Previously managing the workforce was not so difficult as we all were present in an office environment.
It was easy for managers or CEOs to get in touch, have physical meetings with their teams, and so on. That’s how they could easily understand their needs.
But due to COVID-19, everything has changed. Nothing is as normal as it was before.
So, what’s the solution for it?
Simple, understand what we were doing offline that we cannot do online, then try to come up with a solution to it.
Let’s discuss those points: –
1. We knew if our teams were working or not.
2. Due to work from a home system that’s not possible, we cannot keep an eye on everyone.
3. Also, when employees get tired, they can talk breaks.
4. Before COVID-19, work hours were limited, but now managers know employees are 24/7 in their homes!
I don’t say work from home has no benefits but has more effects on their mental health.
When work from home was not implemented, people have to commute to the office, which changed their environment due to which employees feel less motivated.
Also, when you are home all the time listing to bad news, you always get frustrated.
To overcome the frustration going outside is not an option so, how come employees can be productive.
We, as managers, need to keep an eye on these issues to keep our employees productive.
There are some factors managers should do to keep employees motivated during these times: –
I know that it is hard for managers to realize that they can be wrong, but sometimes we have to change.
1. Be flexible: –
You may say we are always flexible but believe me, you are not!
If you don’t believe me, ask your employees.
When employees are working from home, they have the family’s kids and other issues they have to manage along with their office work.
Giving them a little extra time will help them be more productive and efficient.
If they were doing a task in an hour, giving them 30 minutes extra won’t cost much.
As a manager, we should not just focus on tasks to be done but their wellbeing too.
I know you might say it’s not our duty. It’s their personal life they have to manage themselves, but that’s where CEOs are wrong.
2. Communicate more frequently: –
This might seem impossible, but you have to.
In our normal routines, employees were not facing anxieties due to lockdowns, but they are.
We have to be closer to them, have our daily meetings, and discuss the issues.
Daily and the weekly meeting could give you an edge.
Asking your employees what they did and where they were facing problems can make them feel appreciated.
Obviously, if you ask your employee what problems they faced during the day and what managers could do to overcome them, it can lead to a higher retention rate.
3. Do online activities: –
Going online was not easy for every organization, especially for schools and universities.
So, what are the activities that we can do to keep our employees and students active?
- Quizzes.
- Share funny photos on social media of employees.
- Playing games online.
- Three truths and a lie.
- Bucket list challenge.
- Online skill-sharing activity.
- Typing speed test.
- Online dinner.
4. Provide certification: –
This is very important!
Many businesses have struggled and are struggling with their business, but there are some things that we are missing.
Life has given us a chance to understand the things that we lack and overcome them.
So, why waste this time.
A manager should train the teams on the skills they lack if a developer lacks some skill that you think he needs, then offers them a free certification. Have a long-term vision.
Giving certification will not leave your employees doing anything, and thus, when everything’s back to normal, they can be more productive than ever.
5. Work on your office culture: –
I strongly advise managers to work on this part.
Why?
Let me tell you why.
We normally think that employees are not good enough to deliver, but that’s not true.
It’s always our fault; we don’t create a good environment for them to work.
How can we create an office culture is a whole new topic. I will discuss that in detail in some other blog.
But I will spread light on some of the points.
- We should ask employees about the issue they face and what they think should be improved.
- We cannot do everything employees say but listening to them will give us many more ideas than ourselves.
- Spread a positive work attitude by starting with yourself.
- We ask them but don’t do I ourselves.
6. Create a positive work environment: –
What is a positive work environment?
It can vary from person to person; for you, it might be different for me, something else.
But there are some common things that everyone wants.
7. A good feedback matter’s: –
Even in our normal day’s employees do need feedback because that’s what keeps them going.
It doubles in a time of crisis.
When people are in shock due to lockdowns, we need to be more conscious of their feelings.
Try to provide more positive feedback and be more empathetic so that they feel motivated.
Motivation always plays a vital role. Managers sometimes get so rigid about the roles that we forget that they are humans.
Keep them motivated by providing them with constructive feedback; that’s how your organization will keep growing.
8. More collaborative work environment: –
When employees were in offices, it was easy to get in touch talk to each other, but it gets difficult when you are working from home.
We as humans want social interactions; if that doesn’t happen, we get lonely.
So, what is that managers should do to get over this problem?
There are many things we can do to make feel connected.
a. Online meetings: It is not a must to have a formal meeting, but organizations can make people have their casual meeting online have chitchat to stay in touch.
b. Online Dinners: – That’s something we should do more often. This can increase our casual talk more interesting.
c. Play online games: It doesn’t matter what games they like; giving them time during office hours can make them feel more connected with the organization.
9. Encourage new ideas to flout: –
During tough times employees normally are frustrated because of the situation, and sometimes they leave.
So, what is that managers can do?
We never want employees that are not doing anything. True, isn’t it?
So, when you have employees, why not use them.
Ask them about flaws in your organization or some new ideas to grow organization can help you to build your business that was always desired.
Also, this can make them feel part of something big.
10. Teach your bosses: –
That’s something most of our managers don’t like to be told.
But the use that we mostly have in our organization is indeed the lack of management training.
We do not train our management, but we train employees.
Don’t you think it’s wrong?
It is for sure.
Because managers are responsible, not employees, no one will ask employees, but instead, if something happens, leaders are responsible.
So, why don’t we give them proper training on how to manage teams.
Just having years of experience doesn’t make a good manager.
We all know employees mostly leave because of the bad behaviour of their bosses.
That is because they don’t know how to manage teams.
We should work on our manager’s training during this time to get the required results.
Conclusion: –
This is a tough time for all of us, not just for business but for employees too.
So, helping them might give us a short-term loss, but it will benefit us in the long run.
It is hard to shift from old methodologies, but this is a must if we want to adapt to change.
Using these strategies might seem time talking and costly, but an organization should not think about short-term losses but have a longer vision.
Secondly, we need to focus on empathetic leadership behaviours rather than enforcing tasks on employees.
Wherever humans are, issues exist but being lenient towards them can make them feel motivated, and thus, productivity gets a boost.