In fact, some industries are currently experiencing very limited or no negative financial effects of the crisis that is unfolding, however in every company and every industry there are a number of dangerous emotional enemies at work: fear, insecurity, confusion, lack of meaning, direction and perspective, feeling overwhelmed or, conversely, feeling useless, etc.
Whilst the new processes painstakingly crafted and implemented by companies over the past weeks may be working and theoretically may enable employees to reach a satisfactory productivity level, unfortunately most of them fall short of also offering emotional comfort, which is essential for each employee in order to be engaged in his / her work.
The emotional side of engagement has always been important; however, within a crisis, it becomes absolutely decisive. The emotional rifts that happen now will have deep and long-lasting effects, way beyond the time when the crisis will have ended. The damage done by these emotional rifts will strongly undermine companies’ ability to return to optimal operational levels, as well as their ability to generate superior value. Moreover, the employer brand of companies that do not protect their organizational health during these turbulent times will be damaged for years to come!
No wonder that so many thought leaders and experts in organizational health and employees engagement are currently turning towards The Four Elements that Employees Need in Order to Be Engaged and Connected to Their Employer and Their Work – Trust, Compassion, Stability and Hope1.
Four Key Factors: Hope, Trust, Compassion, Stability
Cartoon illustrations by Simon Kneebone
“People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” (Maya Angelou)
Middle and senior management teams have the responsibility to preserve staff’s emotional balance and engagement: they must decide upon the new approaches and processes, they must implement them and ensure they are applied across the organization. Under social distancing constraints, they are also the almost single direct link between employees and the company. In other words, how THEY make employees feel is more important than ever before!
HOWEVER … middle and senior managers are human too … they have the same fears, uncertainties and confusion that their direct reports are facing. They have the same difficulties in organizing their life, they also work while their children are playing or quarrelling in the adjoining room, they also have parents whom they haven’t seen in weeks and, in general, they have also seen their entire social life and hobbies turned upside down …
Under the circumstances, what should you tell and NOT tell your direct reports? What is the right attitude? Where can you find the time and energy needed for everything that is expected from you? In fact, WHAT is expected from you? How do you tweak your time management strategy and what are the true priorities? … and the questions go on and on …
Because ultimately a company’s health depends directly on the answers to these questions and because we want to help, we have developed a framework that will support us in finding the answers together.
A Seed of Emotional Balance for the Company
WHAT? – a workshop / a series of online workshops built around the “Trust – Compassion – Stability – Hope” framework (TCSH).
WHO? – directly targeting all managers (middle or senior) that have people management responsibilities.
WHY? (Benefits)
(a) For Participants (Managers):
· Verbalizing / sharing, understanding and acting upon existing causes of tension and stress, in a friendly and supportive environment, together with peers;
· What is the TCSH framework? Why is it important? And How can I better support my direct reports’ emotional needs? (practical tips)
· The importance of always being honest and genuine, even if that means also being vulnerable occasionally and not always having all the answers.
(b) For Employees:
· Employees will greatly benefit from more empathetic managers, who understand that, in order to preserve each team member’s engagement and performance, they must offer TRUST, COMPASSION, STABILITY and HOPE.
(c) For the Company:
· Strengthening employee’s feelings of trust and belonging to a company that cares for its employees and that, during these times when all collaboration relationships are strained, strives to ensure a climate in which people can and are motivated to achieve their objectives.
· Feedback from the workshops’ moderator about potential topics raised consistently by the participants and which the company would benefit from addressing.
BY WHOM? (Moderators) – The workshops will be moderated by our experienced consultants, who have a mix of professional expertise: business leadership, entrepreneurship, HR, coaching.
HOW? (Format)
· Semi-structured, very interactive workshops, each participant is encouraged to be actively involved.
· Delivery channel – online
· Number of participants – between 6 and 8
· Duration – 1.5 – 2 hours (depending on the number of participants)
Your employees are not just a “resource” … they are first and foremost HUMAN BEINGS and need to be treated as such today… more than ever!
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