When crisis results in the imposition of the Movement Control Order, paralysis hits most HR managers who scramble to find a system for staff to work from home. JOHN KAM provides 3 tips for consideration on how to deal with the unprecedented situation.
He began with looking at:
1. The actions of HR managers who put work on a higher priority than the welfare of their staff.
While this is a common mistake even during no crisis situations, it becomes even more common during it. The temptation for managers to jump into crisis mode and manage the critical workload is so high. As businesses grapple with the reality that bottom lines are not just dropping but non existent in some cases, it’s easy to press the panic button and work on the urgent of getting business back in order. The truth is however that managers need to at least try to ensure the wellbeing of their staff first. No matter how small an action it may seem to be, showing that you care and are concerned will tell them that they are at the top of your priorities. And that’s crucial during a crisis. The crisis will pass sooner or in this case perhaps later. But it will pass and you want your team members to be there for you when that happens. And the best way to do that is to be there for them during this time.
2. EQUATING Work From Home to Work While Home.
I’ve come across several managers who are unable to separate their time between familial needs and work needs. They’re so used to work that once they turn their home into an office they’re unable to turn it back into a home. And since they’re in “office” for 24 hours, then they “might as well” work 24 hours. While the organisation may appreciate this mentality since it’s shows high ownership, in the long run, it rarely works out well for both parties. Burn out and frustration occurs when ones mental and emotional batteries are not recharged. Resilience is not just about a respite. It’s about a recharge. And taking time off from work or even better setting aside time frame for work while working from home allows individuals to recoup energy and refocus with sharper intensity. Take a break. Go play with your kids. Have a quick workout. Coffee on the balcony. We can’t go out but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little recharge sessions through the day.
3. NOT preparing for the future.
As mentioned earlier, this too will pass. While is it understandable and even necessary for us to take steps to ensure survival, any viable strategy or daily work should involve preparing for the time when the current crisis is over. This may not necessarily mean that things will become better however, in fact as we grapple with the economic fallout of the crisis, it may mean we fall deeper into another crisis. Having mental, emotional, physical and financial preparedness for this next stage may be even more important than surviving the virus itself. The world will likely never be the same and we shouldn’t expect it to be.
