- Team members will seek out answers, so make sure that you’re sending out accurate, honest information.
- Keeping lines of communication open is not enough; you must cultivate conversations.
- Always answer questions, and always answer honestly.
Now that more employees are working from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many companies are facing new challenges in remote work. Latent problems in communication and coordination bubble to the surface, while the overall strain on resources makes it hard to be productive. Meanwhile, many people are experiencing stress or fear during these troubled times, and it can be hard to avoid carrying that over into work. How can managers and leaders help their team members become less stressed and more productive? The key is to put the principles of crisis communication into action. Here’s how to communicate with and support your team during difficult times, especially when you are not in the same room.
Expand Lines of Communication
It is not enough to “keep lines of communication open.” To help their remote teams perform their best, leaders must carve out con- versational spaces where there were none before. Being a remote team, especially if you weren’t before, means that you not only have to make a concerted effort to keep in touch, but also create additional channels for coordination. For example, many teams use Slack as a cheap in-office messaging app. Slack is too robust for this simple use. It permits highly customized chat spaces and project management integration. Those features can help teams do more than “check-in”: They can forge new feedback channels and promote higher-level organization of messages and file-sharing. In a time when clear communica- tion is crucial, a remote team’s messaging app must be able to facilitate this.
Be Authentic
The worst thing you can do in a time of crisis is to say “check back later.” People are hungry for answers and will easily spread mis- information if you are not sending official communiques. The chief principle of crisis communication is that you speak the truth — even if you don’t have all the answers. When communicating with your team, ensure that you are keeping them updated. In terms of the current pandemic, this might in- clude any changes to paid sick leave, layoffs or furloughs, remote work procedures, and so on. A strong crisis communications plan anticipates questions and prepares an honest response to each one.
Acknowledge Your Mistakes
During unprecedented and devastating events, it’s normal to not know exactly how to keep your team on track. You might have a mix of team members who are working from home or furloughed. Adjustments to remote work compound existing issues you had with workflow or accountability. You may experience pushback from team members who are upset by disruptions to their work life. During all this, it’s important to own up to your shortcomings. Think of this crisis as an opportunity to refine your management skills. This might include leveraging cloud-based collaboration tools to eliminate project bloat. You can also improve communication among your team through screen sharing, conversation logging, and other techniques of virtual collaboration. Let your team know that you’ve identified these issues and are looking for ways to make things easier.
Keep Your Virtual Door Open
If you had an open-door policy at your office, you need an open-door policy in your virtual workspace. Expect to have a lot of questions and concerns from newly remote workers — and expect to have your own concerns about team members who aren’t adjust- ing well. While you may not be able to immediately solve all these problems, it’s crucial that you indicate you hear these concerns. Consider creating a private chat channel for you and each of your team members, or schedule regular times to check in on their progress and answer any questions. During these uncertain times, silence can easily be read as bad news. By cultivating these conversations with team members, you can relieve their stress and help boost their trust in you.
Wrapping Up
Even as businesses are forced to work remotely and their employees experience confusion and stress, there is an important opportunity facing them. A combination of crisis communication principles and virtual collaboration tools can help remote workplace leaders better manage their teams. It’s critical that they develop and implement a robust crisis strategy and response to help team members feel less worried and more secure. By leveraging these tools, managers can help their teams be more resilient in the face of the pandemic.