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 A sudden emergency has placed you and your staff in crisis mode. They're pouring on the extra effort to meet a seemingly impossible deadline, and tension is running high. Ease their anxiety with these tactics:
Explain what's happening
People can handle any crisis if they know the reasons for it - and if those reasons are justified. Show them how the crisis came about and how working through it will benefit the organization. Get their ideas for temporarily changing work methods or schedules.
Give them a time frame
No matter how unpleasant the situation is, people will tolerate it if they know how long it will last. The prospect of working under tense conditions indefinitely will cause great anxiety. But if you tell your staffers that the crisis could subside in three weeks (or three months), they'll find a way to adjust.
Keep communication lines open
Employees don't want to feel isolated during a crisis, so keep your door open to them. You might want to ask a trusted staff member to alert you when team spirit plummets. Schedule meetings to answer questions and give employees periodic pep talks.
Provide frequent feedback
They want to know how well they're handling the crisis, so provide progress reports. If they're working with accelerated daily quotas, for example, mount a chart that tracks their output.
Reward the extra effort
Make sure that they (and senior managers) know what a great job they did.
Give them a breather
Some managers can get carried away with the crisis atmosphere and overestimate how much work their staff can churn out when the pressure's on. Caution: Give your people time to relax, savor their accomplishment and rest up. Lighten the burden for a short time, if possible, before taking on the next project.
About the Author - Strategies for Helping your Staff During a Crisis
Kathleen O'Connor is the owner of the O'Connor Success System which provides professional development resources for managers, job seekers and entrepreneurs. |
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