Managing employees' stress during times of crisis is a critical skill for HR leaders. Get tips on how to best provide the support your workforce needs.
The year 2020 started with the promise of being my best yet as an HR professional. I was going to accomplish every resolution this year. From launching a new training program for managers, initiating a diversity and inclusion program, and my personal goal of reading every book I could find on being a first time dad.
That all changed when the Coronavirus put much of our lives on pause. The idea of "social distancing," toilet paper hoarding, and sanitizing delivery boxes were completely foreign concepts just a month or two ago. The lifestyle inconveniences turned into real fear as I started witnessing the early effects of this virus that we didn't have any solutions for.
An unfortunate side effect in this disruption was the impact on how people do their jobs – or if they had one at all. The Department of Labor’s unemployment insurance data came with jaw dropping results. The total initial unemployment claims made the week of April 11, 2020 was 5,245,000.
For context, that is compared to 203,000 just one year ago – a 2,484% increase. But the stress affected more than those who lost their jobs. Adapting to the new normal was extremely difficult for many employees.
Tips to Support Employees During Crisis
As Human Resources leaders within these organizations, it is our job to make sure we do everything in our power to support employees, even when we’re unsure of what’s ahead. With the upside down world we are living in, these are a few tactics that can relieve some of the workplace pressures our employees may feel. Learn more about supporting employees below.
Be transparent
Part of the reason COVID-19 was so scary was because we didn't have a lot of answers. The unknown is frightening.
Employees have enough to worry about when it comes to their health and the health of those around them. Information is crucial, so make sure your employees have access to any information or resources that might help them. That might include making phone numbers for healthcare providers handy or providing detailed descriptions of your Employee Assistance Program. Although they may already have access to this information, they might’ve forgotten because it wasn’t relevant before.
Put yourself in the shoes of different employees within the organization. What would they want to know? What information should you be disseminating?
Some things can’t be shared, but for everything else, I encourage you to lean on the side of oversharing. Use company announcements as a way to provide pertinent information to employees quickly and easily. A weekly announcement on what is happening in the organization can help ease tensions.
A company intranet is a great resource to accomplish transparency because all employees have access to this whenever they need it. As leaders, you can build out content libraries with assets like one sheets with tips for relieving stress or working from home, share helpful videos, and recommend learning courses.
During a crisis, an intranet a very effective way to provide your employees with a centralized place where they can find answers to their burning questions are answered, access employee contact lists, and feel connected to the organization when they’re working remotely.
Be available
Create a virtual open door for employees to ask you questions. At NEOGOV, we have a special email address that employees can message whenever they have HR questions or concerns. This way, when they can’t walk in your office, they still know how to get a hold of you.
Try hosting office hours where employees can hop on a one-on-one video web chat with you to discuss issues. This is great because you can offer a personal touch and express empathy through your body language – things that are sometimes lost or misconstrued over email, chat, or text.
Showing employees that you're available and willing to support them can have an immediate positive impact on their experience during this difficult time. Don’t just wait for them to come to you with issues or concerns. Be proactive! Shoot them a quick message to check in. A simple “good morning, how’s it going?” lets them know you're thinking of them.
Set expectations of wellness
Employees sometimes feel pressure to work through illness or disregard the needs of family so that they can stay on the clock. Communication needs to come from the top to set the expectation that every employee should prioritize wellness of themselves and their family before the needs of their job.
Remind employees about the types of leave available to them, even if you’ve shared that before or it lives in your employee handbook. You can remove hurdles just by moving it to the top of their inbox. HR should also work with managers to build contingency plans for teams who face gaps in resources when employees take time off work.
Ramp up training
Many organizations had to adapt quickly to keep up with the changes caused by COVID-19. Making those necessary adaptations are great, but don’t forget that you need to train employees on the changes and how to leverage new resources.
I live by the mantra “An employee will only value what they understand.” It’s a simple ideology, but it needs to be backed up with a lot of work that can pay off with dividends. That means your days could become consumed by creating training or documentation on a litany of new processes or resources for employees.
The reality is that you can't be available to every employee all the time. This makes training your managers on how to handle certain situations extremely important. Don’t forget that one of your most valuable assets are managers who know what to do without guidance – they can help mitigate your own stress level.
Think outside the box
We're not dealing with the status quo anymore, which means HR professionals can’t keep doing what they always did in the past.
When reviewing your budgets, don’t be afraid to move money around for new priorities. One big shift for NEOGOV was online training. Since we couldn't sit in a room together anymore, leveraging our online learning management system enabled us to keep education a priority.
Try hosting online social events to help employees continue to feel connected with the organization. Our teams took advantage of online resources like playing poker during off hours and holding Friday happy hours via Zoom to discuss popular shows like Tiger King with one another.
Ask your employees
This final tip might be the most important, so make sure you prioritize it. Don’t just rely on your own research and experiences to decide the best path forward at your organization. Send out a survey about how you can better serve your employees during this time. Learn what they want and take action where you can.
There's nothing more frustrating in HR than having a “great idea” with zero buy-in from employees. Can we admit that, sometimes, we do this to ourselves? Now is not the time to assume what employees want and need. Get out there and be proactive with your questions. You can never get too much input from the employees of your organization.
Final Thoughts
As HR professionals, we calm the storm. But it's important to remember that every organization is different. While there are tons of great resources and examples to follow out there, we should focus on reacting to the needs of our employees, and not just follow what others are doing. With your support, employees will be more likely to comfortably adapt to a new normal.
Learn more about how to build stronger, more supportive relationships between employees and managers today.
