It's vital that you offer support and clear leadership to your employees, but this will still be a challenge for you and your HR function. It is one, however, that can be overcome.
Keeping people motivated is challenging where there is uncertainty about both the future of the situation and their own changing roles.
Planning for resourcing needs will require thought as some areas may need additional capacity and some will have staff with no work to do. In addition, you need to be prepared to fill critical roles, should absences occur.
Addressing the movement of staff across national borders could cause tax issues. Some staff will be stranded abroad, while others will want to return to family.
Well-being is suddenly a pressing issue. Between anxiety about the situation and changing roles, your staff could be feeling uncertain and unmotivated.
Keep updated on the situation and share everything you discover with your partners, including unions. Filter your learnings down into all your strategies.
Create an engagement plan that ensures your team understands your strategy, what about their workplace will change and where they can go for support. Equally, take feedback from your team. Explore all the options around flexibility in your workforce.
You will come through this crisis and, when you do, you will know exactly how to deal with crises in the future. Document the steps you take in the coming days and incorporate what you've learned into your people strategy going forward. Could remote working reduce costs in the long term now your team are accustomed to it?
"It is critical to develop a continual communication channel at all levels in order to connect teams and individuals to understand wellbeing and putting in measures to build resilience and paths to restore and recovery."
John Da Gama-Rose
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