COVID-19 - Q&A
The following are a number of questions asked by organisations I have spoken with over the past few weeks, and some answers provided to me by others who have been kind enough to share their experience and insight (either directly or be referring me to resources).
1. How are companies and employees managing when dual-income couples are trying to work from home and also manage small children? Rostering was suggested but has anyone got other ideas/experiences?
- Being patient and respecting that everyone is doing their best.
- Lots of calls with babies/toddlers and pets involved.
- You just need to be tolerant it as you know it’s people doing their best.
- The opposite of compressed hours – extended hours where people do their work over a longer time period if they are part-time.
2. What communication methods are companies finding are working as they try to keep their workforces informed after major government announcements?
- Regular leadership team meetings (range from every day to weekly)
- Development of cheat sheets on working from home, managing remote staff etc
- Communicating availability of EAP
- Key messages appearing on screensavers
- Key points to discuss in team check-ins
- Recognition this is a challenge for everyone
3. What plans are in place to help employees in the mid-longer-term if they run out of leave? There are obvious answers, however is anyone trying new or different approaches to keep their workforces engaged?
- Reducing hours
- Focusing people in internal projects
- Pay reductions (salaried staff)
- Forced leave
- General comment was that junior staff are very nervous and probably need more communication.
4. How are companies managing "manager stress" to ensure managers don't get overloaded and can appropriately manage remote workforces?
- There is little information available specifically for helping support stressed managers. There are a number of elements discussed below (for employees) that are also relevant for managers.
- It is clear that management teams need to meet regularly, have open forums, buddy-up to ensure they have people to talk to in the peer group (or an external coach), and have ready access to EAP if needed.
- Additionally, providing clear guidance (and in some cases coaching) on how to manage remote workforces is also being offered. The key is to recognise that goals, targets and expectations need to be reset from the top down so managers are not trying to operate in a manner that simply doesn’t fit the times.
5. What are some of the initiatives companies are putting place to manage mental health issues associated with working remotely and being physically disconnected? Reports are that people are less active, working longer hours (although maybe not as productively).
- There is an excellent resource pulled from the University of Melbourne - https://services.unimelb.edu.au/counsel/resources/wellbeing/coronavirus-covid-19-managing-stress-and-anxiety
Additionally, ensuring teams (and individuals within each team) are:
- Establishing a structure and routine for each day:
- Getting up and going to bed at a regular times (as if you were going into the office to work every day)
- Ensuring you maintain usual hygiene routines as if you were going into the office each day
- Observing regular meal times
- Breaking the day into blocks of time and use for different purposes to give variety
- Have a different routine for the weekends to feel like you are having a break
- Are planning-in and using daily exercise time – extremely important for supporting your mental as well as physical health - even if this is simply going for a exercise walk.
There is also an excellent resources here (https://www.psychologytoday.com/au/blog/the-thoughtful-manager/202003/managing-employee-stress-and-anxiety-during-the-coronavirus) which has some key tips including:
- Communicating openly and honestly with employees
- By being more transparent and discussing worst-case scenarios, managers cannot only reduce stress but also other dysfunctional outcomes, like increased gossip and decreased commitment, which often occurs when employees are faced with ambiguous situations
- Jobs are especially stressful when they are characterised by heavy workloads, time pressure, and intense concentration combined with low levels of autonomy and decision-making input. Although managers may be less able to reduce job demands during this pandemic, they should be able to empower their workers by giving them greater autonomy and decision-making authority, and doing so can make a meaningful difference.
- When employees view stressful situations as a challenge, they tend to exhibit greater motivation and performance; however, when those stress factors are seen as a hindrance or obstacle to achieving their goals, employees’ motivation and performance tend to suffer.
- Managers should help their employees see this difficult time as an opportunity for them to grow, develop, and help others. At the same time, managers should do their best to eliminate bureaucratic headaches that make it more difficult for employees to carry out their duties.
6. How are companies approaching business continuity planning and addressing the question "what if things get worse"?
- There is an excellent resource here: https://www.bcs.org/content-hub/planning-for-a-pandemic-is-your-business-prepared/
- The Australia Institute of Company Directors had a good reference point which builds in flexible thinking: http://aicd.companydirectors.com.au/resources/covid-19/covid-19-seven-steps-to-adapting-business-continuity-plans-for-crisis
- There was limited information on what to do and how companies are planning for if things get worse.