During the last year, workplaces across the world have undergone stressors and rapid change. Sometimes this means that individuals who were never leaders before have had to step in to fill gaps, manage small teams and provide more hands-on leadership than ever before. Whether working remotely or in hybrid situations, the challenges are ongoing and seem to shift daily. Here are three ways team leaders can stay connected with their workers and build healthy and productive work environments.
The Key To Resilience
Workplace resilience is the ability for employees to remain industrious and productive during the ebb and flow of office life. Even during the best of times, studies have shown that the key to a resilient workplace is a leader who pays attention to their teams’ needs and is aware of day-to-day issues. A leader can heighten their ability to motivate and engage team members during times of crisis and remote work by amping up their attention to their employees and maintaining a focus on the present.
The Value of One-on-One Sessions
One-on-one sessions are simple, quick ways to maintain valuable connections with employees. Typically, leaders might think of one-on-ones as performance reviews. However, times of crisis call for casual, weekly meetings with employees as a means to show them that you are paying attention to their needs and concerns. The meeting can be brief but useful. Ask employees questions about their concerns and their priorities. Follow up by asking how you can assist them in meeting their priorities. Weekly meetings like this can imbue employees with a sense of security and confidence despite shifting circumstances.
Staying Present and Positive
Weekly meetings are efficient because they allow leaders to stay within the present moment rather than overwhelming employees with long-term projects or supplying them with speculative information about the future. The goal is to foster security and confidence. Meetings should emphasize employee strengths and your discussion can offer ways to support those strengths.
Times of crisis are not always times of growth, so a focus on improving weaknesses might not be helpful in the present moment. In times of uncertainty leaders who focus on the present and remain positive can maintain high workplace resilience.