Employees
Maintaining staff motivation during the winter months
Employees have adapted to new ways of working this year, whether they’re doing so remotely or from a coronavirus secure premises. But maintaining motivation and productivity will be difficult as the crisis stretches into winter.
Cold weather, reduced daylight and a sense of confinement can have a damaging effect on employee wellbeing. People that adjusted quickly to coronavirus restrictions initially may struggle to do so now.
Learn:
- How to keep remote workers engaged and motivated
- Ways to improve employee mental health and wellbeing
- What other business leaders are doing to support staff right now
1. The steps three business leaders are taking to build better workspaces during the coronavirus
The coronavirus crisis forced many business owners to rethink how and where their employees work. Now employers have the experience of working through lockdowns and understand some of the key challenges their employees will face as the crisis continues.
We spoke to business leaders from Crowdcube, LoveCrafts and The Collaborators about the practical measures they’re taking to support employees and what that means for their long-term requirements of office space.
2. Find out how others are tackling the thorny topic of employee wellbeing
It’s a topic that has been gathering momentum in recent years, but it’s now been placed firmly under the microscope because of coronavirus. Employee wellbeing is a critical challenge every business leader needs to be tackling if their organisation is to navigate through the current set of pressures and emerge fighting fit in a new kind of economy.
As with themes like leadership style, marketing strategies and customer acquisition, it helps to know how others like you are approaching it.
3. The Wow Company’s buddy system provides staff with a human connection
When The Wow Company made the switch to remote working, the business already had the technology in place. The challenge it had to solve was a human one.
“This is a human crisis. The bit that no app can fix is the human aspect. We’ve got a bunch of humans who are working from home, often dealing with childcare and health concerns, whether that’s concerns about family members getting the virus or people actually losing loved ones. As an organisation, how can we best support those people?” co-founder Paul Bulpitt said.
4. Guildhawk is prioritising the personal development of staff
While other businesses are reining in non-essential spend, language services firm Guildhawk prioritised the ongoing personal development of its staff so the organisation was ready for a new way of working.
CEO Jurga Zilinskiene explains why being completely transparent with employees is of upmost importance.
5. Creating a good work environment during the coronavirus
As the coronavirus crisis continues, it’s clear that business owners need to look beyond short-term reactionary fixes. Providing a safe and supportive work environment is essential for employees’ physical and mental health moving forward.
Most businesses have had to adapt their work environments to fit coronavirus restrictions. However, it’s important to regularly reassess the measures in place and check the work environment is meeting staff needs.
6. Looking after the health and wellbeing of your employees FAQ
The relationship between mental wellbeing and performance at work is much better understood now than it was even just a few years ago. There’s also plenty of research that shows a happy workforce increases performance and productivity in a business.
With one in four people expected to deal with some sort of challenge to their mental health at some point in their life, it is highly likely that some of your employees might need extra support while at work and doing so will be good for your business.
This FAQ will help you think about some of the things you should consider when it comes to supporting your employees.
