Home you go!! Leadership Tips for your WFH teams during COVID-19 Pandemic

With COVID-19 (coronavirus) spreading across the world, we must all heed the warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and limit person-to-person contact to protect ourselves and our communities. As a result, so many teams are working from home, which for some may be somewhat challenging. If you are leading a home-based team you may want to consider some of the following guidance:

COVID-19:

· Forward all information you receive from Senior Leadership/Company HR re: COVID-19 to your teams and reinforce with your own personal note.

· Place your team’s health first. Make it clear to your employees and contractors that if they are sick — especially if they are experiencing symptoms such as a cough, shortness of breath or fever — that they follow their physician’s guidance.

· Remind employees to wash hands frequently, to get enough sleep, try to exercise – even if indoors - and if possible, eat a nutritious diet.

· Reinforce that you will get through this as a team.

Working from home:

As leaders it is our job to be patient with the stress and sudden disruption that working from home may cause. One of the hardest things for those unaccustomed to working from home is the lack of structure. Consider how you can help to build that structure through regular meetings, email and touchpoints - you know your teams best. Here are a few ideas:

· Maybe you need to have a meeting at the beginning and end of the day.

· Maybe you need to add a few 1:1 meetings – even if just 5-10 min to mimic hallway conversations and touchpoints. It is not checking up it is checking in.

· Use zoom video to help people feel more connected.

· But also, be flexible. With families at home, some may need to work more after the kids have gone to sleep or early before the whole family gets going.

· Be creative, try things, adjust and readjust.

Now is a great time to reinforce creativity and collaboration as well as wellness. Hone your leadership skills, show up and bring comfort to your teams. At the end of the day we are all working in a new and possibly uncomfortable situation doing the very best we can.