Now that more and more regions are beginning to open up and come out of lockdown, it is important that we look to ways in which we can maintain team morale. Just as efforts were made to keep it high throughout COVID-19, so must we know focus on maintaining it as we go through changes once more.
Check-ins
You cannot hope to understand how team morale might be if you do not take the time to engage with your team and ensure that they are in a good headspace. Therefore, it can be wise to arrange check-ins with each of them individually to see how they are doing.
You might already have regular check-ins to talk through targets and accomplishments, perhaps on a monthly basis. At the end of the discussion, tack on a small conversation about how they feel about any upcoming changes. It is a great way to assess how team morale might be overall, and you can then begin to make plans for those who might need a little extra help.
Set reasonable goals
You need to make sure that you work with your affiliates and other members of your team to plan a roadmap for your next steps. However, any goals that you set during this time need to be reasonable and achievable. Work with each team member to come up with a list of goals that are achievable to them.
These could be on a member-by-member basis, but they could also include group goals that you can work towards together. It can feel disheartening to not meet goals, but there are many different routes that can be taken to ensure that someone is on track to make improvements. By ensuring that everyone feels well-supported and motivated, you should be able to see an upswing in team morale.
Encourage flexibility
Just as flexibility was needed when we settled into remote working and our new schedules, so must it be encouraged now as things change once more. If your team knows that you are permitting a little flexibility and the ability to change as needed, this will help them feel supported in some of their choices.
Being able to boost team morale often comes down to listening to what they need and finding a solution that works for everyone. While you will have targets to meet, you should allow for a little flexibility to allow your team to adjust to this new period in our lives.
The coming months are likely to be filled with a lot of change, particularly as some places move between reopening and lockdown several times. Maintaining team morale and striving to meet goals and targets will be incredibly important throughout this period. Keep communication with your team open and strong, so that no one feels like they have been left alone without any motivation. This is going to be a difficult period for all, but you can ensure that your team gets through it together with the right attitude.
