The ability to “bounce back”

Welcome to the Adastra Blog, in this month’s discussion, we wanted to talk about bouncing back as the world slowly starts to find the “new normal”.

Emotional Resilience has never been more important than now, as we adapt the way we work, live and socialise. The latest Office of National Statistics study shows that nearly half of the people in the UK experienced increased anxiety as the country’s lockdown began. Not surprising given the current unusual and unpredictable circumstances we find ourselves in.

In order to support employees through the pandemic, and protect their mental wellbeing, Company’s should embrace emotional intelligence and cohesion, building resilience that empowers a compassionate team and improves engagement.

Showing Employees Empathy

Functioning on any level during a crisis requires us to manage our emotions. Employers need to remember that each person will be facing a different level of personal anxiety and stress. Whether it’s worrying about personal finances, looking after children while working from home, or dealing with the challenges of being with “housemates” 24/7 – the pandemic will affect every employee in some way.

Enforced social distancing and quarantine regulations can also make people feel isolated within their team. By talking about personal experiences and feelings, teammates will realise they aren’t alone. A virtual support group with the team is a good way of helping employees feel supported and will open up communication channels and empower them to connect over their shared experiences, in turn strengthening relationships with the business.

Another idea to find out how teams are feeling would be to conduct an anonymised survey that allows employees to share any stresses or concerns that they aren’t ready to openly discuss in a group. Survey results will give employers the opportunity to make genuinely positive and lasting changes to the way the business is conducted, starting by showing empathy and understanding to its employees.

Go with what feels good

It’s incredibly important for us all to set aside the time to tune into how we’re feeling about our own mental health. Communication is vital, so whether it’s resharing links to resources in weekly newsletters or hosting a specific call each week to discuss mental health, it’s important to make sure that all employees know exactly what support your Company offers and where they can find help.

Sharing ‘feel good’ experiences between members of the team can lead to fun and inspiring ideas you might want to try out for yourself and while many employees can no longer have their regular tea breaks or go for lunch together, informal calls can be set up to have a chat and share new hobbies, exercise routines or that must-try recipe.

Small, but fun, ideas that are focused on employee wellbeing are great team-building tools that will lift everyone’s spirits and build emotional resilience.

Maintaining a routine if working from home is fundamental to keeping some sense of normality. Similarly, creating new norms to maintain company culture is just as important to engage employees, and keep any feelings of uncertainty at bay. It’s also widely known that developing healthy daily habits brings more dopamine into the brain, which will lead to feeling happier long term.

Businesses must place high value on supporting employees’ wellbeing in order to be strategically well positioned now and for what’s to come after this crisis. While times beyond this crisis may be unpredictable, that doesn’t mean we can’t be certain about how to navigate through it. The companies that manage to encourage emotional resilience during this pandemic, will be the ones who take the lead in the future.

That’s all from us for this blog, but remember…

Keep Safe, Keep Healthy and Keep in Touch