With businesses bearing the brunt of the Covid’19 pandemic, most organisational heads find themselves looking for creative ways to initiate fruitful communication with their employees. If the organisations are to continue working remotely, the sincere engagement and contribution of the employees working from the safety of their homes, becomes crucial for organisational success.
Invest in an Employee Handbook
When face to face communication is less likely to work, a certain set of guidelines in writing can help your employees considerably. The current epidemic can be utilised as an opportunity to check the efficiency of an employee handbook in keeping you connected with your employees.
Within the manual, you can publish the rules and regulations you wish to employ for the safety of your employees, and the repercussions that might follow upon an inability to follow them. Any change of policies that you have made, such as the attendance schedule, work timings, salary and bonuses, can also be listed to keep your employees abreast with the current scenario.
Accept the Situation and Show Empathy
The worst thing that any CEO can do during these times is to pretend as if nothing has changed and keep on stressing on their employees for faster results. The pandemic is here to stay for a while; the earlier you realise that, the better it gets.
Concerns for their family’s safety, dwindling job security as well as a major disruption in their lifestyle will definitely take a toll on your employees. It is especially at times like these, that you need to show concern for your employee’s mental health as well as physical well being by empathising with them. Empathetic behaviour when followed by optimism and encouragement, registers better with your employees who find themselves motivated enough to continue working with enthusiasm.
Some critical messages such as the steps you are taking to protect them, do you offer job security and is the current situation going to affect their paychecks, can help to keep your employees abreast with the situation at hand and your efforts in dealing with it.
Celebrate and Publish Achievements (Digitally)
Working from home is challenging, and if your employees stay connected and engaged while producing quality work, they need to be rewarded. While rewards such as bonuses and a better pay can prove to be pretty motivating however most small organisations already suffering financially from the situation can find it difficult to compensate their employees economically.
What they can do instead is to publicly acknowledge the efforts of your star employees through snaps, messages or sharing their performance on social media platforms. Any kind of private recognition that comes from a person of authority, can help your employees feel respected and acknowledged for their efforts.
