be most productive at certain hours and “high-risk” employees can’t attend in person meetings but can handle paperwork efficiently.

5. Lighten the financial load

These unprecedented times, also bear unprecedented costs especially for your employees. To maintain the maximum possible productivity, employees need the proper tools to work. These include a workspace made up of a computer, desk and ergonomic chair and a reliable internet connection. Truly and honestly, these costs should be offset by the employer. Support your staff by relieving the intense pressure on your workers by planning to cover the necessities so they can focus on meeting their goals. Understandably, this might also be difficult for your business to manage so begin with the absolute basics like a reliable internet connection and computer. Then begin to slowly budget for any more equipment.

6. Supporting your staff means listening to them

To truly understand how to best support your staff – you have to talk to them. Understand their needs and concerns by encouraging them to share their thoughts. Their situations will vary so avoid generalising any solutions. Be as open and honest as possible when addressing their concerns.

7. Adjust your HR priorities

To deliver a great employee experience you’ll have to adapt your Human Resources Department to the issues you will be facing. The increase in social isolation, declining mental health, personal finances and rising stress levels – the HR departments initial function has changed. Aim to prepare for agility and not just service delivery. Be prepared to design new (possibly permanent) procedures for working from home, provide tools to aid productivity, disseminate company resources to restructure a post Covid-19 environment etc. Remember a fully functional, dynamic HR department will not only keep your business afloat and support your staff but will ensure happy clients.

Lastly, remember that you’ll get through these setbacks and build a stronger business because of them. With the increasing importance of employee welfare to clients and workers alike, take this opportunity to evaluate your working practices. Supporting your staff through COVID-19 means they’ll support you too.

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