All of us are living in highly uncertain times as of late due to the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, more than ever, leaders are expected to step up and help their people navigate our ‘new normal’.
The same applies to workplace leaders when it comes to supporting employees, who have returned to work or are working through the pandemic.
Want to be a more effective and supportive boss to your team? Here are some steps you can take to do so.
Be Proactive and Sensitive
Working from home can be a difficult thing for many employees. Thus, it’s important that you check in on your team members on matters that aren’t just about work.
This means being proactive by asking questions about how they’re doing lately and actually taking the time to lend a listening ear to what they say.
Likewise, it would also be helpful if you also open up to your employees about how you’re doing. Although it is still recommended that you avoid oversharing, don’t be afraid to show your real emotions, especially during the face of challenges related to work.
Create a Safe Space
Creating a safe space at the office is challenging enough, so it’s definitely tough to create the same when you’re entire team is working remotely. Still, fostering a sense of belonging and safety among your employees is something you need to put the effort in as a leader.
Achieving that goal would help in motivating workers and make them see that their contributions to the company are more than just the money they’re paid.
Think Ahead
With uncertainty being the norm, it’s important that you become adaptable to potential challenges that you and your team might face. You need to be able to make difficult decisions fast to keep things moving forward at your job.
Don’t make the mistake of focusing on the negative though. As a leader, you need to remain optimistic about the company’s future but not to the point of sugarcoating the present.
Time for Overcommunicating
Now might be the best time for you to learn how to overcommunicate with your team. Since you don’t see your employees face to face, you must put more effort into keeping in touch with them regarding important matters and making sure everyone’s on the same page through platforms like Slack.
For example, you can spend a few minutes answering your employees’ questions at the end of every Zoom meeting before signing off.