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Leading
Your Workforce During Wartime
Gregory P. Smith
 In the days and weeks
since the war began, the workforce has been on an emotional roller
coaster. People fallen to terrible lows of fear, anger and frustration,
risen to mountain top experiences of patriotism, and fallen again. On and
on it goes. While no one knows the when the war will end, one fact is
indisputable: the out-of-control emotions of our employees will
have an impact on our organizations. How can business leaders lead
in the wake of this situation?
No two people will
respond to these events in exactly the same way. Some may seem unaffected,
others may exhibit out-of-the-ordinary behavior, and still others may
react in dramatic ways.
Managers have a
critical role to play in these uncertain times; indeed, how managers treat
their employees today will continue to resonate tomorrow. Managers need a
strategy for helping their companies get through the current crisis. I
offer the following 10 steps—which is organized under the acronym TAKE
CHARGE—for managing, motivating and leading your employees in these
difficult times:
T-Target
fears and anxiety. Employers
who act appropriately and provide a supportive workplace will go a long
way to improve retention and loyalty after worklife returns to normal.
People traverse through a span of emotions during wartime beginning with
concerns over their individual safety, their family, their friends, their
job and finally their financial security. Managers should have plans to
address each of these concerns in order of importance.
A-Accept
the fact performance and productivity will drop.
People respond differently in crisis situations. Expect to see lower
attendance, difficulty concentrating, refusal to fly on airplanes, and
requests for sick leave and increased absenteeism-all normal responses.
People will need to talk more, natural aspect of dealing with the war. The
more they talk the healthier the organization becomes.
K-Keep
communication open. Information
is powerful—an energy source. Meet with staff members at all levels to
identify concerns, as well as to promote resources and other services. Use
focus groups and town hall meetings to help people deal with the crisis.
Keep websites updated and provide a place for people to watch or listen to
the news at the workplace.
E-Educate
managers and supervisors.
Front-line supervisors and middle management are the backbone of the
organization and the first-line of defense. Training should include how to
identify and reduce stress, as well as how to refer individuals to
professional assistance if needed.
C-Calm,
confident and compassionate leadership style.
Don’t underestimate the importance of your personal leadership style.
Simple expressions of concern and consideration go a long way. Managers
should compartmentalize their own personal feelings.
H-Help
those in need first. First and
foremost-make no assumptions on how people feel in time of crisis. Some
individuals may need professional assistance—so insure they understand how
to access the employee assistance program. (EAP) Family members and
employees activated for military service are particularly vulnerable.
Identify employees who have family members in the military and also know
those employees who are in the reserve and National Guard. Insure they
know, by law, employees activated for military service will be guaranteed
a job when they return from active duty.
A-Allow
people to display their emotions-People
are as diverse as their emotions and they display them in different ways.
Allow them to display flags, peace symbols, and other mementoes in good
taste. Some companies have made provisions for their employees’ spiritual
and emotional health.
R-Restrict
negative behavior. No matter
how you feel about the war, make sure you draw the line to prevent abuse,
harassment and venting of their anger on other people. Make clear, in no
uncertain terms that behavior of this sort will not be tolerated and will
be dealt with in the strictness terms.
G-Get
people to focus on a higher calling.
War and terrorism creates psychological
damage on individual self worth. It violates them and attempts to
rob them of control over their life. Management’s role is to help give
control back to people to focus, to motivate them toward a cause where
they can make a difference. So therefore, encouraging employees to help
with a charity, donate blood, sending gift boxes, or to focus on something
to give them a feeling of control will motivate people to move on.
E-Expect
and plan for the inevitable. It
is everyone's hope this conflict ends soon with a minimum loss of life.
However, you should plan how your organization will respond to those employees
and their family members who may lose their lives or become Prisoners of
War while serving on active duty. Decide now about sending representatives
to attend funerals, sending flowers, or other expressions of condolence.
Keep your disaster plans and emergency notification rosters updated.
Prepare yourself for what could be a long and emotional campaign.
Embracing these ten
steps is not only the right thing to do; it is the smart thing to
do from a business standpoint. Your employees will remember how you
treated them and their family members during this highly emotional time.
If you want your organization to be a place the best and the brightest
will want to work in the future, you must be very careful what you do in
the here and now.
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Greg Smith is a
nationally recognized speaker, author, and business performance
consultant. He is a former military officer and served in the U.S. Army
for twenty years. He has written numerous books including his latest,
Here Today, Here Tomorrow: Transforming Your Workforce from High
Turnover to High Retention. Greg has been featured on television
programs such as Bloomberg News, PBS television, and in publications
including Business Week, USA Today, Kiplinger's, President and CEO,
and the Christian Science Monitor. He is the President and "Captain
of the Ship" of a management-consulting firm, Chart Your Course
International, located in Atlanta, Georgia. Phone him at 770-860-9464.
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