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Talking with your team about uncertain times
Change is a common part of businesss. However, it does have an impact on your business and your people.
Talking with your employees about their wellbeing and challenges facing your business is not always straight forward. But, managed the right way, it can lead to positive impacts, like new ideas, products, services, or ways of doing business. Here’s a round-up of tips and helpful resources on how you can talk with your team about uncertain times.
Benefits of supporting your team
Change is a common cause of stress and anxiety at work, especially sudden and unexpected change.
It makes good business sense to support your people and treat them fairly. Plus, it’s required by health and safety and employment laws. So, this is a great place to start.
Workers who feel happy and safe are more productive and more likely to represent your business in a positive light.
Business benefits of good mental wellbeing(external link) — Ignite Aotearoa
Te Whare Tapa Whā(external link) — Mental Health Foundation
Support your staff through personal challenges with our guide.
How to navigate difficult conversations
Be open and honest
The best thing you can do is to talk openly and honestly. This might be in one-on-one check-ins or in team talks, depending on the topic and any need for confidentiality. Be supportive. Remember everyone’s situation is different. It’s OK not to have all the answers. But do assure your staff you’ll give updates and share information as it comes to hand.
The aim is to help your people manage stress levels and prepare for what might be to come. Make sure you know the warning signs of stress — you’ll find helpful factsheets on the Mental Health Foundation website.
Minimising and managing workplace stress(external link) — Mental Health Foundation
Normalise wellbeing
It helps to talk about wellbeing regularly and openly. Let everyone know it’s common to feel stress, anger or anxiety in uncertain times.
Regularly remind your people where to find support. This could be:
- regular wellbeing check-ins with you or a trusted colleague
- advice from their union, if they belong to one
- online wellbeing and mental health resources
- free and confidential counselling services, such as call or text 1737.
Counselling may also be available via an employee assistance programme.
It’s a good idea to put wellbeing practices into place. Ask your team what will help them find balance and boost wellbeing. Try using the Mental Health Foundation’s Five Ways to Wellbeing as a guide:
- Be active, eg team yoga class or walking meetings.
- Give, eg fundraising to support a local charity.
- Take notice, eg deep breathing exercises.
- Keep learning, eg on-the-job skill sharing.
- Connect, eg shared lunch or team bake-off.
Five Ways to Wellbeing(external link) — Mental Health Foundation
Someone with high wellbeing feels good, functions well, is satisfied with life, develops as a person, and has strong relationships.
This is how the Mental Health Foundation defines wellbeing.
Talking about cost-cutting
Many businesses are having to make hard decisions about how they operate, whether it’s reducing hours, redundancies, or changing how they operate. All directly affect your employees, with the potential to affect their finances, working relationships, home life and wellbeing.
Communicate clearly and often, with information that’s simple to understand, relevant and factual. Emphasise care for each other and solidarity. Don’t offer false hope or reassurance. If there’s nothing new to communicate — or you are still working out plans — let people know.
Consulting with your workers helps ease the stress of uncertainty. It’s also a required part of any restructuring process or other changes to people’s employment conditions.
You might be able to offer alternative benefits or make changes that help your business and your employees. For example, it’s a good idea to review and update how you handle leave, flexible working, and health and safety. This may involve updating any written policies or procedures. This is a good opportunity to engage your staff and let them in on the behind-the-scenes operations.
You may also need to review and update your employment agreements. Try our online tools to build plain English policies and employment agreements.
Make room for fresh ideas
People don’t always agree. If you want your workers to feel valued, engaged and trusted, they need to be able to voice their opinions – even if they’re not your own.
Navigating a difference of opinion might not come naturally, but listening to different ideas and viewpoints rather than shutting them down, could lead to places you wouldn’t get to your own. Effectively resolving conflicts within your company can build a strong and diverse team that will keep fresh ideas and creativity flowing.
Find opportunities to:
- not interrupt the other person or disagree or evaluate what they’re saying
- let the other person know you’re paying attention by nodding or saying ‘yes’ or ‘I see’
- repeat back the gist of what they’re saying. Paraphrase it into your own words, to show you’ve been listening and understand what they’re saying
- ask questions. This shows you’ve been paying attention and helps move that discussion forward. Try to ask open-ended questions that need more than a one- or two-word answer
- identify emotions. Giving the other person’s feelings a name shows you’re identifying with how they feel. For example, “You sound pretty hurt. I can see how it doesn’t seem fair.”
Active listening is the first step in understanding each other’s point of view. It leads to empathy, rapport, influence, and change. It helps build the foundations of trust within your team.
Calming down others in conflict
To develop your conflict resolution skills, we put together a 5-minute video and some guidance that can help you resolve conflict in your workplace. Take a look. With conflict expert Stephanie Rumble.