Post Pandemic Employee Struggles
We had hoped that by now the pandemic would be well in our rear view mirror. We thought there’d be at least some time for our teams to recover. But with the state of the world and our economic woes is it any wonder that many of our staff seem to be hanging on by a thread; or should I say ‘by a threat’…? Many of my executive clients are faced with a conundrum.
Their highly valued employees were there during the pandemic, holding down the fort, taking on extra work and were instrumental in seeing the company through the hard times. Since then leadership has recognized employees by given raises and praises, bonuses and time off and yet some folks still feel unappreciated. What adds to the challenge is, that when asked these employees often times don’t know what it would take for them to shift.
Does this sound familiar? If so – here are some additional avenues to consider:
First of all acknowledge how hard it has been; that there really hasn’t been much of a time to take a breath and regroup.
Create a safe space for people to share their experience. Just being heard and understood can make a huge difference.
Ask employees to define what THEY need to do recharge their batteries
Ensure you create clear boundaries around time to unplug. When employees are off, no work texts, calls or e-mails. Not on weekends nor vacations – be dogged to protect people’s time to regroup. Some folks feel that work is taking over their life – that’s not sustainable.
Personal connection, and brief check-ins by the CEO, executives, and other leaders
It’s been a time of survival – now let’s create some fun
Have the entire company/department participate in volunteer work, including senior leadership – working shoulder to shoulder with team members creates connection we lost in the past couple of years
Create a little space where team members take turns teaching each other something non-work related
Give perks (gas cards…)
And remember, there are 3 things most employees crave: autonomy, mastery and impact
Obviously not all of these are appropriate or even applicable in every environment, but try one or two and see what impact you might have.
And lastly – be aware that there will always be some who will never be happy.