Communicating with your team is essential in maintaining smooth operations and keeping employee morale as high as possible. With so many companies and teams being thrown into new and uncomfortable situations, it is important that leaders are communicating frequently, clearly and compassionately. Here are some tips for communicating with your team during this difficult time.

Be Compassionate And Helpful

Working from home or in a limited capacity, setting up technology, applying for temporary unemployment and figuring out what to do with children and animals can be very challenging and stressful for your team. As a leader it is important that you approach your team with compassion and a helpful attitude. It is likely people will not absorb everything the first time you explain it, as this is a very new situation and we all have a lot on our minds. Be understanding and patient with your employees. Offer reassurance and clear avenues to receive help for the various issues that are bound to come up during this volatile time. As a leader, you have a responsibility to your team to remain calm, cool and compassionate during this time. The impact that employee morale will have on your business has never been as heightened as it is today.

Convey Clear And Concise Instructions

Communicating over the phone, email or video chat presents challenges to many who are used to face to face conversations. There are also a host of variables that have never needed to be accounted for that will impact productivity and business in general. When employing a remote team, clear communication, and lots of it, is necessary to continue functioning as a team and moving in the right direction. Be open to questions and over-communicate when addressing important issues or instructions. Have regular meetings with your team and be available for questions whenever possible. Simply knowing what’s going on and the direction you’re looking to move will keep your team at ease and in the right mindset to be effective. This will also help you to retain key team members in the future.

Treat Them As Individuals

Everyone handles adversity differently. Regardless of the size of your team, it is essential that you treat everyone as an individual and be human with them. Sticking together as a team is extremely important, and that will only happen if everyone has bought in to what you’re doing.  While this is a hectic situation, take the time to explain things to people on a one on one basis whenever necessary. Make sure everyone’s needs and concerns are addressed. Yes, this takes a lot of work and patience, but it is a necessity in righting the ship. This is a time when we need to be flexible and considerate of the obstacles the individuals on our teams are facing.