May is Mental Health Month. Even before the pandemic, human resource directors were writing about "toxic culture" and "presentism". What happened to people loving their jobs?
During the last two years every workplace has experienced some level of disruption. Employees are recalibrating their home/work/life balance either voluntarily or because of unforeseen circumstances. What is an employer to do?
Here are four ideas that will not cost you anything:
Empower individual and team effort.
Help people figure stuff out on their own. Self-organizing teams can choose when and how to communicate. Teamwork enhances creativity and problem-solving. They may well design a better mousetrap.
Strengthen camaraderie.
Recognize small successes. Create opportunities for informal communication with sports, art, music, games...a lot can be done even over video-chat. When you’re in person, go for a walk together or grab a cup of coffee. Emphasize a sense of belonging.
Create an environment where compassion is encouraged.
Model empathy and humility. Listen to employee concerns. Provide flexibility to allow employees to deal with personal needs and career setbacks.
Celebrate the purpose of your product or service.
People want to work for companies that do good things. Be sure to tie each position in some way to the greater purpose - why are we here? In a hospital, the janitor may be just as important to infection control as the nurse. In a restaurant, the server may influence customer satisfaction just as much as the chef. In a business, the bookkeeper is as important as the CFO - each role serves a necessary function.
Organizational resilience requires consistent attention to anticipate, adapt and respond to unfavorable or unexpected business conditions.
Remember - we are all in this together!
Resources:
CDC - Mental Health in the Workplace
Harvard Business Review - Building Organizational Resilience
Contact us for a free consultation to explore ways we can assist you to build resilience in your organization!
