Keeping all staff members employed is one of the biggest preoccupations for companies these days.

The combination of labor shortages and COVID-19 makes it clear that we can’t afford to lose our valuable teams. Here are a few reminders of best practices you can implement to keep your colleagues on the job.

FOR TEAMS WORKING ONSITE

Keep hygiene measures in place and promote them.

Your workers may be worried about getting COVID-19 or spreading it to their families because of exposure at work. You are required to implement all the necessary measures recommended and mandated by public health authorities in order to protect the health, safety and integrity of your employees. (Requiring hand washing, cleaning work spaces more often, providing flexible hours, implementing social distancing measures, etc.)

Take advantage of business slowdowns to train your employees and increase competitiveness.

Now’s the right time to improve your team’s skills with training on topics like working remotely, customer service, organizational strategy and remote management.

Cover your backside.

Some workers might be upset about restrictive measures or changes to their routine due to your new obligations related to COVID-19 and they might be tempted to express themselves publicly. We recommend reminding everyone about your policies and best practices when using internal communication tools and interacting on your social media pages.

FOR TEAMS WORKING REMOTELY

If you haven’t already, develop and communicate your remote working policy.

For most organizations, full weeks of working remotely weren’t common practice before COVID-19. So it’s definitely relevant to outline some best practices around working conditions, time management, tech tools, communication mechanisms and tools, confidentiality, etc.

Communicate early, communicate often.

It’s a good idea to keep holding regular meetings by phone or, better yet, via your video conference platform. This way you can get a feel for the team atmosphere, track projects and maintain engagement and motivation.

Guide your managers.

Whether management is a science or an art in your organization, it’s sure to be a significant challenge in the middle of an unplanned remote work situation. Communicate your expectations to your managers and give them the tools and training that will help them to keep their team motivated and performing as well as possible given the circumstances.

Use your HR team’s skills to reassure and mobilize employees. 

Now’s the time to communicate often about your team’s new reality to help them manage time and stress, balance work and family, deal with isolation and set up ergonomic home offices. People need tools to adapt to working 40 hours per week in a completely new environment.