How Employee Engagement Strategies Can Support Safety & Physiological Needs in a COVID-19 World

Remember the famous psychologist Abraham Maslow and his Hierarchy of Needs model? Early on in this pandemic, it occurred to me that companies, their employees, and maybe even our entire country, have been knocked down Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs pyramid to its lowest levels as a result of this pandemic.

Coincidentally, my long-time friend and colleague, Dr. Tonya Harris Cornileus, recently posted her article, Applying Maslow's Theory in Times of Crisis. She even used a similar graphic as I have in my article. Is this a case of great minds thinking alike? Her mind is one I’ve admired for years, so I’d like to think so. 

Tonya does a nice job of summarizing Maslow's theory and offers actions you can take for yourself during this crisis. She says, "Following the hierarchy can help move individuals from a place of fear and stagnation to a place of growth and personal fulfillment". I agree, and I’ve used her suggestions to help myself focus on self-actualization and even transcendence. Hence, this article! What follows contains my thoughts as a people strategist on how the hierarchy pyramid applies to your company's employee engagement strategy. 

How to engage employees during this pandemic and keep your corporate culture aligned to company values

The experiences your employees have with your company during this vital time will make or break, not only your corporate culture, but your company reputation. 

My favorite shark on Shark Tank, billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban, sounded the alarm about culture shock. Now is the time to lean into your corporate culture and leverage the values within to leverage employee engagement strategies. What follows are recommendations to help ensure your corporate culture remains healthy, while you adjust to the hierarchy of needs your employees have during COVID-19. 

• Acknowledge your employees are people first and people reflect your corporate culture. People are habitual creatures and our routines and rituals have been assaulted. This means your employees are stressed and may need some extra help handling it all. Promote a caring corporate culture by reinforcing existing corporate benefits your employees may not have had a need to use in the past, which means they aren’t top of mind in the present. If you don't have them in place -- start offering them. 

Things you can do:

• Employee Assistance Program (EAP): Remind them of your EAP and encourage them to leverage the resources provided, which may include speaking with a financial advisor or a counselor to help them cope with the stresses that come with working from home.
• Wellness Program: encourage employees to practice wellness by including tips and resources in your internal employee communications and giving managers reminders to mention this benefit or even use some of the tactics during team meetings.
• Flexible Work Hours: support your employees by setting the expectation they take breaks, offer to alter standard work hours, and offer to provide company-issued equipment (i.e., laptop, cell phone, monitors, hot spots) to accommodate their new working reality.
• Health Checks: be intentional about asking your employees how they are doing. You can do this at the beginning of group meetings and during one-on-ones. It can be as simple as asking for a thumbs up or thumbs down with a sentence as to why. Just remember to follow up with them offline.
• Understand your employees have multiple identities. Being your employee is just one of many identities your employees have to manage. Only this time it's all happening in the same space everyday, 24-hours a day while the sheltering-in-place mandate is in effect. Demonstrate your corporate culture by showing you understand and provide support for your employees’ multiple identities and the personal impact those identities have on them during this pandemic. 

Things you can do:

• Convergence of Identities: Your employees are juggling being your employee while also being a spouse, parent, cook, teacher, friend, caregiver and -- well, you get the idea. Validate and have compassion for your employees’ multiple identities. Ask how they are adjusting to sheltering in place. This may be the first time in your employees' lives that they've had to lean into each of their identities in the same space and time. Encourage employees to talk about the ways they are managing the convergence to share ideas and support each other through this. 
• Inequity of Identities: Employees have varied identities (i.e., single versus married with children) and each may be adjusting to their 'new normal' differently. Recognize all your employees' multiple identities are not the same and they will have different needs from you to adjust accordingly. For example, an employee who was accustomed to working from home and was already doing so a couple days of week, may not have had to create a home workspace on short notice like an employee who only worked in the office. Some may be juggling parenting young children and meeting the needs of kids during the day while working. Others may be caring for an elderly parent, and a few may being trying to do both. Those working from home for the first time may not have a strong internet connection, or none at all. In this case, you may need to provide them with a company-owned portable hot spot.
• Diversity Identities Adverse Impact: This pandemic is not an equal opportunity affliction. There is a disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on African Americans, Latinos, the elderly, healthcare, food packaging and blue color workers, retail, restaurant workers, the poor, and the homeless, just to name a few. If diversity, equity, and inclusion are valued as part of your corporate culture, follow Governor Andrew Cuomo’s lead and track the impact of the virus based on the diversity of your employees. Factor in the diversity of your employee population, suspend your judgments, and then act accordingly to address it. Leverage your corporate Diversity & Inclusion leadership to make sure your crisis plan and policies are not inadvertently unfair or limiting your employees' access to resources. This is particularly important when making layoff and furlough decisions to ensure you are not basing decisions on unconscious biases, which may lead to negatively impacting your employees by socioeconomic and/or protected class (race, gender, sexual orientation, age, ability, etc.). Doing so may not only ruin your corporate reputation; it puts your company at risk for litigation based on discriminatory practices.
• Leverage your corporate culture virtually to support your employees. If your corporate culture includes a lot of small groups and team projects, philanthropic giving and community service, you can still do this during social distancing by doing so virtually. Your employees are human beings, and all humans seek connection. Rallying around a worthy cause is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Things you can do:

• Video Conferencing: Encourage the use of video conferencing for all meetings and provide the resources necessary to do so. It's important for your employees to be able to see each other and learn more about one another as they work from home or remotely. This builds a sense of community and belonging with your team.
• Virtual Social Connection at Work: Support virtual socializing in the form of celebrations, such as birthday observances, service anniversaries, and other milestones important to your employees (i.e., employees released from the hospital who contracted the virus, recognizing and thanking employees who volunteer their time on the frontlines of the pandemic). 
• Social Media Connection Around Work: Encourage employees to connect outside of work through social media. Planning a virtual happy hour on Friday night or a mid-morning coffee break on Wednesday are easy virtual gatherings you can encourage your employees to participate in. Also consider a company social site where they can tell their stories and connect on philanthropic endeavors, community service projects, and volunteer causes. 

How are you applying Maslow’s Theory: Where are you on the pyramid?

This pandemic is not over. My response to how I’ve been impacted is to write. I am applying Maslow’s theory by leaning into Esteem, Self-actualization, and perhaps even Transcendence through sharing my thoughts and writing as a people strategist. 

I’m leaning into my transcendence to employee engagement thought leadership. Please ‘Like’ this article if you found it valuable. I also invite you to share your comments on where you find yourself in the pyramid, and/or your successes with implementing these ideas presented. 

For Additional Information

If you like the above article, read part two: The Paradox of Employee Engagement & Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs During a Pandemic

Click HERE for more from Dr. Tonya Harris Cornileus. You’ll learn more about Your Aha! Life, a community for high achievers who want more for their lives - More Joy. More Purpose. More Fulfillment. 

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Editor's Notes:

This article contains actions companies can take based primarily on employee populations that are able to work from home. The fact that there are thousands of Americans who cannot work from home, is something I don't take lightly and is not forgotten on me. I am thankful I'm able to 'be home' with my family, and none of us are in healthcare positions, or otherwise working on the frontlines of this pandemic. I am profoundly grateful for those dedicated people who do. 

Although no one in my family is employed in the hospitality, restaurant, or sports industries, we have experienced forced layoffs and furloughs. I have lost family members who have passed away as result of complications to COVID-19, and have friends who have the virus. 

As I write, and you have now read this article, these words could directly apply to each of us in the future. May you all be safe, healthy, and shelter in place, together.

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All Contents Copyright ? April 2020 H. B. Taylor Associates. All Rights Reserved.