Communicate from the heart
The pandemic has changed your relationship with your employees by reshuffling the deck. Make the most of it by reviewing your communications and putting some heart into it.
According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, private–sector employees from 10 countries consider their employer to have been a more reliable source of information than the media and governments during the Covid-19 crisis. Nurture this trust because, in this post-lockdown period, your teams have an even greater need to be kept completely informed about the health of your business and your action plan for emerging from the crisis. And about their own future.
So your communications habits must be in line with the new situation: opt for video over email. Use the word “we” to reinforce a feeling of belonging. Opt for regular (weekly) addresses, but don’t make them too frequent either. Overcommunicating can create anxiety in uncertain times. Lastly, encourage informal sharing to reboot the social links that have suffered during lockdown.
To go further:
“In Times of Anxiety, Lead With ’We’ and ‘Us’” by Paola Cecchi-Dimeglio (MIT Sloan Management Review, May 2020)
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