It’s been a challenging and unprecedented time. Following the COVID-19 outbreak and a significant lockdown, companies are now looking to transition their employees back to work. This is expected to follow a staged approach as companies adjust to local guidelines on safe working environments, whilst still supporting remote workers as needed.
Companies need to be prepared to re-engage and communicate with their employees on the company’s plans and provide resources that support:
- Employee safety
- Health and wellness
- Resilience and adaptability
- Ways of working – (internally and externally with customers and suppliers)
- Collaborating in new environments.
Your workforce is looking to its managers and leadership team for support and guidance across three key areas of engagement:
- Relational
- Mental
- Physical
Let’s address each one in turn.
Relational – Your employees, like yourself, have gone through challenges and are looking for compassion and empathy. They need to feel that they count in the bigger picture and that they still have a shared vision and values with your business. They need to be informed and part of the ‘new normal’ practices in the workplace and have the tools and the technology to be productive (both in the office and when working remotely). Whether staff will work in shifts, have different channels for communication and ‘keeping in touch’ – they are looking to management to show the way.
Mental – Health and wellbeing have never been higher priorities for your staff and employees recognition and reward schemes support productivity and, growth and better mental performance and resilience. There needs to be more flexible working rules in terms of hours and location, taking into account social distancing, guidance around the use of communal areas and visitor procedures. They need to know where they stand regarding PPE, shared working spaces and the support available to help them through this difficult time.
Physical – Your staff will need to be fully informed of the new normal. How do each of the areas of the business adapt to the new social distancing measures, what heightened sanitised and cleaning regimes are in place and how will contact and trace rules affect them on a local, national and global basis? Even down to how communal space will be handled. Your employees need to be part of the solution and encouraged to feedback and suggest good practice to minimise contamination.
We recognise this is a challenge. Your company still needs to operate and business continuity is key, however, employee (supplier and customer) safety and responsibility need to be the top priority.
We are working with our national and global clients to put solutions in place and to provide them with a model for communicating this out to all employees. If you would like to find out how we can help your business, contact Hayley Meakes at hayley@gainmomentum.marketing or call 07841 054167
