During this challenging period of social isolation, it’s vital that organisations of all sizes can protect the health of their employees while also providing them with a platform and environment to excel.

As a partner to various businesses around the world, from start-ups to multinationals, we’re well-equipped to advise on how to adapt, and reduce the disruptive impact of the current climate prompted by COVID-19.

Here’s few key insights that can help you manage and motivate your Digital and Tech workforce throughout Coronavirus-enforced remote working.

Stay Connected

Use all the tools at your disposal to keep communicating regularly with your colleagues. Implement live, face-to-face video calls, from quick-fire catch-ups with individual team members, to meetings with large numbers of participants. While phone and email remain the predominant channels for immediate communication, don’t underestimate the psychological impact of this isolation – seeing a friendly face or message in a Chat can make a real difference to employee wellbeing, and your own health too.

Apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack, and Zoom will help you create an immersive, engaging experience for your workforce, improving collaboration across teams and localities. This is also a great opportunity for leaders across the organisation to share video messages to inspire and bring everyone together with overarching purpose.

Get Flexible

You’ll already be well-aware that this public health crisis has created new immediate pressures on your people, including the high probability of caring for children and others confined at home. With health and wellbeing at the forefront of your operations, work closely with affected employees to create a personalised pattern of working for those in need of additional flexibility around their online hours.

Once this has been achieved, be sure to communicate this appropriately with relevant stakeholders in the rest of your organisation. This additional support and understanding will be greatly appreciated as you reduce the burden on those coping with new pressures in their personal lives.

Structural Integrity

Retaining the appropriate degree of your existing workflow framework is essential. Set regular goals and larger objectives, to help your team understand their priorities, as managing workload in home environment is crucial

Individual employees may already feel cut adrift from their normal behaviours through the change of environment, so emphasise the utility of typical workday activities- to create new boundaries and improve strategic focus. Employees adhering to their familiar scheduled activities with help engender high levels of engagement and productivity.

Provide easy access to full corporate policies where applicable – specifically in relation to use of customer data, work hardware and other property, and employee health and safety.

Sharing and Celebrating Success

Managing team morale might be the most challenging aspect of this lockdown, so it is crucial that both individual and team achievements are still being recognised across the company.

Without downplaying the severity of the current situation, but do not underestimate the benefits of positive messaging in a crisis. Make sure that professional successes at all levels are given prominence within internal communications. Concentrate on highlighting what your team is accomplishing in this turbulent period.

The videoconferencing tools listed above will help put specific employees into the spotlight, and not only will the achieving individual(s) feel recognised and rewarded, but you will boost wellbeing, camaraderie (key while we work in socially-distant silos) and inspire others.

Managed correctly through this pandemic, you will create a stronger, more together, focused and better-skilled workforce, ready to tackle anything thrown their way.

Considering remote projects during this shutdown? Click below to contact our team of expert Consultants for support.