In the latest in a series of articles on resilience, Robert Hall, pictured, Executive Director at Resilience First, seeks to raise awareness of the topic.
As the Covid-19 crisis mounts and pervades every aspect of work and play then it is important that leaders and managers in companies do their best to motivate their staff. ‘Anxiety is viral but we don’t have to catch it’ was the title of an appropriate, recent article in a national newspaper. So, we need to take proactive steps to alleviate the collective stress and help build both personal and professional resilience for all around. The journey is likely to be prolonged and painful but a crisis can bring out the best in people, often with surprising results and new opportunities. Here are some points to consider in terms of motivation:
– Maintaining contact. Employers should maintain regular contact with employees to avoid a feeling of isolation when they may be home working or social distancing. Frequent phone calls are a start, conference calls are engaging, while video-conferencing offers some visual assessment of a person’s demeanour. There remains a duty of care as long as a person is under employment.
– Encourage personal health regimes. Exercising regularly, getting adequate sleep, keeping hydrated, and eating well are also important factors in mental well-being.
– Promote self-reliance. As with any major incident, especially one that is wide-scale, we cannot expect the authorities to respond to all demands: they may be extremely stretched. Hence, individuals and businesses should make provision to help themselves and take responsibility for doing as much as they can for themselves and their neighbours. This can be a long-term lesson for other events.
– Trust builds reassurance. If confidence in authority is to be maintained and dissent minimised then trust has to be retained – like reputation, once lost it is very hard to regain. Confidence can come through a single voice of authority which does not have to be the CEO. The message needs to be reassuring, measured and frequent to as many as possible.
– Explanation alleviates fear. Education and openness can do much to dispel apprehension and fear of the unknown. The fact that there is no cure for Covid-19 (as yet) and many people may be affected then it is important to explain the reason behind actions and their potential consequences.
– Empowerment is powerful. If people are consumed elsewhere or unavailable through illness then those remaining should have the authority and knowledge to be able to carry on. Empowerment is a powerful motivator providing people know the overall objectives of the organisation and are given the latitude and resources to achieve them when plans go awry. Employees will often work harder without office distractions and hence productivity may increase.
– Leadership strengthens morale. Like any major challenge, the ability to rise to the situation and, ultimately, realise success is down to leadership at all levels in an organisation. Such leadership maintains morale in the workforce and it’s that element that brings the best out of people and drives their efforts to ensure the business thrives for the long term.
These and other factors are described in Resilience First’s Update 8 – Coronavirus: the value of communities available at www.resiliencefirst.org. Resilience First’s News and Knowledge Hub webpages contain info and best practices on the coronavirus and other challenges.
