As companies navigate the coronavirus crisis, protecting the mental health and wellbeing of staff is arguably more important than ever. But it is also more challenging. The lockdown has isolated colleagues, the stresses of keeping businesses going have grown, and anxieties about personal and professional lives have piled up.
How can leaders react? Jason Sibthorpe, UK president at Avison Young, has offered some words of encouragement in the pages of EG. In this column he sets out how he and colleagues are tackling the “constant learning curve” that Covid-19 has set businesses on when it comes to keeping staff motivated, connected and informed during the toughest of times.
“While it is almost impossible to plan ahead in these unprecedented times, our aim has been to keep our employees informed on next steps and what is expected from all of us,” he writes. “Ambiguity can lead to feelings of stress and anxiety, so it is vital to be transparent and honest, even if this means sharing difficult news.”
Career worries
Difficult news – like announcing a furloughing programme. By now it feels quicker to point to real estate firms that haven’t used the government’s Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme than those that have. But its widespread acceptance won’t make the process any easier for individuals worried about what it means for their roles or career prospects.
Several industry figures shared their thoughts on how firms’ mental health initiatives can help here, and the kinds of steps that can help furloughed staff feel informed about what is happening and why, and also ensure they can choose to remain connected to colleagues even during the break.
Kindness as a measure
Companies that act with care and compassion now will be remembered for it, says Rebecca Watts of Bidwells – as will those that do not. “Companies have underestimated that this is how we will be measured,” she tells EG. “We won’t be measured on our PR, we won’t be measured on our marketing. We’ll be measured on how we conduct ourselves in these days.”
With that in mind, companies making tough decisions now could do worse than run through this checklist from Juliet Smithson at RICS charity LionHeart of some key dos and don’ts for employers to follow when furloughing. Some are technical, others less so. The simplest is certainly worth remembering: “Be kind if you can be.”
For more on real estate and mental health, visit EG’s dedicated page here.
To send feedback, e-mail tim.burke@egi.co.uk or tweet @_tim_burke or @estatesgazette
