Employee wellness and mental wellbeing is easy to overlook with all of the events occurring in the world. But, 2020 has been a unique and challenging year, making mental wellbeing a bigger challenge now than at any point in recent memory.
As we transition into the end of the year, it is important to check in with your employees and see how they’re doing. It’s more vital than ever to take the time to listen to your employees with interest and empathy.
One of the best ways to see how they’re feeling is to send regular, anonymized employee surveys. This can allow you to stay connected and glean much more information about your workforce than a single snapshot in time would.
But, the details of survey setup matter enormously. Here are a few question ideas to get you started:
- Ask how they’re feeling and do they still feel connected with their team or department – Some employees may feel more vulnerable than others and share a little or a lot of personal or professional information. Neither is right or wrong, but asking the question is what’s important. This year has not been a normal year by any means. Having appropriate candid conversations with coworkers or managers is healthy and builds companionship.
If an employee says they no longer feel connected with their team or department then initiatives should be taken. At the very least, host a weekly meeting to catch up and ask each team member to go around the circle and contribute or give any project updates. Even better, host a virtual team happy hour or check-in to discuss non-work related topics. Additionally, schedule a department brainstorm session with screen shares to work collaboratively on a task and listen to each member’s ideas. Send lunch to the team members, or a gift card so they can purchase their own favorite food and eat and catch up with one another virtually.
- Ask if they know their roles, responsibilities and expectations at work – If not, help create an action plan. Perhaps, create a Google doc to record and track responsibilities. Furthermore, input a data column to track the status of each task or project. This will assist inefficiency, team communication, and overall productiveness. Employees will be aware of their own progress and deadlines and more confident in what they’re doing and how it contributes to the bigger picture.
- Ask if they have everything they need to continue working effectively while remote – Many companies will continue to work remote for the remainder of 2020 and much of 2021. Now is a good time to ask employees if they have all of the tools, equipment, and supplies to successfully complete their tasks. If employees are in need of a specific tool– consider providing a credit towards the product or offer another alternative solution. You can even send out extra gadgets (such as wireless headphones, a candle, a back pillow) as a surprise to say thank-you. Why not give employees a little something extra, if it’s in the budget? A little goes a long way in these trying times!
In summary, employee wellbeing is monumentally important to maintaining a successful business model. In order to achieve this success companies must routinely check in with employees to see how they’re doing. In times like these, the entire workforce must come together and create a culture of care for one another. There are lots of distractions and interruptions to the average daily workday and it’s no secret that emotions and morale will fluctuate.
If you’d like a reliable partner to help you navigate these issues and provide logistics, planning and creativity, Marketing Innovators is your one-stop-shop. From simple, emailable gift cards, to exciting gift bundles, all the way up to a full-featured engagement platform, we have the solutions to your remote workforce needs. Call today!
