[Comm-Council] Helpful Employee Message

[BECKER Cindy * DAS DO]

Greetings:

 

The message below has been helpful to employees during times of crisis.
Please use it as you feel appropriate.

 

Cindy

 

 

 
This is the text-only, printer-friendly version of 'Helping Employees Cope' 
Its permanent web address is:
http://www.inc.com/articles/leadership_strat/crisis/disaster_response/23490.
html
<http://www.inc.com/articles/leadership_strat/crisis/disaster_response/23490
.html>  

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Helping Employees Cope 

By: Emily Barker 
October 01, 2001

When a terrorist attack destroyed the World Trade Center and part of the
Pentagon on September 11, business--and the employees who conduct
it--stopped short at companies across the country. For companies that faced
terrible human losses or had their operations physically disrupted, the
struggle to keep the business operating is an obvious challenge. But even at
businesses not directly affected by the physical and emotional trauma,
workers were often overwhelmed with grief and fear. 

For many CEOs, rallying employees, and keeping the business operational in
the wake of national tragedy is a daunting proposition. Luckily, when you're
managing and motivating a workforce in times of crisis, simple remedies are
often most effective. 

*	Listen. "People have to be able to hear each other and have to be
able to listen to people's stories," says grief researcher Phyllis
Silverman, author of, among other studies on grief, Never Too Young to Know:
Death in Children's Lives. Advises Ed Ruda, a human resources consultant
with Chicago-based Ruda Cohen & Associates: "Get small groups together and
let them talk their feelings out. The more they do that, the more they can
relax on the job." 
*	Be visible. "What management needs to do is be available," says
consultant John Kerlish of Lancaster, Pa.-based Human Resources Management
Associates. "Business owners and key managers should be out on the floor...
taking time to show that they care how [employees] feel about things." Be
generous with praise, adds Ruda. "This is the time for a pat on the back for
every little positive achievement on the job." 
*	Turn off the TV. Limit the amount of news coverage that employees
see during the course of the workday, says Kerlish. 
*	Help employees contribute. Turning feelings of grief to constructive
purposes is a way of honoring those who have died, Silverman points out.
Organizing a blood drive, collect relief supplies, or support other types of
charitable activity with company support will make employees feel better,
says Kerlish. "Get people to focus on the good things that are happening out
there," he says. 
*	Remind employees of available resources. If Employee Assistance
Programs (EAP) is part of your company's health care plan, now's the time to
remind employees of its availability. Otherwise, direct employees to local
crisis centers which can offer professional counseling at minimal cost. 
*	Watch for physical symptoms. Persistent sleeplessness, loss of
appetite, excessive anger, crying, loss of focus, distraction, newfound
inability to deal with pressure--these may be signals that an employee needs
extra help dealing with his or her emotions. 
*	Give it time. If employees say that they now find their jobs trivial
or meaningless after the events of September 11, Ruda counsels patience.
"Ask people to please reserve judgment for another week. What companies have
to do is buy time, they just have to buy time to let people's emotions get
back to normal," he says. 

It's also important to realize that "normal" may be a relative term. "One
dilemma we face as Americans who grieve is we want to be able to get through
this quickly," says Silverman. "[But in the face of] this kind of loss one
is forever different... None of us are going to be the same. We're always
going to be looking over our shoulder a little bit." 

Emily Barker <mailto:emily.barker at inc.com>  is a senior staff writer at Inc
magazine. 

Copyright (c) 2001 Inc.com LLC 

More follow-ups related to the Sept. 11 attacks:
Business Insurance: A 12-Point <http://www2.inc.com/search/23492.html>
Checklist
Disaster Recovery Planning 101 <http://www2.inc.com/search/23491.html> 
Where to Turn for Help <http://www2.inc.com/search/23494.html> 
Resources for Affected <http://www2.inc.com/search/23453.html>  Businesses

  _____  


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23490

 

______________________

Cindy Becker

DAS

Assistant Director

503-378-2627

cindy.becker at das.state.or.us

 

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