Leading in a Pandemic: 5 types of calls every leader needs to make at the workplace
By | Akash Chander | Managing Director & Facilitator at Strengthscape Everything DiSC Authorized Partner
With the second wave of covid 19 mercilessly plunging through the masses and claiming the lives of many, one’s resilience and coping is truly put to test; not only to ensure that people follow their day-to-day activities for sustenance, but also continue to uphold their professional responsibilities by meeting the requirements of their employers.
This being said, the effectiveness of business leaders is yet another factor that is bound to be put to test in accordance with the professional and moral predicaments that they see themselves in lately. One key domain where a leader can mitigate the ramifications of a pandemic on their employees, is simply by making simple, yet sensitive phone calls, to ensure that the well-being of employees are well in the thoughts of the leader.
Few of these calls include:
- The No-show call: An employee not turning up for work even for a day is a clear signal for a leader to pick up the phone and give a call to ask whether everything is alright. Now, a day’s leave may not necessarily mean that something may have gone wrong; but it certainly doesn’t hurt in asking. Similarly, the more days an employee has taken leave, more the reason to call and understand, as well as offer assistance where required.
- The Avoid-App call: While instant messaging applications do a shift job at getting the message across, it often lacks the personal touch that a phone call offers. Given the current state of affairs, many have faced losses and grievances in varying proportions, either within a secondary network, or within one’s own family or friend’s circle. Thus, leaders must align with the practice of calling these employees facing these hardships directly on the phone (keeping in mind time sensitivities), as opposed to sending across a text messages for the same.
