Keep Calm – And Build Resilience

Authored by Dean Fathers, Chairman

The world is a complex place at the best of times, full of uncertainty and ambiguity. With Covid-19 on the scene, the leaders of organisations could be forgiven for not knowing what to do. Here are some themes for leaders to consider in regard to making their organisations more resilient in times such as these:

• Purpose: Revisit what your organisation’s core purpose is and ask what could be stopped without negative impact that would help keep people safe but have no detrimental impact on what we are trying to achieve and how we add value?

• Working Conditions: Assess the working conditions in which people deliver their business; they may be physically safe, but do they offer an environment where people have the space required to remain healthy. Are facilities available as and when required to keep hygiene high and are people empowered to use their judgement as to when and how hygiene can be improved?

• Policies and Procedures: Do all policies and procedures align to current and future hygiene and health requirements or are they in need of revision and a potential threat to improved working practices and healthy lives?

• Leadership and Management: Have leadership and management practices aligned to the new circumstances required to conform to the new policies and procedures? Have all employees been given the resources they need to operate appropriately? Have leaders empowered people to use these resources in a different / more appropriate way?

• Behaviours, attitudes and beliefs: Have traditional mindsets been challenged about sickness, absenteeism, presenteeism and turnover, and have behaviours visibly been seen to change based upon the espoused changes in attitudes and beliefs that would positively reinforce the new ways of working and embed them culturally into the organisation?

• Mental health and psychological safety: Have you considered the psychological impact on your workforce of the anxiety of the circumstances? How are their feelings being reflected in their behaviours? Is safe talking therapy in place to support them and are people positive that all is being done to protect them?

• Cultural sensitivities: We live in a diverse world where views about many things are often different to our own. Are we sensitive to these and have we made appropriate allowances for these diversities in each of the above?

This list is not exhaustive but hopefully by questioning current practices you will have done something positive to create a healthier, happier and more resilient workplace.