Employees Are Anxious. Organizations Can Help.

Employees are Anxious. Here are 10 things Organizations Can Do to Help.

To say employees are anxious would be a vast understatement, and for good reason. Layoffs are increasing, retirement accounts are withering, and social services that many depend upon are disappearing. There’s a whiplash feeling around the raging trade war news. Many in the financial world are predicting or saying we are already in a recession. Critical areas of science research are being eliminated. Our universities, once the envy of the world, are having major funding cuts. A brain drain has begun; one study indicates that 75% of top researchers are thinking about leaving the country. Minorities of all types are under attack. The rule of law is floundering and people are being “disappeared” without due process. Our democracy itself is under attack as traditional safeguards are not working. Allies now view us as undependable as we abandon traditional relationships. Even US Treasuries, the gold standard of debt, are being questioned. The USA has become a pariah. Separately, these shifts are deeply disturbing, taken together many people are simply overwhelmed. So what role does an organization play in helping employees through these turbulent times?

First, some good news: Studies repeatedly show that the ratings of leadership turn more positive during challenging times. People are looking for leadership to take action and chart a path forward that leads out of the dire situation or at least minimizes the damage. That positive shift will be maintained until people lose confidence in the leadership’s ability to do so, at which point they will look for new leadership.

[Read More: Building Trust Within Organizations]

Unfortunately, too many leaders huddle with their staff privately, working on contingency plans and outcome analyses. This reduces their visibility just at the moment when people are looking for any kind of reassurance. Here are some more effective methods that leaders can take to help employees work through the turmoil:

1. Communicate often, in as many formats and channels as possible. It is impossible to overcommunicate in times of turmoil.
2. Encourage your leadership team to be visible. Not only should the top of the house be out there sharing the organizational messaging, leadership up and down the line need to do so as well.
3. Ensure communications run both ways. You can’t simply rely on messaging that is pushed down through the organization. Collecting the opinions and thoughts of your staff sends a message that you care and can further reduce anxiety.
4. Illustrate your messages with stories. People resonate with and remember stories much more so than facts and figures. Sharing communications as stories will help ensure they stick.
5. Be honest, always, even if the news is not good. Employees know when you are not telling the truth, and you will lose credibility if you downplay or misrepresent what is happening. Once trust is lost it is unlikely to be regained.
6. Tell the full truth. Some leaders opt to put out bad news slowly, in drips and drabs. Yet laying everything out on the table all at once is actually much better for employees. Otherwise, people will feel like the sword of Damocles is hanging over them.
7. Demonstrate positive momentum. People react strongly to momentum, whether it’s positive or negative, and acting forcibly will help people see a light at the end of the tunnel.
8. Create meaning when possible. People want to feel like the work they do is valuable, so if you can couch the organization’s work as serving a higher purpose that often will resonate strongly, especially with younger staff.
9. Admit that the situation is abnormal and fear inducing. Recognize the emotions people are experiencing.
10. Ensure the organization as a whole can handle the turmoil. It’s important that you don’t expect one person to solve current problems, but rather that you have robust operational processes with multiple redundancies to weather these times. Rely on your team with everyone doing their part to achieve success.

Emotions are contagious, travelling from one person to another. Negative emotions can run through an organization like wildfire causing untold damage, but positive emotions can be just as healing. Taking the above actions will encourage feelings of hopefulness and positivity.

Want help listening to employees and taking action? Contact us for advice.