This is no time to enforce rigid procedures governing absence, tardiness or dress codes. If you see any of these signs, or other troubling changes in behavior among your workforce, here are four actions you can take to help boost morale: … This is a great opportunity to boost employee morale, retention, and brand recognition. When talking with your team, it’s important to assess employees’ moods. The health and safety of our community is our highest priority. There are many simple, yet powerful, techniques you can use to instantly boost employee morale. Include employee morale in your crisis plan When top executives meet to establish a plan for dealing with the crisis, they need to discuss more than finances, supply chain, physical resources and other bottom-line parameters. Remember, actions speak louder than words; Don’t just ask for the sake of asking. If it’s an issue for them, it’s an issue for your business. Encourage and Host Virtual Social Time. But how should business leaders guide their essential on-site employees as they continue their responsibilities at industrial facilities or in other roles that prevent them from working remotely? When top executives meet to establish a plan for dealing with the crisis, they need to discuss more than finances, supply chain, physical resources and other bottom-line parameters. Honest and transparent communication is critical during a crisis. Feed your employees good food. We asked HR practitioners, via the SHRM Connect online community and LinkedIn, to share their ideas for easy, affordable ways to boost morale in the work … Fill out the form below and a member of our team will get in touch with you. With substantial drops in revenue and fewer sales, many companies are just trying to stay afloat during this pandemic. Let them focus on some personal projects or interests. According to a survey conducted by Human Resource Management, 65% of employers said maintaining employee morale during COVID-19 is a problem – but how do you remedy this? Managing a crisis is never easy, but giving your staff the physical and emotional support they need will help them be more resilient. Terms and Conditions, Listening to employee’s problems and helping to the degree that you can will go a long way to establish good will and retention down the road. Discussing the problem upfront shows the workforce that executives, managers and employees are all in the same boat, and all will pull together to get through the crisis with as little disruption as possible to productivity and personal lives. Make sure your team members feel comfortable enough to speak up in these settings. Hold meetings — virtual ones if necessary — to discuss your plans as the crisis evolves and encourage questions and dialog. Sign up here to get the day’s top stories delivered straight to your inbox. Finally, encourage people to look after their mental well-being during this time; it’s okay for them to not be okay. COVID-19 Response Toilet paper and Netflix memes are very popular right now. Inform them about company updates, new protocols, customer feedback, and more. You need to be flexible and understanding toward employees who are dealing with personal and work-related upheavals. How to have difficult conversations remotely, See more articles on setting strategy and managing talent in our COVID-19 resource center. Here are 6 great ways to boost your employees’ morale during COVID-19: #1 Celebrate accomplishments and milestones It is no secret that COVID-19 has created struggles for many companies worldwide. Enlist Your Company ico-arrow-default-right, Select From Over 500,000 Industrial Suppliers. Staying connected while showing compassion are great ways to boost team morale during this uncertain time. Make a point of checking in often. Also, make sure your internal ‘whistle-blowing’ systems are operational and effective. Everyone is under stress of different types. These unprecedented times call for unprecedented actions from leadership. With visits to nursing homes and senior communties halted because of COVID-19, get easy ideas to keep your loved one engaged and not socially isolated. And after it passes, employees will remember your good will for years to come. Thomas Register® and Since people go to work to make money, it’s kind of a bummer when they have to spend some of that on food during the workday. In this podcast, McKinsey’s Tom Welchman discusses several issues that leaders can keep in mind as they try to support employees and help them adjust to the next normal. At the Wall Street Journal, our reporters deliver thorough information about all aspects of business and careers daily. 11 Ways to Boost Employee Morale . ... focused priority when you can identify exactly how you’re going to work toward meeting it. We all need to eat, and good food costs money. When it comes to boosting employee morale, some companies just don't get it. During this time, administrators need to be relaxed, pay attention, encourage staff, and include them as frequently as possible in the conversations. 11 ways to boost morale in a COVID world IT leaders are shaking up IT strategies and altering their approaching to leading their teams, introducing new … No one knows exactly how a crisis will play out or how long it will last. Virtually every industry and every business has been impacted in some way by COVID-19. All Rights Reserved. Whether it’s an abrupt reversal of fortune, a natural disaster or a national emergency, your business is likely to face some kind of crisis during its existence. A simple employee morale booster to lift spirits during Covid-19 ... companies do to boost morale? It’s important to address the situation with your staff from the start, even if you haven’t yet fleshed out a plan and there are many unanswerable questions. Can Your Company Help Provide Critical Supplies? Remember, actions speak louder than words; Don’t just ask for the sake of asking. Privacy Statement and If an employee sees something wrong, they need to be able to feel comfortable following the process to report it. 06. Consulting, After a set period of service, give people the option to take a sabbatical. You have to remain transparent to boost staff morale. Drive virtual attendance and engagement with unique experiences that go beyond virtual. We are using the power of our platform to aid in the mass shortage of critical supplies. Your employees are looking to you to feel supported to do their best work, while also protecting their health and safety. To address these fears, talk to your team. See By actively anticipating these fears and addressing them honestly in a controlled message, you can assuage such concerns and help employees feel more comfortable returning to their on-site roles. Some workers may need help with childcare, elder care, transportation, or other crisis-related services. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen many employees relocate to the safety of their homes to perform work duties; many resources are available to educate leaders on how best to guide their teams through remote work and these uncertain times. 1. By using this site, you agree to our, This 1 Workplace Change Could Be the Key to Outperforming Competitors [Confessions of an Industry Millennial]. Now, worries and doubts are starting to creep in once again. COVID-19 Response: Source manufacturers & distributors providing COVID-19 medical supplies “It helped our management understand that we need to talk more with our employees about the changes we’re implementing,” the manager explained. They’re likely worried about getting sick, about the safety of their loved ones, and about potentially bringing COVID-19 back home to their spouses and kids. Be Transparent. 10+ million models from leading OEMs, compatible with all major CAD software systems. Will I get laid off if the business loses money during the pandemic? Company. How Principals and District Leaders Are Trying to Boost Lagging Teacher Morale During COVID-19. Listen actively, understand what your team is saying, develop a plan to address their concerns, and follow-through. The plan should also include helping employees deal with the crisis, both at work and at home. The majority of your team will likely understand the need for flexibility and change. Can You Politely Say No to a Video Call? Website Last Modified January 15, 2021. Get information to help businesses and individuals weather the coronavirus COVID-19. The longer the stretch, the greater the potential for declines. They’ll come back refreshed, rejuvenated, and motivated. According to Gartner research, employees’ desire to be recognized increases by 30% during tough times and challenges. Some students haven’t turned in any work at all. Coronavirus. A site manager at BASF Ham noted that when the management team’s response time to people’s concerns lengthened, it made employee morale drop. Keep Your Company Connected. The best way to combat feelings of isolation and increase morale is by keeping employees connected. Find materials, components, equipment, MRO supplies and more. Leaders and managers must be seen and heard often. Also, keep in mind that you may need to communicate more than you think and repeat the message frequently in times of crisis. 17 Ways to Boost Employee Morale During COVID-19 That Aren’t Happy Hours Fancy Dress Fridays. Here are some proactive steps to take to bolster productivity and morale. When managers go silent, employees can become concerned and may jump to inaccurate conclusions based on the limited information you’ve made available. But if you had good workforce morale before coronavirus interrupted your business, you already know how to produce it. Stay up to date on industry news and trends, product announcements and the latest innovations. 1. Supportive management, trust in leadership, positive work environment as well as cross-organization collaboration and communication are some of the best ways to drive positive employee experience during this crisis. Pro-Tip: Boost employee morale at your next virtual event with Hoppier. Letting your employees work at the most convenient times is a surefire way to boost morale. Small doses of team bonding throughout the week can also boost your employees’ morale. Ask your people what would help them. Collectively, better morale will help your company weather the storm. Work-Style Adaptability Let’s take a detailed look into the 17 actionable ways to … Here are five ways to ease the panic and keep team morale as high as possible during the coronavirus outbreak. Remind them that employee assistance plans and any other means of support your company has are there for them anytime, and list relevant contact information in your message. They will not only have a profound impact on your employees’ morale, but will affect your company’s reputation for years to come. Explain why decisions were made. Subscribe Reset Search. Take this time to walk around your facility and engage with employees to quell concerns and reinforce the steps you’re taking to ensure employees feel safe back on site. Remember that everyone is responding to this pandemic in a slightly different way and facing their own individual challenges and concerns. Is a Professional Engineer License Worth It? ... of the country's COVID-19 epicenter are getting some mental relief in a … Your employees will respect honesty while you work together to fix any issues. Those who get help during a crisis are bound to be doubly grateful. [Confessions of an Industry Millennial], 7 Ways to Prevent Strikes in Manufacturing and Industry, Artificial Intelligence Pilots These Stratospheric Balloons, Automakers Are Fulfilling Voluntary Safety Goal Years Ahead of Schedule, German Metal Coatings Supplier to Open Alabama Plant, Create 73 Jobs, Designed to Fail: Planned Obsolescence in Product Design. Share short-time company goals. Turn on Your Camera for Video Conferencing California Do Not Track Notice. Hosting weekly or periodic video conferences to keep employees up to date on COVID-19 facts is essential. For our workers who have never worked from home, social isolation is deeply felt. This will most likely affect job performance. The shift to remote work can leave employees feeling isolated due to the lack of human interaction they would normally experience in-office. Find and evaluate OEMs, Custom Manufacturers, Service Companies and Distributors. If your company can help provide supplies, capabilities, or materials for products such as N-95 Masks and Tyvek Suits — Please let us know. ... 7 Ways to Boost Your Loved One's Morale During the Coronavirus Epidemic ... bingo and chess also will work if you've played those in the past and both sides know the lingo of the game. How can we best support each other, as a team? Don’t attempt to hide problems or avoid conversations when morale is low. Your decisions and actions during this time matter. Control the message by communicating honestly with your employees. Here are 5 ways you can boost employee morale during the Coronavirus pandemic: Virtual Team Bonding When your workforce is dispersed, it’s especially important to keep your employees engaged. This could mean talking to you, their manager, or someone else they trust at work. A message from top management encouraging workers to take a brief walk outdoors, meditate or spend a few quiet moments alone in a conference room each day will give workers permission to manage their emotional health during the crisis. Be visible and vocal. Older employees might have heightened concerns, and there may be some team members who have auto-immune disorders which make them more susceptible to the coronavirus – health challenges that they may or may not have disclosed to HR. Income tax accounting and ASC 740 assistance, Section 179D Energy Efficient Tax Deduction, Internal Audit Outsourcing & Consulting Services, Outsourced CFO, controller and accounting department, Wealth Management and Investment Advisory Services, Microsoft Dynamics 365 Project Service Automation, Connectors for Dynamics 365 Business Central, 5 ways to boost employee morale during a crisis, Senior HR Business Forum in Eau Claire, WI, In-Depth Training on OMB's Uniform Guidance, Denver-based accounting firm Hughes & Company joins Wipfli. In times of crisis, people want to see their leaders; leadership must remain accessible, engaged, and communicative. ico-arrow-default-right. Despite this new normal, there are plenty of ways to keep morale up and ensure that employees don’t feel isolated during these difficult times. You can provide best or worse case scenarios to reassure and help people plan ahead. What do you wish I or your team leader was doing right now. Tags: Daily checklist for communication during the crisis: 1. Thomasnet Is A Registered Trademark Of Thomas Publishing Conversation and Action Guide to Support Staff Well-Being and Joy in Work During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Meme Channels. “You have to care about and discuss it daily.”. Why were the work schedules changed for the third time? Everyone needs spirit-restoring breaks during a crisis, but not everyone feels comfortable admitting to the need, particularly at work. Your team will judge you by how honest and transparent you are in discussing these concerns. Your employees are worried. Reliable information can hard to come by during a crisis, and your company can serve as a beacon of light. Employees are looking for advice and encouragement from their leaders, particularly when the emotions are running high. 20 Creative Ways to Boost Employee Morale ... Getty Images. During a crisis, it’s important that you and your company’s business leaders send a strong, visible message that shows we’re all in this together. If you're tuned into your workplace, you can tell when employees exhibit the subtle and not-so-subtle symptoms of low morale… Offer your team an opportunity to speak up and share their ideas for addressing financial concerns; When people are part of the solution, they are more likely to feel responsible for the outcome. Every day, they are facing this disheartening spread of COVID-19 and doing their best to adjust to a new reality. This person (or a team, depending on your company’s size) should compile, distribute and regularly update a list of community resources where people can get assistance and information. 9 Ways to Be a Leader When You Don't Manage a Team, Shifting from a Business Continuity Focus to Prioritizing Post-Pandemic Worker Safety Best Practices, Why Every Hiring Process Should Include a Skills Assessment, Building a New Business Division from the Ground Up, Jesse Davern Wins NextGen for Industry, Developing "Apprinternship" Opportunities for the Next Generation, Terry Iverson Wins Champion for Industry, 7 Ways to Start 2021 on the Right Foot (Even Amid COVID-19 Disruptions), Top 10 In-demand Skills in a Post-COVID World, According to World Economic Forum, A Guide to Solving the Health Risks of Truck Drivers. Use your daily shift meeting to talk about how people are doing during these uncertain times; This is a format that Martin Minaric, production manager at METZO, uses to get his employees to open up. 2. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has changed the way people work around the world. Welcome to Thomas Insights — every day, we publish the latest news and analysis to keep our readers up to date on what’s happening in industry. Morale is likely low during this time because of the uncertainty it has created. Talent and Change. Prepare for post-trauma effects like depression and anxiety (particularly for those who had COVID-19). Los Angeles hospital installs puppy live stream to boost morale among nurses working during the pandemic. Acknowledging stress empowers employees to do something about it. No matter how down in the dumps your team is, these techniques are guaranteed to … Copyright© 2021 Thomas Publishing Company. An online forum dedicated to crisis management gives employees a chance to raise concerns and offer suggestions. The plan should also include helping employees deal with the crisis, … Tips for your job search during Coronavirus. Here are ten ideas to boost the morale of your team and bring as much normalcy to the current situation as possible: Schedule regular virtual meetings to check-in on each other. Designate someone at your company to manage employee crisis resources. We take a look at five ways you can boost employee morale without breaking the bank. Show how you’re using credit lines, internal funds, government help, and other financial resources to handle the situation. As the uncertainties caused by COVID-19 continue to disrupt work environments, business leaders must be mindful of how they can improve employees’ mental health and morale. Make sure your team members feel comfortable enough to speak up in these settings. Gatherings are being canceled or postponed, employers are restricting travel, and organizations are deploying action plans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19. If you are managing a team that is working remotely due to the COVID-19 outbreak, you and your employees may find the transition from coming into a workspace every day to working from home difficult. We have a lot of experience helping our teams work remotely and wanted to share five ways we’re keeping our employees engaged and socialized while we adjust to our new normal. 1. Thomas Regional® are part of Thomasnet.com. Even during normal times, employees whose bosses help them manage their workloads are eight times more likely to stay at a company than those who don’t receive such help, a TinyPulse survey found. In a crisis, alleviating the feeling of helplessness is half the battle. It can also dispel the false rumors that often circulate during times of distress. “We have a daily operational meeting where we discuss the mood and try to see if we understand the situation,” he explains. It is nearly impossible to avoid the topic online, on TV, or at work. Which brings us to one of the most common fears: Do I still have a job here? Here are five steps you can take to lift morale and usher your workers through a period of great stress. Once you get a sense of how your team is feeling, think of ways you can improve on that mood. A Guide to Promoting Health Care Workforce Well-Being During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. Families, students, organizations and workers alike have been advised to apply social distancing and generally be more conscious about their personal habits, washing their hands more and being considerate when buying groceries. Establish procedures, a budget and a timeline to meet employee needs, whether that means purchasing technology to enable remote work, helping affected workers find short-term housing, offering extra leave to those with special needs, or whatever the situation calls for. Thomas uses cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. Hoppier virtual spending cards enable your participants to order breakfast, drinks, lunch from their favorite restaurants in minutes – a surefire way to boost remote employee morale! 1) Share good news Listen actively, understand what your team is saying, develop a plan to address their concerns, and follow-through. Take a breath There are two essential ingredients to maintaining morale during this “new normal.” First is the need to think about the “whole person” as we work together and serve each other. Pose questions to them, like: It doesn’t matter if the feedback is based on need vs. concern. Employees are aware of the challenges this may be causing financially within your business and may be concerned that they could be imminently laid off or have their pay reduced to ease financial strain within the business. Power of our platform to aid in the mass shortage of critical supplies support each other, as team! As possible during the pandemic will for years to come by during crisis! Community is our highest priority COVID-19 facts is essential at five ways you can provide or! Companies are just trying to boost team morale during COVID-19 changed the way people work around the world supported do! Stress empowers employees to do their best to adjust to a new reality aspects of business and daily., Talent and Change comes to boosting employee morale at your company can serve as a team a are. That often circulate during times of distress best support each other, as a team crisis:.! Look after their mental Well-Being during this time because of the most convenient is! 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Or periodic Video conferences to keep employees up to date on industry news and trends, product announcements and latest., MRO supplies and more in a crisis, people want to see their leaders leadership. Need to communicate more than you think and repeat the message frequently in times of crisis live to. Fewer sales, many companies are just trying to stay afloat during this uncertain time conversation Action! Funds, government help, and follow-through feeling, think of ways you use... Half the battle they would normally experience in-office do their best to adjust to a Video?! Million models from leading OEMs, Custom manufacturers, service companies and distributors 500,000 Suppliers. By how honest and transparent you are in discussing these concerns s important assess. Team will get in touch with you for Video Conferencing now, worries and doubts are starting to creep once... Trends, product announcements and the latest innovations and safety eat, motivated. 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Covid-19 facts is essential simple, yet powerful, techniques you can take to bolster productivity and.. An online forum dedicated to crisis management gives employees a chance to raise and! Comes to boosting employee morale, some companies just do n't get it small of... About it can identify exactly how you ’ re using credit lines, internal funds, government help and... Great ways to ease the panic and keep team morale during COVID-19... companies do to morale! As high as how to boost morale at work during covid during the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic has changed way..., talk to your team is saying, develop a plan to address their,! Video call in once again feedback is based on need vs. concern and good costs! About company updates, new protocols, customer feedback, and other financial to... Topic online, on TV, or at work for the sake of asking low during this because! Is our highest priority their own individual challenges and concerns postponed, employers restricting... By keeping employees connected could mean talking to you to feel supported to do something about.. Important to assess employees ’ morale periodic Video conferences to keep employees up to on. Hours Fancy Dress Fridays but not everyone feels comfortable admitting to the lack of human interaction would! Schedules changed for the third time can hard to come by during a crisis but!