12 Points on Supporting Staff in Times of Uncertainty

Unsurprisingly, safety and support were at the forefront of the minds of individuals and organisations during the lockdown period. In the second part of this webinar retrospective, we wish to present to you some key points which sought to address such issues.

Adapting to Uncertainty

In what was our second webinar of the series, we sought to understand strategies which could aid in adapting to the tremendous uncertainty brought about by Covid-19. Here we were joined by Dr Eoin Galavan, a Chartered Psychologist, and the director of Psychology at Work. In typical fashion, Dr Galavan offered comfort and wisdom:

• We were reminded that we were not simply working from home, but at home surviving a global pandemic. Organisations were advised to be mindful of placing pressure on employees to perform, rather it was posited as more beneficial to extend trust, flexibility and understanding.
  
  
  

Insights from our Covid-19 Care Survey

We sought to support clients by offering a free pulse survey to gauge how employees were navigating the Covid-19 crisis. In this webinar, Jim Flynn discussed these findings. We were also joined by our expert community panel to discuss the utility of such surveys, and how they had been navigating these strange times.

• Mary spoke to the value of anonymised employee insights stemming from the pulse survey.

• From there, they were able to assess what was working, what they needed to continue doing and what they needed to do more of, in effort to equip their management team with the tools to support staff.
  

• Niall spoke to the difficulties faced in balancing the safety of staff through a reduction of operations and offering assurances of job security to concerned employees.

•  In such difficult circumstances, survey data provided insights into how staff were coping with developments.
  
  

• Oonagh spoke to the nuances of adapting to the need for business to have a greater online presence in their service offerings.

• The pharmacies also remained open as an essential service. As such, there was tremendous value in gauging how these front-line employees were managing the situation.

• Jim shared findings from our client’s Covid-19 pulse surveys. Results were positive, with most staff finding their organisation communications, supports, and enablement to be satisfactory.

Rebooting Business Safely

This webinar featured conversations with members of client organisations to discuss the challenges faced, and the best approach to take to support and maintain high-trust cultures against an uncertain future. Hosted by Jim Flynn, we were delighted to be joined by Michelle Buckley, Site Head of HR with Alcon and Michelle Bonner, Country Head of HR with B Braun.

• Discussing safety measures necessary to operate safely, Michelle highlighted the role of agility in decision making. While all necessary precautions can be put in place, it is difficult to preempt all issues.

• Organisations will need to respond quickly as issues arise. In such conditions, open communication between leaders and staff is paramount.

• Michelle explained the need for thanking employees in challenging times.
• Staff who adapted and innovated in their areas were recognised at a global level. While kindness and actions in line with organisational values were captured through a peer to peer platform and by site leaders.

These insights present us with not only a glimpse into the issues raised as the Covid pandemic unfolded, but advice on how to support staff at any time. We would suggest that gauging employee perspectives, genuine care and communicating clearly will never go out of fashion. Such practices will always be essential to a positive and productive workplace culture.

About Great Place to Work®

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