Even those organisations which have strong reputations for supporting their people, are finding that the pressures brought about this year by Covid are adversely affecting their people ‘from the top to the front-line’. My experiences as a coach and HR professional this year have shown me that most organisations are experiencing increases in poor mental health, workload overwhelm, increased feelings of isolation and also people’s confidence has taken a knock. Team and individual relationships are also being negatively impacted. For some, relationships are becoming more distanced; for others, strained i.e. people may be working in close proximity but the burden of strict regulation takes its toll. Low-lying conflict and every day grumbles can seem magnified because people don’t have the opportunities they used to, for meeting up informally, chatting by the water cooler, going for lunch, etc and sorting things out between themselves. Engagement is the mainstay of everyday, good work relationships and it has taken a considerable pounding this year. As a consequence, when grumbles and feelings of disengagement are left ‘unattended to’, it can adversely affect everyone in the team and obstruct great customer and client care whilst the bad feeling or fraught relationships drag on.
TalkTrue’s Better Conversations Programme, group and individual coaching programmes can open up a rekindling, reconnecting and can reignite the ability to relate to others. This matters even more so in challenging times – it becomes an imperative not simply a ‘nice-to-have’.
Carmel Millar MSc, MA, MCIPD
Recent Comments