Given that the world is in the throes of a pandemic, a lot of people are very scared to do the things which they normally do, such as going to work, going to the grocery store and even going for a walk. As a business owner, you may find that many of your employees are feeling anxious, scared, agitated or depressed. Plus, most businesses are not doing as well as before, so employees are also worried about losing their jobs. How do you deal with employees who are feeling like this? How do you motivate them to keep going?
Be Honest
If your business is not doing as well as before and you are in danger of shutting down, you will need to be honest with your employees about this. Let them know how long you can keep going, whether you might need to make cutbacks, whether you might have to reduce salaries and whether you might have to let people go. It’s best to provide this information in advance, if possible. But of course there’s no need to alarm people if you have the resources to keep going for some time.
Be Patient
Given that a lot of people are feeling anxious at this time, it’s up to you to be patient and hear them out. What most people need during this time is a sympathetic ear. They want to be able to tell you all their problems. And once they’ve finished doing this, they are able to go on as before. Yes, it might be difficult to listen to someone’s problems. But it’s best to listen first and then ask if they want you to come up with a solution. Most people don’t even want solutions; they just want to be heard.
Be Understanding
During these challenging times, you may find that some people just can’t perform the same way they used to. Some people may actually have contracted Covid-19 in which case they will be in quarantine. Others might be caring for people who have Covid-19, in which case they may also be in quarantine and not able to do much work from home. Yet others may not have contracted the virus but their fear of doing so might prevent them from wanting to step out of the home.
In this last case, you might have to find creative ways for them to continue to work from home. Give them tasks they can perform remotely and stay in touch with them via videoconferencing. You might have to juggle tasks among the people in your office and come up with a new structure.
