By Michael Cruz
Your employees are working under new circumstances and new expectations. In fact, we all are, you included.
After years of working to ensure good culture, we now see each other less often. How are you ensuring that remote working and less meetings do not negatively affect your company culture? Locally, we have been able to pass through the crisis mode.
Yet, every time we watch the news, we are treated to doom scenarios. And as employees and coworkers hear those stories, it creates anxiety. We’re bombarded with messages like “new normal,” “social distancing” and, of course, “lockdown.”
In the face of that, it is hard to do back to (old?) normal.
Therefore, some of the changes are for a while. You can focus on that in your business. What makes sense for one business will not make sense for another. You will find ways to make your teams physically safe. Yet, what all businesses face is the need to keep everyone engaged. As leaders, we need to focus on keeping our people psychologically safe. There is a lot to react to right now.
Each and every person has a different capacity to accepting and adapting to the changes. How can you help your people do what is needed in a different environment?
Leadership teams need to engage with people on an individual level. What is good about your working situation? What is not? What challenges you are experiencing? How are you? And most important. What can I do to help?
When you have all of this, you and your team need to brainstorm on little and inexpensive things that you can to reinforce the sense of community. If you have some people working remotely, know what you can do to promote your shared values.
Make sure that your work environment provides some fun activities. Build communities of interest. Perhaps have some chat areas or mail lists for people with similar interests. If we work to tether everyone to our bigger goals, we can keep turnover low and help our teams get and stay productive.