Maintaining Remote Team Morale Amid COVID-19 Crisis

As the Chief of Staff of a national organization that was already 73% remote before this pandemic, I have had to come up with ways to make remote teams feel connected for a long time. Now more than ever, however, I have found myself pulling out every idea and every trick up my sleeve to make sure our staff feels cared for and united. It has been tricky for us so I can only imagine how difficult it must be if you’ve never had to do this kind of strategizing before.

Here are some tips for any organizational leaders who are finding it particularly challenging to keep morale up during this time of crisis:

1. Update Policies. The first step to making teams feel supported by leadership is by making it official. My organization rolled out Emergency PTO for staff members to use (without dipping into their personal PTO or sick day banks) for any coronavirus-related issue such as school closures, housing adjustments, or simply to tend to mental health and stress. Adjusting personnel policies, hours, benefit packages and other protocols will be essential for boosting newly-remote team morale. For those of you at larger corporations that may require more hoops to jump through to make these kinds of changes, fight for your people (even knowing that may ease some team concerns)— and in the interim, change what you can control even if it's just half day Fridays or new 10AM start times.
2. Expect & Prepare for Lower Productivity. If you’re expecting business as usual, you’re in for a big disappointment. This is an unusual time and it affects people circumstantially and emotionally, so you need to be ready for that. That may mean speaking to stakeholders, funders, or investors about adjusting expectations so that you can ease the burden of external pressure. You may need to spell that out for your team members. No one is going to just assume that it’s ok not to get everything done right now. Help your team members by walking through their work loads and identifying top priorities while making room for some things to fall by the wayside. The sooner you accept this reality the more equipped your team will be to deliver on what is realistic and reasonable.
3. Maintain Extra Communication. Daily check-ins might seem excessive at first but they will quickly prove to be essential in helping your colleagues feel like they are still a part of a team. If you are managing managers, make sure they are too. No matter what the purpose of a virtual meeting, ask about how people are doing first. Sometimes this might mean that previously created agendas go out the window. That’s ok! If you don’t give your colleagues an outlet right now it can lead to resentment and dissociation. Now that they are out of sight, you must be sure to keep them top of mind.
4. Remind People That They are Valued: These are strange times. Under duress, everyone could use more encouragement and reminders of their value. It is incumbent upon leaders especially to make sure to do that for their teams. Send out random emails, messages via Gchat or Slack, pick up the phone, or send a special care package; just remind people that they are valued. You couldn’t do this without them and that’s a fact. Don’t be afraid of telling them that over and over again. Feeling needed and useful can be really helpful during a time where folks are feeling otherwise out of control. It’ll go a long way.
5. Bring Folks Together. Virtual happy hour, anyone? By now you’ve probably seen celebrities and museums hosting virtual concerts and tours. While it definitely won’t replicate the intimacy and fun of getting together in person, bringing staff together on an online platform will provide your team with a much-needed outlet for unwinding, emoting, laughing or simply stepping away from reality for a bit. One person should serve as a “host” to engage folks if they’re quiet and to throw out some general questions. And, of course, have people bring their beverage of choice along to make it really interesting!

Every group culture will have different needs as folks learn how to adjust to this new normal. It behooves leadership teams to think quickly and strategically about providing extra support right now. Maintaining a semblance of normalcy and intimacy during this strange time will be essential. If something doesn’t go over well with the group, try something else. Don’t give up; your team needs this more than you know.

Good luck!