People are the biggest asset of any company. For many leading companies, the safety and well-being of their employees is their top priority, even though the current pandemic has disrupted life and businesses alike. The well-being could be related to physical, psychological, or emotional aspects.

In this blog, I will focus on certain ways to protect your employees’ well-being during a crisis.

Maintain Regular Communication with Employees

Employees feel uncertain, anxious, and worried about their jobs, their future in the company, and the future of the company, during the times of crisis. Also, some employees may have personal issues and issues with the health of their family members.

The leaders in management can maintain clear, honest, and regular communication with the employees. It provides a sense of reassurance and helps to relieve the anxiety and uncertainty among the employees. The leaders can also include elements of positivity and empathy in their communication. It will help to build and maintain trust and morale within the employees even after the crisis. Organizations need to create an environment where their workforce can communicate freely with their managers. This allows for discussions about any challenges that employees may face in their work.

Increase Motivation and Engagement in Employees

We agree that it is difficult to expect the same energy and motivation levels in employees during times of crisis. But, there is a way. Leaders can set a clear roadmap for the organizational objectives to mobilize the employees around a common goal. They can improve employee engagement by communicating a powerful vision for the organization.

This is also a good time to rearticulate the organizational purpose and values. They can clarify the plans to lead through these times of crisis and align their approach for managing the situation. They can include the organizational purpose and values in all their communications. They must keep communicating their employees about the new developments and projects in the pipeline. Otherwise, employees fill the gaps with speculation, worry, and conjecture.

Empower the Employees with Right Technology and Tools

Working from home, away from the office environment, presents its own set of challenges. This is especially true for those employees who are working remotely for the first time. For many employees, this new work culture may pose potential problems like inaccessibility to office equipment, software and hardware shortcomings, unreliable internet access, and other technology-related issues.

Therefore, companies must invest in suitable technology and tools to make the work-life easier for employees and to stay productive while working from home. Also, user-friendly technology must provide flexibility, mobility, and collaboration. Leaders can also consider opportunities to upskill their employees. They can provide access to online learning platforms to empower their employees and increase their organizational capability.

Provide Flexible Working Hours for Improved Work-Life Balance

Employee well-being is not just about the physical health of employees. It is about the overall quality of life of employees. Human life is multi-faceted. Of course, work is an essential part of our life. But, apart from work, many other things give our life meaning and purpose. These include one’s own family, faith in a religion, community feeling, individual habits and hobbies. These things also require time, energy, and attention.

More often than not, the work obligations get in the way, and as a result, the employee well-being suffers. Therefore, the companies can allow for flexible working hours to their employees. This empowers the employees to alter their work habits to fit their family needs and individual habits. This ultimately results in a better and healthy work-life balance that benefits both the employee and the company.

Employees Can Think of New Styles of Working

Apart from the organizational role in employee well-being, employees working from home can also think of new styles of working to beat the boredom and monotony that come with continuously sitting in one place. They can practice doing light physical exercises, yoga, and meditation.

They can also think of using standing desks for some time during work. This is also a good position and exercise for the body, after having meals. Studies indicate that when we stand up, our body remains active and we reap the benefits of metabolic functions in the body. It can also help reduce the chances of obesity and diabetes.

Conclusion

To conclude, employee well-being is the prime concern for any organization, since human resources are at the center of every organization. The leaders in the organization should maintain regular communication with their employees and provide the necessary tools and technologies to keep them motivated and engaged.

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