How organisations can adapt in the aftermath of Covid-19 (a psychological perspective)

The beginning of a new decade and a virus brought human civilisation to a halt, altering priorities and practices of individuals and organisations instantly. Travel bans were issued, offices temporarily shut down, work from home became the new normal, and many organisations had to reconfigure policies and reassure employees about their job security.

While healthcare and economic challenges still persist, companies may be compelled to re-open offices and outlets long before a mass-produced COVID19 vaccine becomes accessible to the general population. In other words, many will have to risk their lives so that their business, career and financial stability survives. If you are part of such an organisation, it is best if the psychological impact of the pandemic also gets recognised as a priority objective of your contingency and continuity plans. 

It is safe to presume that companies will have to be ready for the possibility of a 2nd wave of the corona virus and establish adaptive systems that address post-lockdown and post-pandemic challenges seamlessly. Here are some suggestions that can help you devise such a system.

1. Identify without Intrusion: Right now, your employees are feeling underworked or overworked. Additionally, many of them are overwhelmed with risks and worries. You may already be aware of employees who are psychologically stressed, but do not bank your assessment on presumptions. Instead, look for significant behavioral change in people and gauge it in terms of employee well-being, nothing more. 

Remember, people are returning to a work routine from that of isolation, social distancing or prolonged family time and they may feel vulnerable to observation. Perhaps, you need guidance from a mental health expert about the best way to observe and identify people who may be in need of therapy and establish a convenient protocol for clinical intervention.

Sometimes observation does not mandate supervision and you are already aware of incidents that may have caused anxiety or trauma in your employees, for example:

a. A colleague got stranded in a distant location, away from home and family during the lockdown.

b. It is also possible that he/she had to spend time in an unhealthy family environment.

c. He or she, suffered tremendous financial loss or economic stress that has made life unmanageable. 

d. Evident or imminent eviction of a person living on rent, could be another stressor.

e. Are they worried about colleagues or members of their family i.e. a troubled coworker, an elderly parent, someone ill, or a child who isn’t with family? 

f. Have they suffered or witnessed a traumatic event which needs immediate psychological care.

Many such reasons are glaringly visible and in spite of coping mechanisms of each individual, you have to identify people who may need preventive psychological treatment.

2. Educate Employees about Mental Health: Governments have made great efforts to educate citizens about mental health, a good example being NHS. It is time that your organisation made a more pronounced effort to empower employees with self-awareness about their mental health and precautionary measures to stay healthy. You may delve into psychological concerns that stem from demographic, socio-economic, and job-related factors and create a relatable action plan for each employee. A good place to start is to identify whether your employee is stressed because of being at home, or is he/she stressed upon returning to office. Are they taking care of their physical health, eating right, sleeping well and maintaining high standards of hygiene? If not, it is time to introduce easy to do routines in your conversations with them and hope that they take good care of themselves.

3. Rehabilitate Teams and Rebuild Trust: Teams drive the performance of every organization and you cannot equate it with productivity. You also need to consider coherence and how it strengthens relationships while serving as a stimulant to fuel team-effort and passionate involvement in the task at hand. Presently, the team is socially distant and the pandemic has already impacted team dynamics and ensured that the aftermath will impact them again. Work from Home as well as returning to the office may appear normal, but appearances can be deceiving. You have to gauge whether the team’s impromptu conversations have become easier or harder during this pandemic. 

Generally, human beings have a tendency to recede into a psychological shell in times of isolation and select a handful of confidants to open up. Rarely, do these confidants belong to team members from work. If you are part of a rare team that has strengthened mutual trust during this lock-down, your challenge is to find a way to sustain it in a healthy way. For the rest, you may have to psychologically rehabilitate your team into the work environment, practice, and preach the motto of “we are in this together” and seek help from mental health experts to refine your departmental practices for rebuilding trust.

4. Promote a Psychologically Safe Environment: If the environment is unsafe, people will talk about the virus and not about its impact on them. One apprehensive employee can lead the conversation back into small talk and motivate others to avoid relevant discussions. Sometimes, a psychologically safe environment is all about moderating conversations and making people feel comfortable in their surroundings. Perhaps, you could moderate these interactions with colleagues and do it without imposing yourself on them. If someone tries to direct the conversation away from personal challenges, let them do it. Make sure that you can drive the conversation back to a point where everyone feels heard and gets motivated to open up. 

As far as the surroundings are concerned, you may want to introduce more greenery, better-looking interiors and good looking food that taste well too. If you can afford it, you could beautify the traditional spots of isolation of your colleagues. Every office has this quiet spot where people manage to stand alone for a while, and it is natural that they miss the good aspects of isolation, just like they are missing socializing now.

5. Introduce Clinical Intervention Tactfully: First, the need for psychological therapy is undeniable. Second, people do not want to be viewed as mentally ill. You need tact to manage this conflict. Your colleagues need to see access to psychological care as a positive initiative of the organisation which shows that you care about their mental health. This is only possible if you implement the suggestions 1 to 4. They have to be eased into seeking help and allowed to settle down with your adaptive measures. They will only trust the therapist if they trust you.

If you or your organisation would like further advice with regards to workplace psychology and corporate leadership, please contact me, Richard Reid, on +44 7624 499 511 or visit our website here

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