This year might be the worst time we are witnessing where nothing seems usual in the world. People are dying before they could get the right treatment from the morbid flu, we are locked up in our houses, men are going against each other based on race and color and all sorts of businesses in the world is going off the grid. But as humans, we are gradually learning how to find our feet in this slowly-turned surreal world. Adaptation becomes our second nature to keep the businesses and organizations off from razing to the ground due to the global pandemic.
Coronavirus outbreak has forced everyone to look at things in a different light. It pushed us into unknown circumstances that demand changes in our lifestyles as well as team management skills to overcome the loss that the companies made during several complete and partial lockdowns in many major countries. It is time to think out of the box for the sake of keeping the business alive and make fundamental changes in the way you used to manage your team at the office.
The pandemic has thrown a challenge to the business owners and managers who are knocking themselves down with worrisome thoughts about how to keep the team motivated and proactive like before.
According to the World Economic Forum, this global crisis can be the largest psychological experiment the world has ever seen and it is not in our hands. These lockdowns and quarantine periods have turned us grounded and work from home is the one (and only) solution to survive the distortion. Many are living with the fear to be jobless any minute due to the damage done in the world economy. This is a crucial time for the team leaders to encourage the employees to be more used to the new system of work and show the same motivation is in store for them.
After several weeks of working from home initially during the lockdown, we all realized that working remotely will be the only plan of 2020 that can back up the economy. When we are dealing with such an unprecedented condition, where lives and earnings are at stake, we can easily become depressed. Working from home sounds very easy going but it has raised lots of questions about the mental health of the workers and productivity. As the companies are looking forward to carrying out the 'work from home' system for the rest of the year, we better discuss the tactics that can bring long-term success into your business by motivating your team to be responsible and effective.
Be Patient with Remote Employees:
The pandemic has made us accept work from home to be the primary way to continue the work when more than 70% of the employees of any office used to go to office and work. They never dreamt of working from home and many of them do not have the basic infrastructure i.e. a desktop or a laptop to click and get on with it. So they are in the middle of impalpable pressure to lose their jobs. So the first thing first; ensure the employees to have their tech tools set up in their houses and elaborate them about the daily procedures and simple technical glitches that can be solved easily without any interruptions. Motivate the old employees to adjust to the new way of working is important because replacing your loyal employees in the time of crisis will not be a good deal.
Care About Their Emotional Pressure and Economic Fluctuation:
Many tests have been conducted to understand the mood and mental stress of the people who are indulged in work from home procedure for the last few months. There are a few negative motivators that will naturally spike at present when people’s lives are disoriented due to the virus spread. We can assure ourselves that things will be this bizarre until we get a vaccine against COVID-19. This will increase the problem of depression and stress embedded in our brain that will eventually increase inertia for work. As a team leader, you must figure out the signs and help him/her to overcome the shadows and motivate them to be proactive. The financial crisis is one of the major problems that might start to sting even after having a full-time job. Working from home might not give the remote workers the satisfaction of the job and deducting money looms large for having the facility to work from home.
It is important that you understand the crisis of others and instead of breaking them with a barrage of questions, show them that there is no point in giving up. One of the many things that you can do to keep the zeal in your employees is to arrange weekly zoom or meet calls where they will all be connected on the video call and ask what’s up with everyone and no business talks. You can arrange some games weekly that can be played on a video call. This will help to boost their performance and decrease the sense of detachment due to work from home.
Let Them Be Creative:
Work many never seem less but this kind of opportunity of working from home as almost permanently is hard to come by. The COVID-19 pandemic gave us the opportunity to be creative. One of the most powerful ways to boost the workers remotely is to give them the time and opportunity to experiment and solve matters in a way it was taken as an option ever before.
Conduct Feedbacks:
Catch the signals if someone is having an uncomfortable experience with the new procedure of continuously working from home. Certainly, it can get monotonous where people have to work as regular hours at home which means no gossip at the tea break, no unintended potlucks on lunch with their favorite co-workers, or no after-office parties to catch a breath. In this suffocating condition, you should be the empathetic leader who asks the question: How are they dealing with the unnatural welfare? Are they having problems while working remotely from the office? Your patience and empathy is the key tool that can motivate them like a thousand lit fairy lights.
Weekly Performance Cycle Meeting:
This meeting is not to criticize anyone but to get to know each other and their potential that can work for the business to revamp in this global crisis. This online meeting will be only about the impact of the work they had last week, and how can you help them with further commitments.
Be A Sensible Leader:
You should be the nerves of steel figure who will guide the organization on how to become fruitful surrounded by the odds. They look up to you, trust you with your plan so the employees are your responsibility. This isn’t an ideal time to go after new opportunities or risky business deals that can keep your employees' future at stake. You should be a positive and compassionate leader who knows how to maximize the resources and support the work of your team.
Be Always Present for Them:
As a leader, you must be virtually present through video calls, emails, or telephonic calls to provide them support and answer their queries about the tasks just like it used to be within the four walls of the office cabin.
You must change the old tactics that made u a successful reader because the present situation demands you to acclimatize novelty in handling your team who are working remotely. We are living in a world where wearing masks becomes essential and fashion then WFH is just the start.
