As an employer, you can help employees address their legitimate feelings of fear and anxiety in three ways. You can assist people to feel safe, or at least educated, economically. You can pay attention to and employ procedures that will ensure their physical well-being. You can create a work environment that supports employees mentally and emotionally.
Recommended Actions During War
Make Sure People Are Safe
Assess the potential vulnerability of your workplace to activities of war, terrorism, or any potential danger, disaster, or threat. Your first course of action is to take every necessary step to ensure the safety of your workplace. Assess risk and vulnerability; implement a disaster plan, that identifies potential disasters; and train all staff members in the appropriate procedures for each potential event.
Every disaster plan should designate a meeting location so you know the members of your work force are safe. Additionally, every disaster plan should include an employee call list (call tree) so that you can notify employees before they come to work in the event of problems at the workplace.
Counsel Executives About Appropriate Crisis Communication
During any stressful, fearful event, employees look to executive managers for leadership and communication. People want to know what is happening and the potential impact of the events on their employment and safety.
Employ every possible method to keep communication open and frequent, the Intranet, the newsletter, paging systems, cell phones, and meetings. Keep the message communicated as consistent and soothing as possible while maintaining truthfulness. Make HR staff people and managers visibly available for communication.
The more legitimate information people have, the less likely they are to depend on rumors, the less time they spend seeking information.
There's more the employer can do to combat fear in the workplace.
