At the same time unprecedented, uncertain, complex and therefore stressful, the context of the crisis that we are going through is at the origin of a generalization of teleworking for an indefinite period, without companies being prepared for it. This massive, brutal and permanent telework leads to a loss of bearings, an increased permeability between professional life and family life, a transformation of relations between employees and managers, an upheaval of priorities, the quest for a new direction, a new meaning. …
How to reclaim your role as manager in this context and what are the vigilances? 5 axes are to be remembered:
- It is essential beforehand to "manage yourself" in this situation before managing his employee. Being aware of your own state of mind and the impact it can have on your behavior is essential for a manager.
It's about asking good questions, such as:What am I telling myself about the situation? Are there a lot of "we're off to a bad start, I have to be strong, I have to"? What are my requirements, such as "always do it quickly, please, and above all don't forget anything?" Have I correctly identified the resources but also the risks of these spontaneous thoughts (for example hypercontrol, lack of delegation)? These different messages can influence the management mode and be transmitted to employees, sometimes even being toxic. How can I help myself to take a step back, to take a look that integrates the complexity of the situation? And why not how do I get help? This approach could be summarized as "Take care of yourself to better take care of others"!
- It is also important to restore a secure framework by rethinking the organizational framework.
It is a question of redistributing roles, reorganizing priorities and thus giving vision to your employees. The ideal is to define together which files to prioritize, to explain the new organization to everyone. When the activity is no longer feasible, invent, if possible, new missions:an employee can be asked to take advantage of this period to train, do “benchmarking” or anticipate projects. It is important to define possible time slots, even if it means readjusting their schedules, in particular, in the case where the employee has children at home. It is important to identify employees who tend to no longer maintain the distance between their professional and personal life in order to be able to help them structure their day.
- Remote management, since that's what it's about, it's keeping the link and recreating mutual trust, thinking of:
- Develop the space for expression, despite the context:leave time for individualized listening (without imposing it) and discussion within the team, promote teamwork, but also friendly times that can example be an opportunity to get to know the family context better,
- Cultivating individual and team feedback and highlighting successes (this reassures your employee who in these times is asking a lot of questions about his own work),
- Imagine new forms of conviviality, such as virtual “coffee machine” breaks, aperitifs…,
- Offer you an "organized" availability,
- And why not an exchange medium (WhatsApp or other) allowing everyone to post professional or not?
- It is important to put in place conditions that promote engagement perennial of each:
- Develop vision and meaning (goals, projects, contributions),
- Promote trust through management by objective, which is more participatory and even delegating. This implies leaving the employees autonomous, refocusing more on the missions than on the schedules and not “policing” them, but being there when they encounter a difficulty,
- Adapt to their individual intrinsic motivations and sensitivities:everyone has their own specific appetites.
- Preventing psychosocial risks is the last point but not the least. It assumes specific actions:
- First, it is necessary even more than usual to develop protective factors such as recognition, autonomy... and to adapt one's relational behavior to each person:reassure, stimulate, prevent conflicts,
- It is also important to identify subjects at risk; in particular of "burn out" (too invested, sensitive to the team, perfectionist...) but also of "bore out" or "brown out" (feeling useless, lack of meaning...) in order to accompany them in an individualized way,
- It is, of course, essential to recognize people in pain and to know how to accompany them, direct them, which supposes having listed the various means existing within the structure or elsewhere (teleconsultation occupational physician, nurse , psychologist, platforms…).
