Global crisis response

How can you foster resiliency and create a safe workplace for your organization in the midst of a global crisis? Let's discuss what you can do as a business leader, how you can train your managers, and the basics of effective communication. 

Learn how you can foster a sense of security for your employees during a global crisis. 

Global Crisis Response
Supporting Your Organisation During a Global Crisis


How do crises affect your organisation?
We may be adaptable to change, but dealing with uncertainty is a much more difficult matter.


COVID-19 | The Statistics
During the pandemic, research shows that:
75% of people feel socially isolated,
67% of them dealt with higher stress,
57% of them had exacerbated anxiety, and
53% of them were emotionally drained.


The Challenge
Amid a global crisis, everyone's mental health and emotional stability are in peril.
We need to grapple with professional, personal, and economic uncertainties.


You have a role to do.
Let's talk about how you can support your organization amid these trying times.


Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, we will discuss:
How a global crisis can affect your employees,
How you can help your employees through policies, and
How you can ensure your employees’ sense of security.


Which of the following were the social impacts of COVID-19 to employees worldwide?


How can you help as a leader?
Let's talk about your obligations.


Foster a safe workplace
A 2019 survey shows that employees generally desire an open and accepting workplace.
They prefer to work with clear communication lines and mapped hierarchies when it comes to asking for support and additional training.


Invest in training
Amid a crisis, it is important to create proactive measures and invest in preventive mental health training.
It is your duty to destigmatize mental health and debunk its myths on an organizational level.


Adjust Policies & Practices
Amid a crisis, stress is the norm.   Thus, you need to be empathetic and flexible.
Assess your current policies with regard to work hours, paid time-off, communications through video calls and e-mails, and paid/unpaid leaves.
Adjust your policies and practices accordingly to how the crisis affects your employees.


Re-Adjust When Necessary
Creating a safe workplace should not be mere lip service.
You must take accountability for how your policies and practices exacerbate or help your employees' stress.
Make sure to check in on your employees and measure the results of your adjustments.


How To Support Your Organisation During a Global Crisis

Learn how you can empower your managers to become your employees' frontline supporters.

Global Crisis Response
Managerial Support  for Employees  During a Global Crisis


Managers have a role too.
You've implemented policies and made changes on the organizational level.
Now it's time to effect change through your managers.


Train Your Managers
Your managers should be your employees' frontline defense. Train them to be reliable.
With this, you can consistently check the temperature of the whole organization, even with those you usually don't get to interact with.


Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, we will discuss:
The managers’ obligations to their employees during a global crisis,
How managers can support their employees, and
How managers can foster a sense of security on their immediate teams.


Effective Management
How can you train your managers to be effective and reliable leaders?


Instill empathy.
Authenticity is a strength in moments of distress.
Research shows that encouraging managers to be vulnerable with those under their wing fosters trust and engagement among peers and improved work performance.


Teach them to be models of good behavior.
Even though managers are responsible for their team's mental health, encourage them to take care of themselves too.
Like other employees, they must allot time for self-care and set boundaries.


Prod them to regularly check in on employees.
In times of civil unrest and uncertainty, it is critical for managers to regularly check in on their employees.
Teach them to engage in deep conversations with their team and to practice active listening.
A simple 'how are you?' will not suffice.


Teach them to be flexible and inclusive with employees' needs.
Mental health fluctuations usually occur during transition periods.
It is important for the management to tend to their teams' needs by allowing them the flexibility to set healthy work boundaries despite increased stress.
This doesn't mean that you lower your expectations for your employees. Adjustments are part and parcel of fostering resiliency.


Train them to be good communicators.
Research from Harvard Business shows that managers who are bad communicators make their team less likely to approach them.
Your managers must know how to trudge the line with difficult conversations.


Now, let's reflect.
Do your managers have a good grasp on what kind of managers they are?
These guide questions may help them understand their relationships with their team members better.
Encourage them to ask themselves:
Are they accomodating to everyone on their team?
Are there people they leave out with regards to some work matters?
Do they trust their team's capacity to take on new tasks?
Do they gravitate towards team members who best meet certain criteria for a specific task?
Remember:
There is no such thing as a perfect manager.
But practicing care, honesty, openness, and compassion for their team members are huge steps toward cultivating a safe workplace and practicing effective management.


How Managers Can Support Employees

Let's talk about the role of effective communication in a business set-up and its importance during a global crisis.

Global Crisis Response
Effective Communication  in Business


Let's reflect.
How would you gauge your communication skills?
Are you capable of receiving others' words properly?
Can you respond to your employees appropriately, regardless of the situation?


A good leader is a good communicator.
If you're unsure about how to answer these questions, let's equip you with what it takes to be an effective communicator.


Lesson Objectives
In this lesson, we will discuss:
The benefits of effective communication,
The basic components of the communication process,
How to communicate effectively, and
Some tips for better communication.


Take a guess.
Which of the following examples can be interpreted as "noise" in the communication process?


Effective communication
Ensuring that communications happen smoothly and effectively


You can communicate in 3 ways: verbal, non-verbal, or written.
It can be exchanged through face-to-face conversations, virtual meetings, phone calls, or by e-mail.


Tip #1: Mind the noise.
One of the most common roadblocks in communication is "noise". This is anything that can disrupt a conversation.
This can either be environmental noise or semantic noise.


Environmental Noise
This can be anything physical around you-- machines, chatter, rain, or loud footsteps.


Semantic Noise
These are disruptions that occur when something is lost in translation.
This can happen between two people who converse in a language that they're both not too familiar with.
This can also be seen in encoding or decoding limitations of the channel, e.g. the difference between AM and FM radio signals.


Tip #2: Context Matters.
Physical and psychological contexts also cause roadblocks in communication.
Physical contexts are the factors surrounding you while psychological contexts encompass your mental and emotional factors during the conversation.


So, what does effective communication look like?
Communication is deemed effective when both sender and receiver are exchanging ideas with clarity, purpose, and satisfaction.


The 5 C's of Effective Communication
Keep in mind that your messages are:
Clear,
Correct,
Complete,
Concise, and
Compassionate.


Which of the following is not part of the 5 C's of effective communication?


Do it face-to-face.
Speak clearly.
Mind your nonverbal cues.
Actively listen.
Be curious.
Practice diplomacy.
Never gossip.
Keep yourself in line with the sharing.
Avoid heated topics.
Praise good work.


New

free course

How Business Leaders Can Support Employees During a Global Crisis

How Business Leaders Can Support Employees During a Global Crisis Lessons

Course overview

The full course includes

Explore more

EdApp is easy to use and free for you and your team. No credit card required.