The novel coronavirus created a big shift in the workplace, forcing many employees to work from home and adapt to the new environment. However, as the economy starts recovering and many of the employees return to their workplace, managers need to acknowledge the fact that many of us went through difficult times. From deaths to potential layoffs, isolation from family and friends, more duties at home, there are many reasons why people find it challenging to return to the office. In today’s blog, Business Loans Murfreesboro outlines all the ways you can support your employees during this post-pandemic recovery. Communicate With Them The first step every manager needs to take is to talk to their employees one-on-one. This may take time, but is definitely one of the best ways to understand what each person needs. Some of the common questions you might ask your employees include the following: “What are your current professional and personal concerns?” “How did the pandemic impact your work and life?” “Are you in a caretaker role for your children, parents, elderly relatives or family members?” “Do you have any workplace safety concerns?” “Are there any other concerns for you about returning to the workplace?” “What do you need from the company and your colleagues in order to feel supported?” Support Their Mental Health By Encouraging Self-Care Promoting self-care is another important thing every employee needs when returning to the workplace. It can substantially improve their mental health, and is best implemented through some of the following practices: Vacation time: Make sure to encourage time off without any hidden punishments or more work assigned to employees who are always available for it. Document expectations: Tasks like responding to emails after hours can increase the burnout in employees from being constantly available, which is why you should always document their expectations. Promote wellness programs: Again, self-care is best implemented through wellness programs or other forms of retreat. Yoga classes, networking or online meditation tools can all help you establish corporate self-care culture. Consider Professional Mental Health Support As we said in the beginning, plenty of mental health issues have increased due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Employees and their families could be in challenging situations because of the direct impact that the pandemic has brought to them. There also might be some employees who have substance abuse issues, depression, anxiety, or other forms of OCD behaviors that have been triggered by the time spent in isolation or other pandemic-related events. If there is some form of mental health coverage that your company offers, take advantage of it. Make employees aware about the available plans, what each of them covers, and emphasize their free choice to utilize mental health programs. Put an accent on the fact that these services are fully confidential and a good way to cope with everything in these challenging times. Acknowledge Every Employee & Team Following months of isolation, it is good to communicate through every possible channel and encourage your employees to communicate back. From phone to email, Slack, and other communication platforms, you should make sure you are connected with each employee and use these channels to inform them about potential successes, modified work policies, and other important milestones. Celebrate Their Wins After a year of losses, it’s time to celebrate everything that went right. For example, if your employees helped discover a new target audience or a potential market opportunity, it’s time to acknowledge their success. Whether you discovered some unexpected strengths in your team members, found a new way to organize them or recognized leaders, you should celebrate all of these as wins and make sure your employees are aware of the fact that you value their work. Identify Their Career Paths Unemployment has been a major issue over the past year or so, especially because of the pandemic. While plenty of people lost their jobs, there were also some that shifted to new roles and adapted to some rapid workplace changes using new technologies for their daily tasks and responsibilities. In times when remote work is promoted by companies from all around the world, you need to identify new career paths, alter your performance review process and implement new processes and tools that help each employee shift to the new normal. To do this, consider what the new career paths within your company look like, what should employees focus on to help the company’s mission, which technologies can help everyone, and what soft skills are essential during this shift. Inform Them About Changes Important workplace changes need to be highlighted and properly communicated. Things like modifications to meet new guidelines, hybrid work models and remote opportunities, coworking spaces and meetings, there might be a completely new routine within your business that everyone needs to be aware of. If you are working with a remote team, you should not let your employees fall victim to the “out of sight, out of mind” mentality. Instead, consider the best ways to keep communication open in the months to come. Final Words The past few years have been an emotional rollercoaster for many. However, now is the right time to evaluate the change and acknowledge everyone and their will to adapt, be resilient, and put a focus on teamwork while away from the workplace. Moving forward, all teams need to take steps to support each other as everyone moves past this pandemic and enters a year full of new business opportunities and potential success