Now that work is kind of getting back to normal after the lockdown, how can we make our employees make up for a lost time? The issue centers around confidence. This is why you have so many people who aren’t going to the shops anymore. They know that the shops are open, they know the things they want are just waiting for them. But, they’re afraid of the virus and the culture that is following it. People are being frantic, worried and unable to focus in order to resume a normal life. At work, this can become heightened and employers will be stretched to keep everyone calm and concentrating on the tasks at hand. Here’s what you can do right now.
Have normal celebrations
If one of your employees is having a birthday? Let’s celebrate! Just maintain your social distancing if you can and try to avoid touching each other when you are able. Buy them a cake, light the candles and get the whole office to sing happy birthday to them. Normalcy returns when humans stop acting like they are afraid of their own shadow.
Is one of your employees having a child? They can be given a good wishes meeting by your employees over a Zoom call if they’re at home. Gather the team around one computer and make a call to her home. They can catch up, say hello and just chit-chat. The human touch and communication will bring a sense of calm and a return to normal work life again.
Revise working hours
To mix things up a bit, how about you drop the usual 9 to 5 working hours routine? Rather than going back to fully normal, let’s have a staggered or phased approach. You can have a working routine from 10 am to 4 pm, with the final few tasks being done from home. Employees will be used to working from home by now, so they should feel that they only need to go to the office, to get the meat and bones of the tasks completed by working with everyone else, but any menial tasks they need to do, such as sending emails, invoices, phoning clients etc, can and should be done in the comfort of their own living room or dining room table.
Basic healthcare boost
Small businesses always struggle to give their employees a great healthcare plan. In times of Covid-19, this can make things terribly anxious for employees. They might turn around to you and say something to the tune of “well if you won’t cover me for this virus, how can I return to work?”. That’s why the MEWA insurance plan is so attractive for small business owners. If you have between 5 or 50 employees, you’re classed as a small business and this insurance plan is designed to help those that are struggling. The average cost of the plan per employee will be around $409. This is saving you around $40 when compared to the next best similar type of plan, on the market. The average deductible per person in this small group plan was $3,140. Overall, this is saving you around $1,500 a year compared to other plans. With this plan in place at your business, you can bolster their confidence in their employees and give them the courage to come back to work.
Offer company benefits
Hey, if all else won’t work, more pay will definitely do the trick. If employees are refusing to come back to work and would rather work from home, you can balance the payout a bit. Give those that are coming into the office, a little more than those staying at home. The important thing is you give them a choice in the matter.
Let’s say your normal junior employee salary for a role is $30,000. If they are willing to come back to the office, you can bump this up to $32,500 for the time being. Other company benefits can be things like a free lunch, awards for hard work which they can take on into their career, and even office leisure days whereby the team go out for some karting. The key is to make those working from home, feel like they’re missing out on the camaraderie and extra pay.
Every employer who is worth their weight in salt, will be thinking about boosting the confidence of their employees in order, for their business to return back to normal. Give them company benefits, offer to revise working hours and try to have normal celebrations that put a smile on their faces.
