Recently I hosted a conversation with a group of leaders to check in on the impact that COVID has had on employee engagement in the “new normal” of remote work.
Some of the stories and insights they shared from the past months were surprising. Here are four essential takeaways that you might find valuable as you navigate the changes that continue to unfold.
1. What you say matters more than ever.
One leader pointed out that it’s easy to overlook the importance of clear and compassionate communication. She also pointed out how pleasantly surprised she was to observe the level of care and concern team members expressed for each other’s unique personal circumstances and challenges.
In times of uncertainty and rapid change, each team member needs to know there is a plan. Transparency and honesty matter. What can you share with your team to provide stability and focus? How can you calm fears and provide a steady focus on how your team can accomplish mission-critical goals?
Now, more than ever, it’s essential to revisit and reinforce company values and the specific behaviors that support those values. Those guiding principles will assist team members to focus on priorities and make sound decisions.
Don’t overlook the compassion part of the equation. By checking in first to see how each team member is doing, you demonstrate that they matter. A simple gesture is sometimes all that’s required.
2. The medium matters (perhaps more than the message).
Have you ever sent a well-intended email, only to have the tone misunderstood? Communicating via email sure seems expedient, but your tone matters now, more than ever.
One leader reported that a well-intended email resulted in confusion and a bit of unwarranted alarm throughout his company. The time spent dealing with the chaos and concern more than erased any time-savings.
When communicating on significant changes, take time to set up a virtual meeting. Video platforms help us deliver difficult or nuanced messages because we can convey our intentions through body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
Plan your message and your agenda to ensure the time is well spent.
Although taking time for regular check-ins can be challenging, it’s essential for clarity, connection, and productivity.
3. You may find answers – and then you will have to change them.
Each of the leaders I spoke with reported that at the beginning of the pandemic, they thought we would all be working remotely for a period of weeks, or a few months at most.
The initial answers and policies put in place by each of us have, of necessity, evolved as the pandemic continues and the situation unfolds. The challenges we’ve faced include rapid upgrades to technology in many cases. Nearly all leaders have been required to establish new policies and safety protocols in the face of rapidly developing information as we’ve learned more about the virus.
The coming months will undoubtedly present us with additional changes and new information. We will all have to adapt again, and yet again. Perhaps those adaptions will make us and our businesses better than before.
How will you lead your team through the coming changes? How will you demonstrate the resiliency, emotional intelligence, resolve, and commitment you expect from each team member?
4. Keeping your culture alive translates to higher productivity.
One leader shared several ways that he and his leadership team have worked to keep their culture alive in the face of remote work. It hasn’t been easy. He ties the initial loss of team productivity directly to the uncertainty and disarray of the initial days of remote work.
Like many leaders, he and his team experienced a bumpy transition to remote work. Many employees needed technology upgrades or simply didn’t have an adequate home office set up in the early days and weeks.
Since those initial days, he has established regular team check-ins for improved communication on goals. He and the leadership team established a regular cadence of virtual team events for fun and building strong relationships. The result has been a return to excellent productivity.
This leader found that fine-tuning the communication on accountability and reinforcing the importance of timely communication with customers helped restore some sense of normalcy.
Some final takeaways:
- A robust, vibrant culture and well-articulated values will help you navigate and recalibrate your strategy.
- A smart employee engagement plan will help you retain key talent and keep productivity high.
The companies that come out ahead in the recovery will certainly implement these concepts. Those companies will be poised to hire the top talent and win the ideal customers that have been neglected during this challenging time.
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