In this Corona virus chapter of our lives, your employees’ emotions have almost certainly kicked into high gear. They’re worried about their and their families’ safety. Some are also upset about the plummeting stock market and what that means to their savings. Many are surely worried about your company’s financial stability and how that will affect them.
Ragan’s PR Daily wrote that social network Fishbowl reported the number of conversations on its platform has tripled with so many employees working remotely. According to the publication, “Fishbowl also ran a survey asking its members if they believe the COVID-19 outbreak will result in layoffs within their organizations. More than half of employees (54%) who responded said they do fear layoffs are coming within their organizations with advertising professionals weighing in as the most concerned (65% believe job cuts are in their future).”
Staff morale is always important, but it takes more creativity to lift everyone’s spirits under these high-anxiety work-at-home conditions. While rewards and recognition are traditional ways to motivate employees and build morale, small “just for fun” actions and activities may be a significant help in the current health emergency environment. After all, your staff is home-bound, unable to see and spend time with friends and family beyond their own households, and probably starting to get a little stir-crazy. Those who are feeling stressed out with your work, you may look for a dispensary near me 24 hours to order cannabis products that can help you relax and de-stress.
The following are nine ideas from members of PR Boutiques International on how to boost employee morale remotely:
- Spiking spirits with lunch deliveries in Chicago…”We are sending lunches from employees’ neighborhood restaurants that are still delivering (especially those with documented “no touch” practices),” notes Scott Phillips. “The team loves it.”
- Ending the day with brew… Consider “spirits to raise spirits” – a virtual beer fest via video before everyone signs off for the day, BYO of course!
- Staying connected and close in India…Tarunjeet Rattan, partner, Nucleus Public Relations, headquartered in Bangalore, India, says, “We do video calls over tea/coffee with each team every alternate day where we catch up on the news, discuss updates on our accounts and strategize on how to troubleshoot any possible impact because of the virus crisis. Face time with each other also helps us allay fears, check on well-being and stay connected.” Adds Rattan, “Our WhatsApp group is super-active. We invite everyone to participate in brainstorming sessions and have fun along with sharing and discussing news about what’s happening in their city.”
- Canine fan club in Finland…Taru Nikulainen, owner and managing partner of Brunnen Communications in Helsinki, Finland, also uses WhatsApp. “Since I have an office dog, I have also created a virtual fan club (WhatsApp) for him,” she says. “Many on the staff miss my beloved dog, so every day he sends them pictures and motivation. They love it!”
- Sharing snapshots in San Francisco…Pets as well as household members are part of MSR Communications’ virus era playbook, as well. Says Rockman, “We’re featuring an initiative on our social media channels with a couple of new hashtags to showcase our team in photos in their home offices and surroundings, i.e., such as with our pets, significant others, children, etc., just to put some fun and personality into this time of quarantine.”
- Munching macarons in Chicago…Comments Ellyn Caruso, principal, CarusoPRin Chicago, “We plan to support one of our B2C clients, a French bakery in Chicago, Vanille Patisserie, by providing a wellness break of French macarons for our team. They do national shipping of select products. This helps our client and of course lifts the team’s morale.” Caruso adds, “My advice to all agency/company CEOs is to be good to yourself and your employees. Take care of yourself so you can take care of the people in your business and the businesses you serve. Encourage team members to do the same by taking walks, getting some sunshine (while practicing social distancing of course) and staying in touch via phone and technology with each other. We need to meet our need to socialize and be connected to other humans!”
- Hit hard but hanging on in Italy… Cristina Cobildi, cofounder of Encanto PR, based in Milan (which is the hottest spot on the planet right as of this writing for Covid-19) reports that she and her husband were both sick for a week with the virus during Italy’s second week of COVID-19 lockdown. “But it’s our role to inspire confidence and strength in our employees, so I just carried on managing the staff remotely! We have worked as a team to figure out what is working and what is not. Staying very close to our clients with ideas and creativity has resulted in good feedback, and that in turn has helped morale.”
- Doing good means feeling good in LA (and wherever you are)… Joy Scott, president and CEO of Scott Public Relationsin Los Angeles comments, “There are relief efforts emerging that we can all support, even virtually. This can also be a morale building activity for the team. Many people living in poverty or on its edges will need the basics – food, shelter and clothing. Even if the government provides a subsidy to those out of work, it won’t cover everyone in need.”
- No news is good news, that’s the message from San Diego… Susan Fall, founder of LaunchIt Public Relations in San Diego, CA is asking her staff not to watch the news just before their daily virtual staff meetings. “It’s too distracting and depressing!”
A final tip on how to boost employee morale is not to worry about the amount of time the staff is spending working at home. If you have good employees, you need to trust them. They will sense it if you don’t, which will hurt rather than help productivity. Focusing on supporting and encouraging them will result in better productivity, and help you feel better, too.