How To Handle A Crisis Situation In A Workplace

A workplace crisis arising from worldwide crisis more so like Covid 19 can make or break your team. Many employees had a hard time putting their best foot forward to work. Almost 31% of employees have admitted to having faced a negative impact on their work-life balance.

In times of prolonged crisis, managers need to re-energise their teams to keep them motivated. How you show appreciation to and communicate with your employees significantly impacts the work environment during hard times. Let’s discuss 5 tips for handling a crisis in a workplace. 

Five Workplace Crisis Management Strategies

1. Stay Positive and Helpful

A crisis can be isolating and detrimental to the team’s mental health. People might feel fearful and pessimistic about the situation.

It is a manager’s job to infuse hope rather than despair. Showing patience and empathy towards teammates will uplift their motivation and keep them on the right track.

You can do this by regular check-ins and rejuvenating sessions. In such testing times, at least workplace culture should not be an added stressor in an employees’ life.

By incorporating a positive work culture, employee wellness is kept under check.

2. Practice Realistic Goal Setting

People also turn hopeless in times of crises. There can be a sense of fear and purposelessness among team members. Further, setting mind-numbing targets in these times can be dangerous for your team. 

The best way to manage crisis at work is to keep your goals realistic and achievable. Explain the importance of these goals and how they will impact the achievement of set vision. 

Being transparent and adaptable during these times will inspire your team members into action and boost their confidence to achieve organisational success. 

3. Safety of Employees Comes First

Regardless of the scale of a crisis, it is human tendency to panic. Further, if you burden your employees with work targets, they feel mentally drained. People need a sense of safety to work efficiently on their set goals. In scary situations like these, they won’t be able to give their best at work.

Create a communication plan regardless of how big or small the crisis is. Make your employees aware of why their safety and that of others is important. They should not be trusting any false rumours until coming from the management directly. Your support will contribute to their mental and physical well-being. 

4. Give Them Space

Contrary to the popular belief, always keeping track of your employees may pressurise them. Crisis is tough, and people are high in their emotions. Constantly engaging them in work during such testing times hampers their creativity and may lead to burnout. 

Sometimes, it’s better to give them space while trusting their skills and abilities. Try to reduce frequent meetings and clear their calendar. Give them time to manage their emotions and do their best at work.

Make people feel that you trust them. This reassures them that everything is under control and there is no need to worry.

5. Be A Leader

Employees only believe those whom they trust and look up to. It’s always better to lead by example, as it is time-tested. Be someone who leads from the front, not just pushing everyone to deal with situations alone. 

Otherwise, people will lose their trust and respect for the leader. Be empathic, caring, and understanding of your team’s needs. This is the best way to keep your team motivated during the time of crisis. 

If they sense that they are being taken care of, there is someone who is there at the time of grief and despair. They will go the extra mile to do their best for the company.

Wrapping Up

Employees may find crisis a challenging situation. A manager’s cooperation and understanding help people to win over testing situations confidently and with much ease. Keeping employees motivated during hard times is a crucial key to run the organisation optimally. 

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Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is a crisis in the workplace?

Crisis is an unexpected and disruptive event that poses a significant threat to the people’s safety and operational well-being of an organisation. If not managed properly, these situations can lead to serious consequences like loss of lives, financial loss and damage to reputation.

It is a manager’s duty to create a protective action plan to keep employees motivated and the organisation shall run smoothly, even at hard times.

2. How to deal with a crisis in the workplace?

Crisis tests a manager’s skills like no other. It requires a systematic and balanced approach to keep the team motivated and hopeful for the future. 

Communicate transparently with the employees about what has happened, what is being done, and how it affects them. You can also form a crisis management team to address the situation effectively.

3. How can you be a good manager during a crisis?

Incorporating the aforementioned action plan such as setting realistic goals, staying positive and hopeful, and prioritising the safety of employees will make you a good manager in the times of crisis and as a whole.

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