The recent COVID-19 pandemic has come as a shock to many and has caused quite a significant impact on both employees and businesses. With many stores, schools, and universities closing, it has put extra pressure on the individuals who are still able to work. In this article, we’ll discuss how you can boost your employee’s productivity and morale during a pandemic.
Communicate, communicate, communicate
Communication is critical now more than ever, and without providing correct information, workers can become overwhelmed. It would be best if you aimed to educate your staff with as many resources about COVID-19 as possible so that they can keep up to date with relevant knowledge. This ensures they can protect themselves and understand the relevant legislations.
Source: https://www.nextiva.com/blog/what-is-business-communication.html
It’s also essential to check up with your remote workers regularly. In a 2017 study by Nextiva, 23.5% of workers found that information was often shared in person, so they missed out on work changes. Social distancing can also have a significant impact on one’s mental health, and a simple call or email can make a huge difference.
Get creative with a themed day each week
Every office needs a little bit of fun, especially during a time like this. A great idea is to come up with a themed dress-up day once a week! This gives something for employees to look forward to and can significantly improve morale.
If you want everyone to get involved, get the whole team to write some ideas down and draw them out a hat at the start of the week. This creates a little challenge, as they only have a week to come up with an outfit!
Embrace flexibility
A pandemic can have different effects on everybody, so it’s crucial to promote leniency during these uncertain times. For example, some employees with children might need shorter workdays to care from them in the case of school closures.
By allowing flexible work hours, you can ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to take care of their families, thus improving productivity. In fact, in a study by FlexJobs, 76% of workers say they would stay with a company if they offered flexible work hours.
Revisit your healthcare options
Source: https://www.rovva.com/en-gb/blog/growing/best-work-perks-and-benefits
Private healthcare tops the list of work perks according to a study by Rovva, with 46.59% of individuals saying they would like to receive the benefit. On top of that, a further 36.36% also stated they would leave a job for one with better healthcare perks.
This benefit can help reinforce the positivity within your company and is a great way to improve morale. Now the perfect time to revisit your options to ensure your workers remain happy, healthy, and productive!
Create a healthy and fun work environment
Healthy and safety are both the major concerns for employees currently, so it’s vital that you take the time to create an appropriate work environment. This can allow workers to feel safe and valued, rather than worrying about the current pandemic.
Make sure that you enforce social distancing and provide enough equipment for your team. Hand sanitizer, masks, and gloves are an essential step in preventing the spread. You might even want to set up a sanitizer station right next to your building entry for extra protection.
However, with all that in mind, you don’t want the place to feel unwelcoming. Make sure you add some color and fun to the workplace to put a smile on your everyones faces. You might even ask your staff to bring in some artwork or hang up some balloons. It can make a huge difference.
Promote virtual team building
While we may not be able to get in groups for activities, there are still some great ways you can promote team building virtually online. This is a fun interactive way to allow workers to have a break from all the worries and is vital for everyone’s emotional well-being.
You might consider organizing a trivia party, online karaoke or show and tell. There are so many different options, you could choose something unique every month.
Show leadership
Lastly, one of the most important things that you should do during the pandemic is to show leadership. By role modeling, and showing empathy towards your staff, you will promote a happy and healthy workplace, that people want to be a part of.
Final thoughts
While it’s easy to get caught up in the uncertainty of the times ahead, by supporting your staff, you can ensure that your business continues to operate smoothly. Flexibility and leniency are two of the most important things to promote during this time so that everyone feels as safe as possible.
In this pandemic situation, employee engagement is necessary to engage your employees. I have more ideas to boost your employees like praise your employees through social media. Tag your employees on twitter, Linkedin post and other platforms. Provide flexibility to employees so that employee can do their work freely.