How quickly we have become accustomed to using the words Lockdown, Covid19, Tier systems and Furlough. This is testament to our ability to adapt to our environment. In business we often talk about agility and resilience and this Pandemic has been a fascinating experiment on how we humans continually evolve and adapt to new situations.
We may have to consider another side effect of the Pandemic, with reported increases to anxiety and stress levels during lockdown, furlough and working from home. What is your organisation doing about the possible effects to employee mental health? Perhaps it is time to measure the impact of Covid19 by asking your employees, How are you? What support can we, as your employer give to you? You could also consider a health questionnaire. Your people will appreciate that you are taking the time to find out how they are coping.
It is important to give your employees a ‘voice’, an outlet to discuss their concerns on subjects relating to job security, work life balance, colleague communications and interaction, without fear of recrimination. ‘People with trustworthy relationships and personal support systems at work and with friends and family are more able to cope with stress and organisations more likely to hold up in a crisis’ (Johnson-Lenz 2009).
Resilience is key to good leadership, it is the ability to adapt to change but it is not just that. To be resilient you must show empathy, to listen and try to understand a situation. Before taking action you must fully explore the options before using your instincts and survival techniques to move forward.
What strategies do you have in place for your employees when we emerge from the pandemic? “It is suggested that the greater the diversity of resilience strategies available to an organisation, the greater the ability to respond to challenges.” This was written by Rachel Lewis, Emma Donaldson-Feilder and Antonio Pangallo of Affinity Health at Work (Rachel Lewis is also a lecturer at Kingston Business School).
We should never underestimate the enormity of what is happening across the world and the impact upon individual lives but it is important to look ahead, to focus on the future. Try not to concentrate on what we can’t do and look at what we CAN do. Consider setting mini targets each day (however small), which deliver a sense of achievement. Interact with others as often as possible and ‘check in’ with yourself to explore different ways to approach daily work practices.