Times of crisis leave no room for slander and “pouring from hollow to hollow”. Be honest, even when communicating unpleasant news. Does the company need to cut costs? Does the business need to be reorganized from the ground up? Are layoffs on the horizon? Then say so. Despite your best intentions, some things will still happen beyond your control. Showing genuine concern for the business and employees will be your wisest move.
Just like humanitarian work, a little bit of honest communication won't hurt. The worst thing you can do is pretend that everything is fine. Employees know that it's not true, and with that approach, we as managers leave a very negative impression on them.
3. Decision-making
Involving employees in the decision-making process is never a bad idea, especially during these times. This move gives us as managers a double win: we get useful suggestions for improving the current state of the team or organization (that we personally might not have thought of), and at the same time we show our employees that they are important to us and that we value them, which improves relationships in the long run – even remotely. In these stressful times, no one should be making decisions on their own, including you.
Given your leadership position, you will be expected to iceland whatsapp data react promptly. For me personally, a very useful insight was the awareness of the fact that employees are always watching their superiors, whether they want to or not, and whether they are aware of it or not – and they expect some (re)action from them. It is better to make a decision, even if it is the wrong one, than not to make one at all. The worst thing is to let time and external circumstances make the decision for us, because they almost always make the wrong one.
4. Giving instructions
The way we do business has changed, drastically. And that's why your employees need clear instructions more than ever. Has any of your employees' job descriptions changed? How are work tasks now to be performed? How is work organized? How is coordination among employees? There are many opportunities for misunderstandings to arise.
If your employees are working from home, that's already a significant change in their work routine that requires additional guidance and coordination. If they're still at their workplaces, tell them what's different now – starting with hygiene protocols.