Middle management is being strained by the Covid-19 problem. You’ve had to take a salary reduction, fire colleagues, and deliver terrible news to people all around the company. You’ve been working from home for weeks and are becoming frustrated since there’s no end in sight. What can you do to remain focused and positive during this uncertain period? How can you learn to reframe your current situation? Who can you confide in? What are your options for recharging when most of your typical outlets are closed?
Early on in the epidemic, we noticed a difference. In collaboration with Qualtrics and SAP, our non-profit organisation, Mind Share Partners, conducted a research of worldwide workers at the end of March and the beginning of April. We discovered that about 42% of respondents’ mental health had deteriorated after the pandemic began. Given all that has transpired since then, we can only assume that the figure has risen. Much has been stated about the short-term repercussions on mental health, but the long-term consequences are likely to be considerably more severe.
Many firms have expanded their attention on workplace mental health before to the epidemic (often in response to pressure from employees). Those efforts are even more impressive.
Guide your team for your new rules
To assist their staff learn to reorient based on the new circumstances, leaders should organise a “working from home” relaunch. Relaunches operate as resets, whereas team launches determine the trajectory of a group as soon as it comes together. The COVID-19 epidemic has thrown routines off, necessitating relaunches to assist leaders and team members understand how each member has been impacted, find out how to address concerns, and get everyone back on track to meet team goals. Leaders of teams should concentrate their relaunch efforts on four crucial areas.
The pandemic’s silver lining is that it is normalising mental health issues. Almost everyone has had some amount of discomfort at some point in their lives. However, the universality of the experience will only result in a reduction in stigma if individuals, particularly those in positions of authority, share their stories. As a leader, being transparent about your mental health concerns allows people to feel comfortable approaching you about their own mental health issues.
Attend someone for your mental health
The flight attendants’ advice to “first put on your own oxygen mask before attempting to help others” is a powerful metaphor. Self-care for leaders of companies has gone from a feel-good nostrum to a strategic first priority in the blink of an eye.
Companies cannot afford to lose their top position at this time: The harsh reality is that 40% of businesses lack a succession strategy. Maintaining best practises in the areas of physical and mental health is not a luxury or a frill, but rather a necessary part of risk management. CEOs and senior executives must place a high priority on their personal health.
Work on the seven C’s in your life Calm
Your people, your workers, your customers, and your suppliers will be counting on you as a leader to maintain a feeling of calm in the midst of this terrible, unpredictable scenario. Use customized labels and stickers to write down positive quotes and read them to stay calm.
Confidence
You must be tranquil, but not as tranquil as a motionless body of water. You must convey confidence that you will be able to see this through effectively, with as little harm to the firm as possible, as well as to all of the stakeholders who are counting on your leadership to bring them through the difficult days and months ahead.
Communication
You must communicate, communicate, and communicate at all times. This is to prevent rumours from spreading and muddying the waters.
Collaboration
This is the moment to call on the resources and talents of all of your workers, all of your team members, and bring them together in taskforces, sub-taskforces, and maybe have a role for everyone in overcoming the uncertainty, overcoming the crisis.
Community
Every one of us is a member of a community. As a result, it’s critical that we lead by example, modelling community-friendly and helpful behaviours.
Compassion
At this moment, compassion is absolutely vital. We may rise to the occasion if we’re lucky enough to be surrounded by a solid team, but there are many individuals in our companies that rely on us, even if they don’t have to
Cash
Cash is the most evident commercial C of the 7 Cs. Whatever you can do to save money is crucial, since it will influence whether or not your staff will be paid the following week.
Talk to the managers you work with
While we are still learning what defines a “best practise,” there is already a lot of testing going on throughout the world. Over the past month, we (virtually) spoke with more than 50 “resilient” organisations from a range of nations and industries to offer an early assessment on these new techniques.
- The findings of this investigation demonstrate that managers are putting out considerable effort and inventiveness in order to assure safety and retain profitability. While each company’s strategies differ, they all follow the same basic principles:
- Businesses strive to learn from noisy signals and change their operations swiftly to new information.
- They work closely with external stakeholders (including, in certain cases, rivals) to pool and distribute knowledge and ensure the ecosystem’s stability.
- They quickly adjust and, in certain cases, modify their value offer to reflect changing market circumstances and identify new growth prospects.
- They change their HR management style to ensure economic profitability while also ensuring the safety and well-being of their personnel.
- They support all of these efforts by making a conscious and proactive effort to communicate with both internal and external stakeholders as effectively and clearly as possible.
Consumers that require extra consideration due to their risk level might be introduced to specific offerings, resulting in more loyal customers in the long run. To help its vendors (including wedding caterers, flower shops, and garment firms) navigate through tough times, The Knot Worldwide is offering financial support. Netflix established a $100 million fund to assist COVID-affected creatives such as actors, producers, and writers, making Netflix the most probable destination for future creative work. Walmart is increasing the speed with which it pays its suppliers.