How to Reduce Employee Stress as we Return to the Workplace
After months of working from home and many organisations having to close their doors, things are gradually getting back to a version of our ‘new normal’. It’s an interesting road that lies ahead, in that, where possible the government continues to strongly urge those of us who can work from home to do so, and as we’ve seen more recently with localised lockdowns and a tightening of restrictions, we’re not out of the woods yet.
As August rolls at a rapid pace into September, the coming months are sure to see teams move back and forth between the office and working from home. As we continue to be in a permanent state of flux, it will be especially important for business leaders to be vigilant in alleviating the stress on their team.
Stress Defined & its Effect on Employee Performance
Stress is the body's reaction to any change that requires an adjustment or response. According to a survey conducted by the ICTU, the majority of industrial workers in every sector claim to be stressed - construction workers were noted as having the lowest levels of stress at 63% and that was pre Covid-19.
Workplace stress has a significant impact on employee performance - from lost work days, to increased absenteeism and burnout. Anxiety levels are incredibly high right now, which is negatively affecting people's ability to concentrate and perform. Given the short space of time in which our day to day has been completely altered it’s no surprise people are experiencing adverse affects on their mental health.
As we continue to be vigilant in our efforts to combat Covid-19, employees are also coming to terms with transitioning back to the work setting after a prolonged period of absence. While many people welcome this transition, it’s understandable that some are apprehensive.
What Can You do to Alleviate Stress for Your Team During this Time
Over Communicate
Communication is the key to any successful operation, but when it comes to alleviating workplace stress in times of incredible change, the tone and messaging from the top has never been more important. Clear and concise communication around policy changes and some other things to keep in mind include:
Policy Changes: As a starting point, your employees must be fully briefed on the changes that have been made to your policies and procedures, around; hygiene practices, physical distancing, business travel, vulnerable workers and first aid, to name a few. This will look different for every business and leading by example will be crucial.
Ideally these changes would have been communicated to your team ahead of returning to the office, complete with employee sign-off. Other basics such as is the canteen open, should staff bring their own utensils and how many people are allowed in the bathroom at one time etc. most also be determined and clearly communicated.
Establishing Your Stance on Sick Time: Further to the above point, updates to your sick time policy will be of particular interest and importance to your team. You do not want to introduce comprehensive polices and procedures to stop the spread of Covid-19, to learn people are coming to the office sick.
Do you have clear guidelines in place around this? Are you actively encourage those that are unwell to work from home/stay there? If you’re not in a position to grant an unlimited number of sick days, which is perfectly understandable, there are government supports in place to assist employees who fall ill due to Covid-19 – please see link.
Accountability: Holding people accountable will be key to ensuring the new policies and procedures that have been outlined are upheld. We all have a tendency to let down our guard when we get comfortable. HR will assume a critical role here, but management must also be involved. A taskforce, with champions at different levels of the organisation would work really well, so this doesn't fall on one teams or persons shoulders - I discuss this below.
Expressing Gratitude & Soliciting Feedback: As a business leader it will be important to remind your team how grateful you are to have them back in the office, as well as encouraging them to provide suggestions and offer feedback on what is working well, and improvements that can be made on the policy changes and workplace practices that have been introduced.
Continue to Support Remote Work and Managing Performance
Unfortunately, things are not likely to resume a pre-pandemic state for some time. From childcare, to the logistics of travelling to work, people’s mental health and the inevitable anxiety for many about returning to the workplace – management will need to continue to support remote and flexible work schedules. Empathy and understanding in this regard will be important in the months ahead.
Fortunately, most CEOs in my network have found the work from home arrangement to be very successful – the plates keep spinning and if anything, they’re seeing their teams put in an even greater effort.
It will continue to be important to set clear and specific deliverables and ensure that your team has the support and resources to continue working from home successfully. Performance still matters, if you find the work from home arrangement isn’t working for certain individuals, then this needs to be addressed head-on.
Support Those with Mental Health Concerns
I’ve touched on this above, but while there’s no doubt people are excited to get back to the office, a period of adjustment is upon us. Even with the policy changes in place and ensuring every precaution is taken to protect your team, there will continue be a niggling fear of contracting the virus – sadly, with the resurgence we’ve seen of late, we can never be too careful.
Fear and anxiety can and do have a detrimental impact on employee health and well being. Ensuring an open door policy (virtual or otherwise) and providing support to those who are struggling, by way of unpaid or paid time off, counselling services and well being supports – some of which may be available through your company benefits provider, a reduced workload or the flexibility to continue to work from home, will go a long way in assisting those who need an extra hand.
Rebuild Your Teams Confidence
It’s not all doom and gloom. While the pandemic has presented numerous challenges for organisations, it has also fostered an incredible amount of innovation and creativity. Has it forced some CEOs to make tough decision about headcount, cut costs and rethink the way they do business, yes, but the rhetoric isn’t all negative.
Since the initial shock of March the dust does appear to have settled for many organisations, and the leaders that have been active in their communication to their team, solicited feedback, provided support and encouraged their people to be creative and redefine how they do business, have not only found their way, but have been rather successful in doing so. Small wins need to be celebrated. Whatever, can be done to foster a sense of security, outside of policy change and hygiene protocols will go a long way in rebuilding your teams confidence. Understandably, job security is a top priority for the majority of people in the current climate, so if you're in a position to provide reassurance in this regard you should absolutely do this.
Create a Taskforce
Ensuring your employees are well-informed, their concerns are addressed in a timely manner and efforts are made to avoid miscommunication on policy changes must continue to be a priority. A taskforce can help achieve this goal, allowing for shared responsibility in tackling issues that will be presented in the coming months, greater buy-in for change and fair and equal representation across levels and teams when it comes to soliciting feedback.
In tandem with the above points, a taskforce will greatly contribute to reducing some of the stressors your team is experiencing - tackling issues head-on and addressing employee questions or anxieties alongside leadership.
Jointly, we will get through this pandemic and come out stronger, but until then business leaders need to continue to be the anchor, and keep the hearts and minds of their teams at the forefront of the decisions being made. Your leadership has never been more important.
