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Managing
Employees During Wartime and Terrorism By Jeffrey E.
Auerbach, Ph.D. Employees are
caught between many emotions and divergent opinions – for or against the war,
concerned about the safety of our troops, possibly worried about someone they
now deployed in Iraq, concerned about business and investment effects of the war
and terrorism. Especially now,
managers and executives need to be available and communicative.
Leaders that are present, authentic, empathetic and steady, build teams
that will outlast the ups and downs of the current crisis. Here’s what
you can do: Respect
Differences: If you have
employees working together that have pro- and anti-war attitudes, show
leadership by encouraging respect of everyone’s views.
You can bring the team together by saying, “we all agree that we want
to see peace as soon as possible and our brave service people to be able to
return safely to their families”. Business
consultant Terry Levine recommends you continue by saying, “Let’s not judge
anyone’s patriotism. Let’s not
try to convince each other of one view or another.” Channel
Energy Positively: Julie Smith,
motivates her employees in her beauty spa to do something positive, like
organizing a fund-raising drive to assist families affected by the war by
sending them “we support you” family flower and cookie baskets. Educate
Employees about Employee Assistance Options:
Employee assistance counselors can organize support groups for relatives
and friends of our armed forces. You
can set up web links with crisis-intervention web sites and other resource rich
web sites. Provide an
Information Channel and Curtail 24/7 News Monitoring:
A television in the lunchroom can provide a way for employees to follow
the news without having to monitor crisis news via the internet throughout the
day. A message from the manager can
be useful about how “one thing that everyone can do to help our country is to
keep our businesses strong. Everyone
is needed to help the organization maintain productivity during turbulent times
and that one way you can do it is to limit following the news to certain times
like breaks or lunch so that our organization can benefit from the employees
focus despite uncertainty in the world situation”. Managing Layoffs: If you are in the difficult situation of managing layoffs, make a particular effort to help employees through contacts with other companies, letters of recommendation, and hopefully adequate severance packages. Let the remaining workforce know what is being done to help the employees that had to go. Take Care of
Security and Safety: Especially in high concentration urban areas security
is extremely important. Get
involved with local law enforcement and other local programs that are providing
guidance on corporate security needs. Be Authentic
and Visible: Leaders
need to be out listening to people, reading how their people are feeling and
choosing the right way to respond given the situations that their employees are
feeling. Rudolf Giuliani, although
controversial in many ways, was seen
as so effective in the early days after September 11th because he was involved,
was as steady as a person could be in that situation, was communicative, showed
genuine concern and emotion, and said what he knew, and said what he didn’t
know. People found that they had a
leader that was authentic and present. In
our own way, we can all strive to be genuine and communicative – that will be
best way to foster your employees spirit. Support and
Celebrate Your Team: Despite bad news we might face we can still make a
point to celebrate small accomplishments in our business and it will be
immensely appreciated when we acknowledge and reward our employees for the
contributions they make. Gift
certificates, contests, pizza and fruit smoothies are just some of the ways you
can provide small, but meaningful differences for your employees. Takeaway Idea: What will you do this week to provide extra support or appreciation for your team? for the Peak Performance Leadership Workshop with Optional Coaching. College of Executive Coaching The Leader in Emotional Intelligence-Based, Peak Performance Leadership Training and Coaching Contact Kaysie Herrera, MBA, Program Director, for additional information and registration assistance: (888) 764-8844. |
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