Ways to Boost Employee Morale During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We are all going through a tough time amid the Coronavirus outbreak. People are quarantined and working from home for quite a long time now. However, some are not very pleased with this arrangement, which can affect their productivity.

Employee morale is crucial for any business to run successfully. Unhappy and stressed employees can be a silent killer for a company’s performance. Therefore, it is necessary to keep your employee’s morale high, especially during times like these.

However, it can be a challenging task considering the rampant spread of the disease paired with the loss of normalcy and work structure worldwide. Sometimes, this can also result in a high turnover rate, which can put your company at the loss of resources. So to avoid this rocky road, here are a few ways to boost employee morale during the pandemic.

1. Set your priorities first

In a situation like this, the team leaders and managers should step up and communicate with their employees. Overburdening them with lots of work can cause unnecessary stress. Therefore, cut out the non-essential projects. Focus your employees on projects that need to be completed urgently. This way, neither will they feel any burden, nor will your work be delayed.

2. Employees operating on-site must be provided with all the necessary amenities

Even during the pandemic, some employees in critical functions have to continue working at their workplaces. Keeping their morale high is even more crucial. Therefore, the first thing you should do is to make sure they feel safe. Provide them with an ample supply of all the necessary amenities, which includes hand sanitizers, surgical masks, and handwash. Maintaining a hygienic environment in the workplace will make them feel a bit more comfortable and relaxed.

Ensure that social distancing is being practised and keep a check on your employee’s health. If possible, provide them with a thermometer for monitoring their temperature. Take all necessary precautions and forget about what you have read as “ineffective” against Covid-19. Taking these steps will add a sense of security to the work environment.

3. Communication is the key

Social media is one of the main reasons for the spread of fake news. Poor connectivity and less online activity were a significant reason why SARS, which also emerged in China, was not as fearful as Covid-19. However, you do not have to brush off your employees’ health concerns. Instead, you can maintain proper communication with them. Discuss the measures that the company is planning to take if the problem continues to persist.

Make an official group on chat applications like WhatsApp or Hangouts, and add all of your employees. You can share authentic news from reputed sources there to keep them updated with reliable information. People tend to panic in these situations, even if they feel the smallest symptoms. Fear can take someone’s life even if the problem doesn’t. Therefore, ensure that your employees are not going through the same anxiety. Keep them updated and communicate often.

4. Hear your employees out

To provide an appropriate solution, you need to hear out your employees’ concerns. The job of the Human Resources team is to talk to the employees individually and solve their issues.

Listening to your employees can increase their morale and bring some significant changes like:

• Completing tasks at hand: Once your employees feel their concerns are being heard, they tend to concentrate on their work better. This, in return, increases your work turnover rate.
• Less Distraction: At every workplace, there are constant rumours and gossip going around. People have the habit of exaggerating things. This can lead to confusion, misinformation, and distraction. Communicating with your employees will help resolve any such issues.
• Have a caring attitude: Checking on your employees’ health and wellbeing will display your caring attitude towards your employees. Acknowledging their concerns during this pandemic will make them feel better.

5. Encourage your employees

Despite all the tension existing due to the pandemic, this quarantine has come out to be one of the biggest work from home experiments worldwide. You can encourage your employees to work from home, which will show that the management trusts them. Looking at the positive side, your company can go with the same experiment and see if it is ready for a digital takeover.

This will not only make them feel trusted, but your management will also be able to find out if their employees are adequately equipped for this, without having to ask. Discuss the precautionary measures with your employees in brief to avoid any fear or confusion. Transparency is important. Discuss the best-case and worst-case scenario with your employees (such as unpaid leaves or pay cuts).

6. Educate your employees on the importance of health insurance & medical claims

We are well aware of the present situation of this pandemic. Many people have lost their jobs, and some are not even able to fulfill their daily needs. For this very reason, it is essential to educate your employees on the importance of health insurance. In times like these, having an insurance claim can be a true savior. If insurance is easily accessible to the employees, they will feel a bit relaxed.

Although it’s almost mid of 2020, it’s better to start rolling out employee benefits now than never. Companies should consider giving their employees some additional healthcare protection during this pandemic. Having medical coverage will help your employees go through these difficult times without any worries. Not only will this make them feel cared for by the company, but it will boost their morale tremendously.

7. Hygiene is the best safety precaution

Luckily, maintaining personal hygiene is one of the best ways to protect yourself from coronavirus. Governments have been stressing over this one particular thing since the very beginning of this pandemic. Regular cleaning and sanitizing of the workplace will boost your employees’ morale. It will make them feel safer in a healthy work environment. Also, do not forget to discuss the importance of maintaining personal hygiene for one’s own as well as for the well-being of others around them.

So these were the few ways to boost your employees’ morale during the pandemic. Let us know your thoughts on this by leaving them in the comment box present below!