Almost everything has changed, but one thing has not. Everyone wants to be treated with respect—now more than ever.
Workers who need to work onsite want to be thanked and appreciated for putting themselves in harm’s way. All of us need to express our gratitude to every delivery person, shop clerk, IT professional, health care worker, peace officer, and everyone else we see at work. Managers should be thanking their onsite employees every day for coming in.
Remote workers want to be appreciated and thanked for their unseen work. Many are having to juggle their work along with schooling kids at home, cooking more meals, and working in tight quarters with their spouses. Many feel disconnected from work and miss the emotional ties they had to colleagues. Some are finding it difficult to concentrate on work with all the distractions at home. Managers should be connecting with them every day for a few minutes to thank them and see how they can help them.
Employees who have been laid off are worried and may be struggling to pay for rent and food. They hope this will pass, that they will have a job to come back to. Many want to retain their connections to their co-workers and bosses. To lose your job, your income, your employer-paid health plan, your friends, your network, and your emotional support team all at once can be devastating. Managers can help them stay connected.
And all of these employees and former employees may be personally dealing with anxiety, depression and trauma. They may be personally affected by the virus. They may be sick. They may be caring for someone who is sick. They may have family in intensive care. Their loved ones may have died.
They need our compassion and caring.
And yet, since this all started, we’ve heard stories of women being sexually harassed in virtual meetings, Asians being bullied because of the “Chinese virus,” and sexist comments about their looks being made to women doctors fighting COVID.
We also have heard of managers leading with their hearts, of doing the right thing, of taking care of their employees and former employees. Not only are they living their values, they also are preventing lawsuits. That’s because when employees and former employees feel respected, they are far less likely to sue. To every manager who has used this time to show compassion and caring, thank you.
And thank you, our readers, for working with us to make the world a better place.
Updated 04-08-2020
Information here is correct at the time it is posted. Case decisions cited here may be reversed. Please do not rely on this information without consulting an attorney first.