As a manager, one of your responsibilities is doing what you can to keep up employee morale. This is especially important during difficult times, as with a pandemic. With your team working remotely due to physical safety concerns, mental and emotional wellness needs to be a top priority. Maintaining morale is one way to accomplish this goal. Encouraging good habits that support positive morale helps build resilience among your team.
Here are some suggestions to keep up team morale during challenging times.
Talk About Where the Company Is Heading
Be open and honest about the direction the company is heading in. Share details about the organization’s position, priorities, and strategies to stabilize and thrive. Be as transparent as possible about why the decisions were made. This gives your team feelings of control, direction, and purpose as they perform their work. Knowing what might happen next reduces stress and anxiety about the future.
Streamline Workflows
Eliminate unnecessary tasks that your team took on. Reduce the time spent in virtual meetings by sending emails and report summaries. Prioritize tasks with a management tool so team members know what they should be doing each day. Have your employees focus on meaningful projects that move the business forward. Free up time so they can manage their personal lives. Focusing on their physical, mental, and emotional well-being needs to be a priority.
Allow Decision-Making
Let your team make as many decisions as possible. Base your flexibility on each member’s skills, experience, and maturity level. Let them solve problems on their own whenever possible. Having the authority to make decisions empowers them to feel more confident and involved in the organization’s future.
Provide Support
Offer to talk privately with team members when they need additional support. Let them know about the support services the company provides. These may include online counseling sessions led by certified counselors, access to meditation apps, or small peer groups to reach out to when needed. Encourage leaders to openly discuss their mental health to encourage employees to open up about their needs.
Celebrate Wins
Recognize every individual and team achievement. No matter how small, your employees need confirmation that their work is valued and making an impact. Find something about every member to celebrate each week. This will boost confidence and productivity and encourage your team to focus on the positive.
Organize Virtual Activities
Encourage your team to participate in fun, virtual activities. Let them choose whether they stay offline to recharge and log in but do not participate in an activity. Ideas include virtual happy hours, scavenger hunts, or s’ more making. Team building activities are important to maintain connections while working remotely.
Hire IT Professionals
When you need to add to your IT team, partner with Alexander Technology Group. We provide the experienced IT professionals needed to help your team achieve more. Find out more today.
About Alexander Technology Group
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