Crises are rare or supposed to be rare. At various stages, each business undergoes significant transformations. Both internal and external forces create many barriers for start-ups, mid-sized businesses, and large corporations. When in crisis, companies suffer from huge losses. As crises are high-risk events, it is essential for leaders to have employee management skills, especially when dealing with them. A workplace crisis can cause chaos or increase staff stress levels. Effective management during this time will not only allow you to show that you care about the safety of your employees, but it will also help build trust, boost employee morale, and safeguard your company’s culture. If any of your employees are going through a challenging time, the following 5 tactics will help lighten their stress.
Best 5 techniques of employee management:
1. Allow your employees to deal with their personal stress first:
Leaders must be there and speak up without delay. Acknowledge the immense stress your employees are facing in fulfilling responsibilities in their personal lives. Allow and support them in prioritizing those needs over the company’s demands. Sending an email to every employee in the company at the beginning of the crisis and announcements via chat services like Slack or MS Teams would be a wise first step. Offering the same message on several platforms is beneficial to ensure everyone is reached. It will be seen favorably if you admit that things are not normal and that you realize other priorities immediately require your attention. Employee management should encourage employees to share important matters with each other. Motivate everyone in the group to rely on one another for guidance and support as the crisis deepens.
2. Performance appraisal:
Employees are more inclined to make an extra effort when their efforts are acknowledged. When they face challenges, they work harder than normal yet get no appreciation. It is suggested that management schedule periodic acknowledgment or appreciation meetings to show their valued employees the importance of their contributions. A ten-minute standing meeting can greatly influence the employees who are being acknowledged. It will ensure that employees feel valued. They will feel more committed and driven to put in more effort. When employees are rewarded for a well-done job, they are motivated to work harder and achieve higher goals.
Offering performance appraisals or increments is a fantastic way for valuable employee management in a crisis. It develops a work ethic in employees to aim for greater rewards when their efforts are valued. Alongside the shares, they may be given as extra perks and rewards. As a result, their status inside the company gets better, and they are inspired to advance to higher positions.
3. Allow time off to take care of family and self:
The health and welfare of employees and their families must come first in times of crisis. Providing support and flexibility shows empathy and creates a positive work environment. You can show your employees that you value their duties beyond the office by offering them time off to care for themselves, their families, or community relief initiatives. Tasks can be effectively administered, and tension can be reduced with deadline flexibility and assistance from team members. Besides ensuring a positive work-life balance, this approach boosts adaptability and team spirit. Employees are empowered to focus on what matters most during challenging circumstances when there is no longer any sense of humiliation or responsibility related to job tasks, which promotes loyalty and trust within the company. Ultimately, emphasizing helping and empathizing creates a more sustainable and caring work culture.
4. Allow employee participation in Decision-Making:
Participating in decision-making with employees may boost morale and create a sense of belonging during times of crisis. Establish clear paths for interaction so that participants can openly express their opinions and ideas. Schedule frequent meetings to discuss the organization’s future and give them a chance to offer suggestions. Encouraging an inclusive and reliable friendly culture can help employees feel appreciated and essential to the team. Additionally, assigning responsibilities, such as creating evaluation procedures, may show employees’ abilities and improve their sense of accountability and ownership within the company.
5. Boost the benefits you offer to employees:
Your employees might struggle to get enough support they and their families want due to high expenses and deductibles. Seeking employee assistance programs is a great idea at this time. Usually, these programs offer free psychological wellness, stress management, drug abuse, and caregiving services to personnel and anyone living in their home. This is important at all times, but it becomes much more vital at times of crisis and in the following days. Addressing the cost of getting care and providing continuous or crisis-specific health and wellness allowances are other excellent methods of motivating employees to look after themselves. To ensure employees can easily and promptly access these services in an emergency, you should also remind them of the company’s benefits and direct them to relevant websites and phone numbers.
Final Remarks:
Effective workforce planning can reduce disruptions during a crisis by ensuring enough staffing and a sufficient skill set to cope with challenging periods. However, ineffective workforce planning can worsen things, resulting in overworked staff, insufficient assistance, and low morale, eventually disrupting employee management in crisis and worker well-being. In these increasingly unpredictable times, supporting your employees, partners, and clients can greatly boost their trust in your company. As everyone knows, leadership is about motivating individuals to accomplish goals. However, during crises, it’s important to halt and provide support, empathy, and consolation in whatever manner. Actions, as they say, speak louder than words. During a crisis and even after it has passed, your actions can benefit your organization’s reputation and greatly boost the morale of your employees.
