7 tips to communicate to a remote workforce during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic
As the reality of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sets in, we are all having to implement strict measures regarding contact with others. This has resulted in many companies implementing ‘working from home’ for their employees to minimise further spread of this disease.
However, with remote working and long periods of self-isolation comes many challenges, especially now the schools have closed and the UK is on official ‘lockdown’. This period of uncertainty will obviously be very tough on your employees. Not only will their mental health be impacted by this period of social isolation, they will also be incredibly consumed by the news, social media, food shopping difficulties, looking after vulnerable relatives and caring for children off school.
It is important for businesses to stay strong and provide some welcome normality and solidarity for employees. That is why this is a crucial time to provide regular and reassuring communications to your employees.
The current pandemic has also somewhat overshadowed other recent announcements such as the new rules for the Pension Annual Allowance. You should make sure that you can cut through the noise and still effectively inform and educate your employees on these important matters that will affect them long after we win the battle with COVID-19.
So as a remote workforce quickly becomes the norm, we have put together 7 tips on communicating to your employees in these difficult times.
Review your communications plan – There will be many things you need to communicate to your employees over the coming weeks and months. Some may be related to the COVID-19 pandemic and others may be BAU or other pension and benefits announcements. Making a robust plan for these communications will help you prioritise which communications should go out when.
Try and minimise long sign off procedures and edits to make sure your communications are timely, especially if related to COVID-19 as things are changing daily. Also consider which digital channels you have available and which are appropriate for different types of employee communications.
Financial communications – In this current situation, there are new expectations for financial communications. The Government have announced support to businesses and employees who find themselves navigating this new territory, including the Job Retention Scheme. This is where the Government will reimburse companies with 80% of employees’ wages in a bid to combat redundancies and unemployment as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak. This new rule will apply to ‘workers’ - not just employees, provided they are on the PAYE payroll. Companies need to quickly decide their strategy and then think how best to communicate this.
Increase availability of online tools – Offer your employees online tools to continue their employee benefits at home, such as financial education for example. There are many online tools for financial education and pensions such as budget planners, retirement modellers, annual allowance portals etc. Your employees may well be worrying about money and the impact of COVID-19 on the economy as well as their own personal finances and investments.
Switch face to face to telephone – If you currently offer your employees certain benefits such as financial or pensions advice via 1-1 meetings, ask your provider about switching these over to telephone sessions so your employees don’t miss out. They will still want to secure their financial futures and make sure they have all the right things in place such as health and death benefits.
Get your HR team plan in place – You may need to recalibrate your HR plans for emergency employee support and amended remote working policies if necessary. There may also be changes to employee contracts such as; deferred pay rises, reduced working hours, cancelled bonuses or reduced pension contributions. You will need your HR team more than ever and they will be going through all of the same challenges as your other employees too, so don’t forget to check in on them and ensure their wellbeing.
Check in with your employees – Find out how they are doing. Ring around or drop them an email each day or every couple of days. Find out how they are and how they are coping – not just work wise. Your employee’s mental health is incredibly important right now. You can also find out if there is anything they need to help them work more effectively from home.
Avoid miscommunication – Being confined to online communication means that you need to be even more aware of your tone and the words you use. People can interpret written messages in different ways so make sure you double check what you have written before you send it. If you are working with a communications consultancy, have a catch up with them about tone of voice to make sure all future communications are on point.