The #covid19 crisis is taking a toll on worker’s mental health. People are craving stability an to get back to some form of normalcy in their lives. The mental and emotional state of having stability, certainty and comfort provided us a sense of control and safety – now its gone. The uncertainty we are now facing is a threat and drives us to the edge and when we don’t know how to move forward into the future it can cause fear, anxiety, panic, doubt, worry and depression and make us feel unsafe which decreases productivity and can impact the bottom line.
The emotional toll of the pandemic on employees over time remains to be seen but here are ways to say connected to the well-being of employees, employers should:
1- Create psychological safety for employees to share openly and honestly what their experiencing on Zoom or conference calls independent of work issues. This creates bonding, compassion and empathy with employees.
2 – Communicate often and accept and acknowledge the feelings of others whether you agree with them or not. It is not an us vs them; we are in this together.
3 – The company can provide for or meet a temporary need, if possible.
4- Create a crisis hotline or make available EPA services for employees to speak with a licensed professional about what their feeling.
5 – Leaders should have one-on-one care meetings with each of their team members to do wellness checks.
While we have to live each day facing the reality of the times in which we now live we also have to keep our eyes on what will life and work be when this is over. What plans are in place NOW to help care for workers with the transition into what the new work life will be.
If you need are in need of a resource to help put a plan in place for your organization to help care for your employees during this time, please schedule a call here. https://calendly.com/tracywashington/crisisleadershipsession
We’re in this together.
Tracy Washington is a Leadership Engagement & Behavior Consultant, Certified Grief Recovery Specialist and Executive Coach and can be reached at Tracy@GetRelationshipCurrency.com.