Everyone is maxed out right now. Emotionally, physically. It’s a taxing time, to say the least. And with most of us working remotely, it can be difficult to have a finger on the pulse of your team. Everyone may seem to be going in different directions. Some have family or friends who are sick. Others are caring for their kids and homeschooling. Still others may have a spouse who lost his or her job.
But while we’re all dealing with the current situation, for most of us, we also continue to work.
It’s a lot.
Whether you’re a business leader, in HR or simply want to look out for your coworkers, there are things all of us can do to help improve morale and show support for our teams during a difficult time. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Try to be as flexible as you can.
This is great advice for everyone right now. Maybe Karen told you she’d get that report over by 5, but she ended up spending an hour with her son working on math homework. Or perhaps Bill was 20 minutes late to that Zoom meeting.
A little grace won’t go unnoticed by your team and peers.
For business leaders, forgetting some policies that are geared toward a physical office is a great place to start. Let your employees know that certain rules are off the board right now. They’ll likely exhale and feel just a little less stressed. And that is a very good thing.
And if Karen is late with that report or Bill can’t make that meeting, proactively shoot them a Slack message or email and let them know not to sweat it. Not only will it help your colleagues feel less stressed right now, they won’t forget your flexibility and grace once things return to normal.
Be open and communicate often.
We’re all working in our little silos, dealing with our own little fires and issues. This can make it difficult to keep everyone in the loop.
Build opportunities to talk and share into your day or week. Communication is always critical for business leaders and HR, but it’s especially important right now.
Whether it’s policy changes or other important information or even simply sharing how you’re feeling and what you hope to see in the coming days and weeks, be open with your team. From Slack messages to Zoom meetings, emails to group calls, your team will feel more like a team if you’re all together and on the same page.
Let your team relax a little.
We’re all quickly learning that working from home doesn’t necessarily mean lounging around in your pajamas and watching TV all day (Right?! Tell me I’m not missing out!). In fact, your team may be pushing themselves TOO hard right now in order to keep up and demonstrate how well they’re handling the current situation.
Hold the presses right there.
Now more than ever, it’s critical that your team let loose a little. Whether it’s a team happy hour via Zoom every Friday, watching “Tiger King” on Netflix together using Netflix Party, or even just sharing funny memes and clips from “The Office” in your #random Slack channel, work some levity and opportunities to smile and relax into the workday. It’s good for EVERYONE.
Remind your team to take breaks.
To that end, it’s actually very easy to work nonstop and see hours go by without moving when you’re working from home. Breaks are just as — if not more — important now that everyone is working from home.
Whether it’s taking five minutes every hour to stretch your legs and get a glass of water or encouraging meditation and walk breaks during the day, proactively give your team “permission” to get up and take physical or mental health breaks throughout the day. It’s good for their health, and it’ll help them be more productive throughout the day.
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