Coronavirus: Das eigene Team unterstützen in Zeiten großer Unsicherheit und Sorge (EN)
We all are challenged by the current Coronavirus and the unprecedented levels of uncertainty it brings. We find it hard to not know how this will play out for us, our families, our friends and the companies we lead or work at. For many the current situation can also trigger increased levels of anxiety. Employees for instance may not only worry about their family´s health, they might also be concerned about losing their job or they might simply be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of uncertainty they are facing.
We have 20+ years of consulting experience in change management and care to make a meaningful contribution. This is why we hope that sharing some of our practical insights and tips can be useful for organisations and individuals in these turbulent times.
We believe it´s crucial to address psychological implications of the Coronavirus: building a workplace environment that supports employees dealing effectively with uncertainty and anxiety is a great chance to foster a culture of caring, psychological safety and trust. Not at least, it is essential for maintaining workplace motivation and productivity (anxiety makes us less productive, less creative and less sociable).
So - what can you do? In the following we provide some tips how to mitigate increased anxiety.
1) Keep track of your team´s mood and create space to exchange about fears/worries
In general: encourage employees to speak up whenever they feel uneasy. We all react differently and without open communication it is impossible to understand how others react and what makes them worry. Make sure to focus on understanding each other better and connecting (rather than catastrophizing or hitting the panic button). Your team will benefit greatly from an environment that feels judgment-free so that everyone can share their thoughts without fear. According to the famous Aristotle study done by Google this so called “psychological safety” is the number one ingredient of what makes a great team. Some practical tools to achieve this can include:
Install a daily check-in, including question about emotions
Agree on a short daily check-in (ideally via video call): Ask 1-2 questions of the day and let everyone shortly reflect (maximum 30sec each) and then answer. Ideally include some questions that address feelings, e.g. “How is my inner weather condition today?”. This gives everyone the opportunity to share emotions, connect and therefore also build new levels of trust.
Use a digital pulse check
Send out short engagement surveys at a regular time interval, e.g. every 2 weeks. Find 5-6 questions that are important for you. Ideally, they should address the current situation, help track the mood of your team and help identify how you can improve the situation. By conducting this regular pulse check you help your employees understand that their opinions matter and that they have the power to influence the current situation.
There are many tools available, e.g., Tiny Pulse, Officevibe.
Take time to talk to your employees
This might sound like a no-brainer standard sentence but should not be dismissed lightly. Especially in the case of many colleagues working from home, we can easily neglect putting in time for one-on-one conversations. If you are not in the same room, ideally set up a regular video call to provide a space to talk. Alternatively, you could also provide your employees with a (remote) coach who can offer professional support. Feel free to contact us if you are looking for concrete support here.
2) Offer mindfulness activities
Mindfulness and meditation help to ease the mind in times of stress and anxiety, and foster emotional intelligence. Additionally, meditation can be an activity that people share. There is a number of options what you can offers to interested people.
Share/recommend free meditations
There are many different meditations available online. You might want to get started by checking out our free meditation audio files (most of them in German) that range from 3 to 45 minutes. Also, most meditation apps have a free introductory course, e.g. balloon (German), headspace, or calm.
Establish a joint meditation practices
You can join our “Free Your Mind Friday Meditation” from 8.45 to 8.58 am (in German but with enough demand we start an English version), or establish your own group, e.g. with free meditations or a volunteer in your company. Especially in home office times this is a great way to stay connected.
Establish a mindful corporate culture
If you want use these times to build a culture that is based on more mindfulness, various programs can support you. Mindfulness can be trained well remotely, in a mix of individual mindfulness exercises and group webinars. One example is our own MOMENTUM program that typically runs for 6 weeks and can also be customized to individual needs.
3) Sympathize with the challenge to get focused and energized
Focus on what you can do now in this moment (rather than the future)
When you have to do 50 push-ups a common strategy is to count 10 times 5. Why? Simply because it feels a lot easier to repeatedly count to 5 vs having to count all the way to 50. Transferring this anecdote to the current situation, try to focus on the immediate next step rather than on the future. This has two powerful advantages: a) you are reducing complexity and uncertainty enormously by focusing on what is going on right now vs the unpredictable future, and b) it simply feels good to decide things and get stuff done!
Reframe anxiety
It´s easy to waste a lot of time and energy trying to fight your anxiety and worries. Instead, label your emotions with one or two precise words for yourself. Labeling itself can already reduce the intensity of your emotions. Furthermore, it allows you to refocus all that anxious energy and channel it as excitement into what you’re currently working on. For example, ask yourself the following question: “How can I find something positive in the current crisis that can help me build new habits for my future?”
If you have any comments or questions, please feel free to contact us any time by sending an email to: info@returnonmeaning.com We would love to read from you!