The impact of COVID 19 has brought and continues to bring unique circumstances to organisations. In the span of a week, you have more than likely found yourself with a large percentage of your employees working from home, being stood down, or on annual or unpaid leave all at the same time. 

They are no longer coming ‘in’ to work … yet they are still your employees.

When your doors open again, you’ll want them to hit the ground running and they will want to get back to being productive straight away.

Here we recommend 8 ways to keep your employees who are no longer working; engaged, aligned to your brand and part of the team.

1. Ongoing communication from the top is essential

Schedule a weekly video call at least once a week on a fixed day and time which all employees can have the option of watching. Keep this update short; be transparent and to the point and make it a weekly routine; even if you don’t have new information to share.

2. Ensure your managers know what’s expected of them

The answer isn’t to go into hibernation and stop talking. Whether working or not, all managers should make an effort to keep in regular touch with their absent teams. Set achievable guidelines from the start, for example, ideally to check-in with team members at least once a week. Instant messaging is a great way of staying in contact.

3. Send a regular email / e-Newsletter to all employees to keep them optimistic

For example, if you’re operating on-line then let employees know what’s selling, what you’re communicating to customers and what you’re planning for the month ahead. Encourage employees to submit contributions to keep them involved and encourage them to come up with new ideas. Include some humour and light-hearted stories. Ensure that you have correct personal email addresses so that everyone can receive the communication.

4. Set up a shared communication channel

Set up a closed Facebook or WhatsApp group (or similar) for all employees or for different teams to keep in touch and communicate with each other. Conversations should be kept relevant and as upbeat as possible.

5. Encourage personal development

With a huge range of free or discounted online training available, it’s the perfect time for employees to use spare time to refresh their skills, learn new skills and increase their general knowledge. It may be something as straight forward as brushing up on Word or Excel skills to starting to learn a new language, reading more books, listening to audiobooks or taking virtual tours through art galleries and museums. Great way to tick off those learning and development goals.

6. Promote unity and togetherness

Be inspired with what musicians worldwide are doing to connect with their fans (their customers) with the Together At Home concert series by creating a platform to promote connectedness regardless of location. #TogetherAtHome

7. Listen to your employees

Be mindful of stress levels and the wellbeing of your employees. Listen to what they are saying and how they are responding. Have processes in place to assist people who are struggling with social distancing and being cut off from their normal routine. Encourage employees to check-in with their colleagues and think about assigning buddies to provide mutual support to each other.

8. Remember your brand values

Your values remain your foundation to abide by at this time. They possibly include the likes of responsibility, responsibility, integrity, teamwork, honesty, trust, etc. Keep these in mind and manage how your brand is perceived internally and externally to your employees and to your customers.

Dovetail Brand Engagement specialises in assisting companies with the implementation of best practice initiatives and HR policies and procedures, aligned to your specific requirements, brand and culture. Find out more >

Source: Global Citizen, ^ Harvard Business Review