What Employees Need Most During the Covid-19 Pandemic
As a community, country and world, we have entered uncharted territory.
As a community, country, and world, we have entered uncharted territory. Leaders everywhere are learning how to lead through a global pandemic, with many mandating work-from-home amid Covid-19.
Starting Monday, I made it mandatory for our staff to work from home. However, just because our workforce is remote, it doesn’t mean we can’t still be connected. Especially in a time of crisis, employees want (and need) a community to lean on. In a time of high stress, people crave information, stability, and even a little laughter.
Every day since we began our remote work, I have held a standing companywide Zoom meeting (a video meeting, for those who aren’t familiar with Zoom), and ask all employees to join via video not just audio. We need to look into each other’s eyes and see one another. It helps build connection, and also allows myself and my leadership team to see how people are actually doing, as sometimes voices can be deceiving.
The video calls have been fairly brief, and the agenda is constantly evolving. My main goals are to provide information, communicate what I am doing as the leader of the company, and reassure my staff.
Recently, I focused on mind over matter in uncertain times and how it’s important to be mentally strong. I shared how in a time of crisis, it’s easy to wallow in self-pity. It’s easy to go stir crazy in a studio apartment, or when you live by yourself. After all, even the most introverted among us craves human interaction at some point.
