Managers should not only focus on economic goals
Who would have thought that such a small virus would send hordes of employees around the world into home office and even paralyze many sectors of the economy? This lockdown, or in some cases shutdown, is unique in world history. It is important to learn from this crisis and look to the future as an entrepreneur. Nevertheless, the concerns within the company must not be forgotten. How are my team colleagues doing? Is communication from management to employees working? Are they informed about any changes to their areas of responsibility?
Working from home during the coronavirus pandemic can also be stressful for many people, and some even see staying in their own four walls as a prison. In addition to working from home, there are few places to escape to in order to balance things out. Once the last laptops for employees have been set up and handed over, the network connection is in place and a video conference has been established, employees should also be contacted regularly.
What was it like in ‘normal’ office life?
Regular meetings, in a team or face-to-face, can also be maintained in the digitalized working world. The usual rituals should be maintained, especially now, to avoid a state of limbo that unsettles employees. Forecast on Friday, jour fix on Monday morning, team meeting on Wednesday lunchtime – the normal weekly calendar helps to maintain the work structure in the home office. What should not be forgotten are clear meeting rules, especially in large telephone meetings with six, eight or more participants. Draw up an agenda, observe speaking times, ask each employee for their opinion (explicitly) because there is no physical contact.
How does a company deal with a situation where even the specialists are not working to capacity? What goals need to be achieved in the changed situation? Are there online training courses that employees can take advantage of as further training so that they can move forward stronger and with new knowledge after the crisis?
Are there any remaining vacation days or saved overtime in the account that the team members can now reduce? Here too, communication is important. Employees who are aware of the company’s extremely difficult situation are usually willing to make compromises and show solidarity. They usually want to support the company. Even without the offer of cheap all-inclusive flights to popular vacation destinations, many employees are prepared to make use of the time. For family outings, for a really good book, for the garden or walks in the woods. Slowing down is de facto the magic word that helps employees with time (and little work) to rediscover themselves or their families and recharge their batteries for the time after coronavirus.
Conclusion:
Working from home does not mean working without structure. Employees should be spared any feeling of floating: Regular meetings, rituals and targets are important to keep the ‘engine’ moving and prevent it from grinding to a halt. Less stress in the home office must not lead to employees becoming inefficient because they have no ‘controller’. Working from home has a lot to do with trust – in both directions. However, if there is actually no work to be done, the company should talk openly with employees about whether longer periods of time can be used privately. Such phases of deceleration are often good for the employees … and later for the company too.
By Martin Krill, Managing Partner of HAGER Executive Consulting
