Human resources are the most critical part of any organization. If there are unrest and dissatisfaction among its employees, a business will not only face the issue of lower productivity but also be in danger of losing valued workers. In which case, it also risks endangering its profits and reputation.

All the more so in the current situation where you depend on your employees to support you by working from home even when they are going through the fear of a pandemic.

Here are 11 tips on how to keep your organization’s most essential resources in good spirits :

• Look to put those leaders in front who are compassionate and caring rather than those who are businesslike. You will find both kinds in every organization. This will be critical since employees are on thin ice at present. Even a little altercation or misunderstanding could lead to disaster.

• Don’t unnecessarily burden employees or team leaders with work that can be done away with for some time. There are times when we tighten the rope and times when we should loosen it. This is a time to be more lenient and gain confidence rather than stir the pot.

• Don’t focus on designations or the reporting structure right now. A flat hierarchy is the need of the day so that two-way communication is faster.

• Make sure the organization is open to feedback from every employee. That is how you will immediately know when something is going wrong and will be able to set things right quickly because it snowballs into a critical situation.

• Hire a counselor who can take care of employees’ personal issues, and also advise on how to work from home efficiently.  If you sort out employee’s personal effects at this stage, they will perform better.

• Make short term plans rather than long term plans at the moment. It is more comfortable to achieve short term goals and also encouraging when employees meet these goals. Applaud these achievements since it will make them feel appreciated.

• For its own sake, the organization needs to make a long term plan on the way forward, since this crisis will not go away overnight. Expect a year or two of quarantines and lock-downs. It is better to be prepared for the worst than to be unprepared—prep up the teams to handle all situations.

• Learn from recent mistakes. By now, most organizations have realized where they have failed during the lock-down. If employees are ignorant of how to connect to the organization’s software from home, teach them immediately. Tighten the screws and close the loopholes. Make sure to learn from your mistakes. They will stand you in good stead during the difficult times to come.

• Hire competent team leaders if needed. Look for those who have faced crises in the past and have come out with flying colors. They will have something to teach your teams.

• Make it a point to send out analogies and stories rather than dry data to your employees. This is more soothing and doesn’t create a lot of stress. Right now, they are not looking for facts and figures, but more of insights and a larger picture.

• Even after the lock-down is lifted, if you feel half the organization can work from home without affecting productivity, try and teach that culture. You can probably have a rotational shift structure where part of the organization operates from home every month. This way, they will get used to the idea and take it in their stride. It will also reduce your overheads.

Thank you for reading this post, should you have any suggestions or feedback, please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.