Your company is facing a crisis. How can you keep your employees engaged?

Clear and regular communication is one of the key successes factors in keeping your employees enagged dueing a crisis. These type of communication reinforces Trust between the management and the team, alleviate anxiety and reduce situation ambiguity. I beleive that reinforcing Trust among the whole team and stakeholders will help a lot in bridging difficult times by keeping high morals.

Clear communication is key because when you hide the full truth people make their own version on the truth which is always void and not correct.

Clear and frequent communication is paramount in crisis leadership. Transparency, empathy, and openness foster trust and mitigate uncertainty. Acknowledging concerns and utilizing various communication channels ensure information dissemination and engagement, empowering employees amidst challenging times.

As a leader, during a crisis, it's crucial to engage in open and regular communication with your team members. Avoid keeping them uninformed or allowing the spread of rumors and false information. It's essential to convey the reality of the situation, the obstacles encountered, and the measures you're implementing to manage the crisis. Emphasize honesty, clarity, and empathy in your communications. Recognize their worries and feelings, and encourage them to share their thoughts and inquiries. Utilize various methods and platforms for your communications, including emails, video messages, online meetings, or large group sessions, to ensure your message reaches everyone effectively.

Create opportunities for employees to share their thoughts, concerns, and ideas openly. Hold virtual town hall meetings, feedback sessions, or employee forums to foster communication and collaboration.

A crisis sows doubt in the mind of every colleague. We have a superpower entitled "Be With Fear and Act Anyway". A leader's role at these times is to be open and humble, not being directive or protecting the team from the challenges but rather embracing the reality and inviting colleagues to help determine the way out. The foundation for moving forward must appeal emotionally - it needs to shift the crisis ogre - which is why finding or refocussing on the team's purpose can work so well. Engage with the team to collectively define why it exists: "This is why we are here, and this is why we're going to pull through this!" Then bring that purpose statement into all meetings and discussions about what to do next.

Facing a crisis can severly affect employees' performance. Let's take covid19 times as an example when all of us faced personal challenges, such as potential health issues for ourselves and our beloved family memebers, or fear of income decrease. There is also a lot of professional challenges regarding the way we do business, high level of anxiety and increased workload. At this point, direct and clear communication about these business challenges and your vision and action plan is paramount. Measures like flexible working hours and providing paid HS connection was good. Taking some assurance measures was useful such as extending medical insurance programs to cover family members, Awareness sessions about protection and hygiene were useful.

Everyone has good days and bad days, if someone has lot's of bad days in your team explore the outside influences and factors. What you don't know does affect you and them. Give the team members space to work things out however if no influencing factors exist you must consider whether a person is right for your project. If so move people on gently and with compassion. #getitrightkeepitright.

What is most important is that you offer your support to your team members without being overbearing or intrusive. Active listening is an important skill, and some team members will need more support than others. There are some team members who will need space and understanding during this time. Be sure you allow team members time to process whatever crisis they are experiencing and offer them grace if they need to take a mental health day or temporarily reduce their workload as they cope.

Having been hired to lead teams through two major events, a significant backlog of child welfare investigations, and after an enterprise technology solution had a less than ideal go-live. Having your people share in the responsibility in making change to move forward is an understatement. Here's a tip Humanizing the team and keeping the problem solving at the right tier. You want people to know that even at the top tiers there are humans running the organization and we are just people with ideas, plans, and goals like everyone else. And their ideas will contribute to reaching the end goal. Not all will be implemented, but neither is every idea the leaders have. You foster hope and steady the aim, they take the shot, and hit the target ??

In my opinion, keeping employees engaged during a crisis is critical for boosting their morale and productivity. Open communication and clarity about the ongoing issue are essential, as is giving help and tools for dealing with stress and uncertainty. Certainly, employees feel more empowered and valued when they are involved in decision-making processes and their efforts are recognised. Hence, maintaining a feeling of community through virtual contacts and social events fosters camaraderie, whereas prioritising employee well-being and providing opportunities for growth and development indicates concern and interest in their performance.

Being part of the change gives you a sense of control over the future outcome, even if the end result is not what you have hoped for. Involvement provides insight to see some of the reasons “why” the decision was made.

In my eyes, this is a standard activity that needs to be done in all the projects to ensure transparency. A Change Management plan is needed here. This can increase the ownership and commitment of the employees, key stakeholders, people managers, etc.

More often than not, frontline employees have a great sense of how things are going with the company. While they might not be aware of the high-level strategies and nuances, they can sense customer satisfaction, engagement, project delivery quality, and many other key elements of a crisis turnaround.

As a change management leader, I’ve learned that maintaining employee engagement is crucial during high volatility. For example, let’s imagine a global crisis in which all the employees are suddenly transferred to remote work. By encouraging employees to participate in our remote work policy's decision-making process and ensuring they had the tools and assistance they needed, we instilled a sense of responsibility and trust in our workforce. Indeed, even amid uncertainty, employees felt more secure and productive.

In Change Management, archetypes like “pirates,” “crew,” “castaways,” and “captains” depict employees’ attitudes toward change. About 10% are “pirates,” resisting change, while 20% are “castaways,” hesitant to adapt. “Captains” (20%) drive change & are crucial for success, and the remaining “crew” (50%) are receptive, ready to follow. This metaphor is in line with recent Gallup findings: 16% of employees are “actively disengaged,” even sabotaging their employers. Only 30% of teams feel engaged & inspired. Swift identification of “captains” and “pirates” is crucial for change success, followed by decisive action: This turns a critical situation into a chance to rally & re-engage the majority - ensure the need for change is understood.

The team needs to be informed about the "crisis": - its potential impact on them, - the company's crisis management efforts, and - the expectations from management regarding their role in addressing it. When management involves the team as stakeholders, fostering trust and collaboration, they tend to exceed their usual scope and capabilities. Prioritizing collective resolution over individual survival is paramount in navigating through crisis.

While I totally agree with all what has been stated; I would like to emphasise that seeking guidance from experts is a sign of self confidence and wisdom as you might learn from consultants and professionals in the field plus seeking governmental assistance might add value whenever needed.. Nevertheless try to search within your network of stakeholders or competitors you might find the answers with them specially if this crisis is affecting them as well .. Bottom line try to collaborate rather than shying away..

During a crisis, maintaining team member engagement is crucial. First, please communicate openly and transparently about the situation, making sure everyone understands the challenges and the company's response plan. Encourage input and feedback from team members at all levels, making them feel valued and involved in finding solutions. Provide regular updates to keep them informed and reassured. Offer support resources like counseling services or flexible work arrangements to alleviate stress. Recognize and celebrate their efforts, fostering a sense of belonging and teamwork. By involving team members in the process and prioritizing effective communication, you can work to keep the teams engaged and motivated during challenging times.