[Pandemic Guide] How to boost employee morale during social distancing?

More than a year has passed, and the pandemic has not yet been resolved. The isolation, anxiety, fear, and depression caused by the pandemic have taken a daily toll on businesses and employees. Many of us are working diligently from home, some alone in their houses day after day. Needless to say, everyone is worried and wondering when this situation will end. As a leader managing hundreds of people, what will you do to boost employee morale during this period of social distancing?

Businesses cannot stop operating just because of the coronavirus, and for many, working from home is not the ideal way to perform at their best. As a leader, the most important thing right now is to keep your employees motivated. You must develop a remote work environment that puts employees first, improves morale, and reduces stress for everyone, including yourself.

Health is the top priority

Your employees can only work for you if they are healthy and safe during the pandemic. Therefore, your primary concern right now should be the health of your employees. To ensure maximum safety, initiate a vaccination program for employees and internally communicate resources for health advice during the pandemic.

Ensure that the company’s HR department continuously reminds employees to contact the nearest medical facility or company management for timely support if they experience any Covid-19 related symptoms. Accordingly, the HR department must ensure company-supported health insurance or other fees related to employee health issues are covered. This is one of the ways to emotionally connect with each employee, showing that you care and are looking out for them.

Adjust policies

While not every company can require employees to work from home, companies should consider relaxing some regulations or ensuring there are accommodations for the current restrictions. Decreased productivity, morale, and engagement can stem from employees feeling uncertain about when the pandemic will end. Additionally, external factors such as childcare, household chores, and issues with equipment or technology can also distract employees from their work.

Therefore, from the very first days of social distancing, have you provided your employees with the necessary equipment to work from home? Furthermore, focus on KPIs and the quality of work rather than being overly strict about working hours. When working remotely, your employees have more flexibility with their schedules. You should focus on work results instead of trying to control your employees’ remote working hours.

Additionally, if you are known to have a short temper, you should try to avoid being irritable or snapping at your employees. This is a time that requires connection and mutual understanding to increase productivity, not a time to create pressure and frequently apply harsh penalties. Just one small negative action can cause your employees to lose their motivation to work. Working remotely requires frequent online communication through video calls or group chats. Pay attention to your tone of voice and whether your language is gentle enough to avoid misunderstandings or making your message feel too harsh.

Regarding salary policy, although you know that working from home can cause employees to be distracted and reduce work efficiency, carefully consider how the company’s operations are affected during the pandemic and the monthly expenses (rent, insurance, taxes, etc.). From there, you can decide whether or not to cut employee salaries. If cuts are necessary, which departments should be affected, and why? Should you implement a company-wide salary reduction to ensure fairness? Crucially, what is a reasonable reduction amount for both employees and the business? (Reference the article on laying off employees during the pandemic)

In force majeure situations, you may be forced to reduce staff

Inspire and encourage employees

Show your employees that you trust them and are always by their side throughout this period of social distancing by communicating regularly on internal channels. You can ask the communications department to create topics related to remote work for all employees to share, chat, and get to know each other better.

Additionally, you can organize “work from home” contests with corresponding rewards. Everyone tends to enjoy participating in games with prizes. Therefore, try to create a very comfortable space and inspire your employees to work through fun and entertaining activities.

Don’t forget the important task of remembering your employees’ milestones, from birthdays and work anniversaries to personal achievements. Allow the internal communications department to create an online event or give a shout-out on internal channels, accompanied by a small gift for that person.

A gift during social distancing is one of the most practical and meaningful actions for your employees.

Finally, have you tried to recognize and thank your employees for standing by the company throughout the pandemic? During the social distancing period, everyone’s movement was restricted to protect their health. Many businesses showed concern for their employees’ personal lives by sending practical gifts such as essential foods, sanitizing medical equipment, masks, etc. This is one of the actions that is both practical and morale-boosting for everyone.

Although you cannot completely eliminate your employees’ fears, as a leader, you can best minimize their stress and boost their morale by implementing humane policies and clear work regulations during the social distancing period.