Building Resilience Dealing with COVID-19

Many agree that there’s uncertainty surrounding the current state of the pandemic on a global scale. While some countries show signs of triumph in flattening the curve, others are preparing for the second wave of cases to abruptly halt plans to open back up.

When things are changing so rapidly, resilience is key. The ability to cope with what’s happening and stay vigilant so that the new normal won’t be so different from life before the chaos is what will get all of us to the other side of this. This thought process is especially important for business owners, project managers and other administrative staff to pass along to employees; building a positive attitude that helps workers thrive in the workplace is beneficial for everyone involved.

Helping your staff members develop coping skills and mechanisms for dealing with stress is critical during this time. Consider the following tips:

1. Be flexible

With many staff members working from home, it’s hard to articulate how they’re truly feeling while managing a full workload on top of life at home – some with family members and pets that normally don’t sit on their laps during their day in the office. Now’s a great time to consider ways you can be more flexible to help them cope. For instance, you can loosen restrictions regarding set working hours. Talk to your employees about a time frame that works best for them and see if it’s something you can work out.

2. Encourage an every-day schedule (with space for change)

Waking up to breaking news has become the new normal around the world. With such uncertainty and chaos, establishing a regular routine is one of the many ways to cope with the stress, according to the Australian Psychological Society. Encourage workers to wake up every day at the same time and get ready to work just as they would if they were heading to the office. It’s important to remind them, however, that planning for potential changes in their routine can keep them calm in the event of unforeseen circumstances. Making sure a regular schedule has room for change can reduce stress levels in the long run.

3. Try relaxation techniques

When the going gets tough and you have to keep going, relaxation techniques like yoga, meditation, taking a few deep breaths (or virtually anything that caters to one’s personal needs and opportunity to relax) are highly recommended by health direct. Encourage staff members to find some “me” time during the day.

4. Provide your employees with valuable resources

You and your staff members may be feeling more stressed than ever before, and you’re not alone. According to an online survey by YouGov, 63% of women and 51% of men report feeling more stressed during the pandemic. To cope with the times and build resilience and strength among your workers, we recommend our Tailored Resilience training workshop. This live, online guidance session is designed to help you and your staff maintain resilience by recognising issues that reduce resilience and develop coping mechanisms.

Additionally, this training is fuelled by positivity and understanding emotions and reaction methods of different personality types. We’ll teach you how to help staff members develop confidence under pressure and understand how different people react to certain situations. By providing your staff with resources for personal health and wellbeing, you can help them feel resilient in any crisis.

For more information on this workshop or any of our other virtual offerings, contact us directly today.