At a time when employees are struggling with mental health and anxiety issues caused by the pandemic, a little compassion can go a long way. Compassion is all about acknowledging employees’ feelings, listening to their struggles, and offering support to help them overcome tough situations.
Here are some tips to lead with more compassion toward your employees:
Let your employees know that it’s okay to feel down or distressed right now, considering the lockdown measures that are in place to combat the virus and the risk posed to family, friends, and themselves. Let them know that you are ready to offer help however possible.
Practice simple acts of kindness to help your employees feel good about their work, and brighten their day. It could be as simple as a random show of appreciation or bringing your team together for a fun, uplifting conversation.
Listen to your employees patiently and without judgement whenever they open up about their problems. Offer advice only when they ask for it, and if possible, facilitate support groups for employees who need some solidarity with their peers.
Encourage team managers to be considerate while assigning tasks and setting expectations. If needed, save the less important tasks for later to help employees avoid burnout.
Help your employees stay connected with their peers in an informal setting. This will help them to form closer relationships, especially with remote work being so prevalent right now. If you have hired new employees recently, then this is even more important.
Compassionate leadership has proven its effectiveness over the course of the pandemic, and chances are that some of the management techniques introduced during the last year will remain for many more years to come. Without these practices, it’s more likely that you will lose your top performers as they seek out more supportive and fair work environments. Read more about how to build a compassionate workplace in our HR Knowledge Hive.
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