How To Lift Employee Morale During A Crisis

The mental health and well-being of your employees should be a priority right now if it wasn’t already. The coronavirus panic has made things very difficult for a lot of them, and they need your support now more than ever. Morale issues were already a big problem for companies before the pandemic and they are a challenge that many businesses will have to concentrate more of their time and resources on. Here are a few tips for lifting your team’s morale during the coronavirus crisis. 

Show That You Care About Their Safety 

The first thing you have to do is make sure that you show them that their safety is a priority. You have to make sure that you have clear protocols in place and that everyone follows them. You don’t have to stick to CDC or your state’s guidelines either. If you want to enforce things like mandatory PPE or sneeze guards even if they are not mandated by your local government, go ahead. This will show your commitment not only to your employees, but the public as well. 

If you don’t have sneeze guards already, we suggest you look for a sneeze guard company that will be able to build custom guards for you. They will be able to provide partitions for office spaces or to protect client-facing employees. 

Consider Going Hybrid Instead Of Fully Remote 

A lot of businesses have decided to go either fully remote for their operations, or for a hybrid workplace. Hybrid workplaces are the best for morale as they allow your employees to choose the best environment for them. Some may feel isolated working from home, and it can start eroding their motivation and morale. Allowing for hot-desking with proper social distancing also allows for better cooperation and teamwork. This working arrangement could also outlive the pandemic and allow you to give your employees the freedom to work from whichever setting they prefer. 

Stay In Touch 

If you decide to go remote, you have to make sure that you keep your team in the loop all the time. You also want to let them know of any milestones or accomplishments the business has made. You still want to make them feel like you’re working as a team. You want to congratulate your whole team, but also individual performers. You have to let them know how valuable they are to the team and how much you need them. On the other hand, you also want to speak with those who may be falling behind. While in some cases, it might be because of morale issues, you also have to be able to tell when it is a lack of effort. Some employees might not be the best suited to this format since they need constant reinforcement. These are the ones you will need to keep your eye on the most for your workers. 

Maximize Morale

There are plenty of things that you can do to keep your employees engaged during those difficult times. The first is to make sure that you let them know that you are there for them. When you show your employees you actually care, it can help to maximize morale as much as possible in the new normal.