CHRO Insights: The Disillusionment Phase of the Pandemic Is Upon Us

Since the onset of the pandemic, I’ve had the opportunity to connect with hundreds of CEO’s and CHRO’s about their response to some of the extraordinary challenges 2020 has presented.

Not only has my perspective about our own response to the pandemic been altered but I’ve been continuously struck by the level of ingenuity, resilience and empathy demonstrated by many leaders I’ve spoken with.

Recently, I facilitated a roundtable comprised of a number of legendary CHRO’s from some of the most people-centric organizations headquartered in Seattle.  The goal of the discussion was to explore different ways employers are strengthening employee engagement and culture continuity amidst continued disruption.   

One CHRO in particular shared some interesting research that shed light on something I’ve been giving a lot of thought to…

Why has the back half of the year been so exhausting?

I remember thinking SHRM captured it perfectly earlier this year when they declared, “this is HR’s moment”. But this isn’t a moment. Nine months later, it’s clear this is a grueling marathon that has left everyone, especially HR leaders, utterly spent.  

Since March there has been an outpouring of models released by consulting houses chronicling the various, “phases of recovery”, however, this particular executive explained how her organization has been leveraging findings from The U.S. Bureau of Health’s Behavioral Health, which maps societal behavioral health trends.

Unlike other crisis recovery frameworks, they define their phases by the collective emotional and mental wellbeing of the workforce (an increasingly relevant topic within HR circles as anxiety and depression are projected to continue to skyrocket well into 2021).

The report postulates that in fall we transitioned from, “The Honeymoon” phase of the pandemic where optimism peaks and people band together to address (what is perceived as) a temporary setback to the, “The Disillusionment” phase which is characterized by:

·      Increased irritability  

·      Difficulty focusing and remembering details

·      Wanting to eat lots of carbs (sound familiar or is it just me?)

Apparently when cortisol levels (our principal stress hormone) are heightened for prolonged periods of time, it can not only affect job productivity and engagement but the desire to connect with others.

This combined with the social isolation caused from extended work from home arrangements can slowly erode culture, weaken team connectedness, and have profound impacts on organizational performance…

The question HR leaders and CEO’s need to answer is no longer, “how can we engage employees in 2021?” but rather, “how can we mitigate burnout and foster a sense of belonging to guide people out of the disillusionment phase”?

Here are some insights and practical solutions discussed in the roundtable as well as my own postulations.

·      Proactively look for signs of disengagement and burnout among your people by        using an anonymous employee feedback tool.

Empowering managers to regularly check-in with employees during 1-1’s or team meetings will always be immensely important. However, HR needs to come to terms with the fact that 77% of employees are more comfortable being honest in feedback via a survey than to their manager.

It’s time to acknowledge that we live in an increasingly digital society where a lot of people are more prone to speak their truth when they’re not put on the spot and the fear of being judged or reprimanded have been removed.  

Organizations must create a safe space for employees to share their experiences and challenges in real time. This could take the form of a short-pulse survey, an always on listening tool or better yet both so HR leaders and frontline management can address potential issues that could hinder morale and engagement before they snowball.  

·      Go beyond offering virtual yoga classes when addressing, “Work life blend”.

Even before the pandemic, behavioral health issues were taking an enormous toll on businesses. In 2019, the World Health Organization officially labeled, “employee burnout” a medical condition, noting its impacts on absenteeism, decreased productivity and so on.

Although for the most part productivity appears to be up or at least steady, prescriptions for antianxiety, and antidepressant medications continue to sharply rise and 73% of North American employees report feeling anxious at least a few days a week.

HR has a moral obligation to think about how they can go beyond taking a check-the-box approach with addressing employee well-being.

Just as Gartner predicted in back in May, a lot of organizations are broadening their Employee Assistance Programs and increasingly providing opportunities for employees to combat anxiety and burnout during operating business hours.

Although it’s nice to afford employees the chance to mentally recalibrate with virtual meditation or exercise classes and reimaging EAP’s is important, at this phase of the pandemic, when daylight is dwindling and Zoom fatigue is peaking, it’s not enough.

·      Give your people the gift of time and the power of choice.

Deloitte released an article that explores the idea that there’s an important difference between designing employee well-being at work verses in work.

Their data suggests that cultivating an employee experience that actually moves the needle on organizational performance requires organizations to, “expand their focus from programs adjacent to work to designing well-being into the work itself”.  

Taking it the next level and demonstrating your commitment to your people’s pursuit of happiness and a healthy work-life balance requires embedding well-being into work. Some examples include:

• Empowering workers with more flexibility and autonomy in how and when they do their work (a strategy that’s been known to influence engagement for years).
• Implementing “Mental Health Days” or “Zoom Free Thursdays”. I recently announced a companywide holiday at Achievers called, “Rest-o-lution” so Achievers employees have an extra day to unwind after the New Year to reflect on their intentions and personal goals for 2021.
• One CHRO mentioned her team rolled out a, “90-minute Policy” to encourage people to take 90 minutes out of their work week to do something for themselves whether that’s spending time with their family, getting outside to do yard work or go for a run. 

·      Promote psychological safety from the top down.

Encourage your leaders and managers to normalize the fact everyone struggles sometimes by sharing their own challenges with their team.

Managers need to understand that talking about their challenges won’t make them look weak or incapable.

When an authority figure is authentic with revealing their own experiences, it gives others the permission to be vulnerable which is fundamental for team bonding and promoting belonging.

·      Look for opportunities to inject meaningful recognition into the flow of work:

Recognition has long been established as one of the top drivers of engagement and can act as a powerful lever to foster resilience and belonging and mitigate employee burnout. But as one CHRO pointed out, “COVID has disrupted a lot of the traditional ways recognition is typically exchanged”.

And although it’s true: some of the organic opportunities to express workplace gratitude have been removed, it doesn’t change the fact that when anxiety and tensions are heightened, people’s need to be acknowledged for their contributions amplifies.

In fact, findings from the Achievers Workforce Institute shows that recognition is the number one ask from employees throughout this crisis. During the disillusionment phase of the pandemic, it would be difficult to overstate how critical it is to ensure team members feel seen and valued for good performance.

Now is the time to get creative with incorporating recognition into the new flow of things.

Some examples from the Seattle roundtable:

• Send handwritten snail mail notes expressing gratitude for above and beyond contributions.
• Dedicate time for recognition call outs in Townhalls and team meetings (as long as the recognitions are authentic and specific about why the behavior deserves to be acknowledged).
• Enlist the help of frontline employees by enabling transparent peer-to-peer recognition so the people in your business who see the great work being done can actually call it out.

What are some ideas your team has talked about or even implemented to help mitigate employee burnout and foster belonging during this phase of the COVID-era workplace?