Right now, organisational leaders around the world are trying to answer a fundamental question, which goes something like this: How can I keep my employees interested and engaged while still ensuring their safety upon their return to the workplace?
Writing in the Harvard Business Review, management & business professors Anjali Chaudhry and Al Rosenbloom argue that employers must show struggling employees that they are valued. To do this, they can make use of the three “Re’s”: recalibrate expectations, reestablish commitment and rebuild capacity.
- Recalibrate Expectations
Concern, neglect, disengagement, poor productivity and high turnover were possible outcomes for staffers during the peak of COVID-19.
Rescaling expectations after an epidemic takes planning and employee cooperation, and companies must be open to new ways of interacting with workers. Individualised work arrangements can empower workers and reduce absenteeism.
In certain cases, workers may request a change in start and finish timings. Others may have favoured workplaces.
Perhaps an employee felt that the pandemic recovery delayed their promotion, in an example used by the prof’s: “As a manager aware of their career aspirations, you may negotiate an arrangement for them to attend an executive program to further develop their skills — and thus be ready for the much-anticipated promotion when the company is on a stronger footing.”
Amending expectations to suit the post-pandemic atmosphere and employee needs can benefit you in the long run.
- Restore Commitment
Regaining commitment demands justifying your actions as a corporate representative. Workers will make up their own explanations if given no choice, according to the management experts.
When faced with unusual events like the pandemic, employees engage in social comparison. These comparisons typically cause employees to feel unfairly treated, leading to negative corporate perceptions. As a result, you can build trust and confidence in your staff.
Re-establishing commitment can be done by communicating why you did what you did (following local health mandates, for example); using an official source to justify conduct (i.e. CDC guidelines and other research that guided your actions); and reframing the conversation by focusing on the worst-case scenarios (i.e. extreme workplace quarantining practices in some parts of the world).
Leadership, say the professors, should communicate personal and professional concerns; personnel will be more empathetic and kind if they think we’re all in this together.
- Rebuilding Capacity
Rebuilding capacity addresses your company’s ability to take action effectively. It entails paying careful attention to what is most beneficial to the company and what should be eliminated. Trade clubs and industry-specific organisations may help employees learn about efficient work techniques. Investing in workers’ self-efficacy might help them cope with the despondency that dramatic occurrences can bring.
The new workplace normal is still pretty vague; firms might easily fall back on old patterns and habits. The three “Re’s” are helpful, proactive steps you can take today to build flourishing people that like learning and making a difference. By recalibrating expectations, reestablishing commitment and restoring capacity, you invest in and stick by your company’s most valuable asset.