How To Overcome Fear and Anxiety During COVID-19 Pandemic?
In this article you will find advice on:
– Why do you need to overcome fear and anxiety during the Covid-19 crisis
– How to motivate your employees to stay creative and positive
– How to be optimistic about your future
There are many theories circling about the Covid-19 at the moment. Some say that the entire thing is a hoax, others live in immense fear of the disease. It seems like a never ending debate, but one thing is for sure.
The absolute truth about the Covid 19 pandemic is, that the global economy is suffering greatly. While companies like Zoom, Amazon, Purell, and Netflix are growing like never before, most of the businesses are struggling with the current situation.
There is a lot of uncertainty in the market place and many of the companies aren’t sure if they will survive the following winter.
The times are especially difficult because we have nothing to compare them to. The death toll is getting larger every day and nobody has any idea what tomorrow will bring.
It is absolutely vital to stay calm and open-minded in these difficult times and we have to overcome fear and anxiety to survive this crisis. How can we stay positive in these negative times?
Besides the fact that our movement is limited more and more every day, one of the biggest issues is the extremely low morale spreading worldwide.
There are many reasons for low morale. One of the reasons for low morale is that we have much lesser human interactions because of the quarantine. The other is that people split into two groups and you can witness public social media outrages daily from both sides.
Fear and anxiety are harming your company’s productivity
The Pandemic seems to be the only topic between breaks and even during work time. The company owners are worried about what the future will bring for their business, the employees are worried about their position in the company.
Many companies are doing a lot of downsizing, which brings a lot of uncertainty to the workers in most of the braches. In times when a lot of the people are losing their jobs, getting a new job seems even more challanging.
There is a lot of fear in the air, and fear is never a good driving force for productivity. Ambition and happiness are the drivers we are looking for when we want to create a productive work environment.
Why do we need to overcome fear and anxiety?
Even if we take out the time-consuming and energy-draining conversations about Covid19, we still have a lot of anxiety going around. Anxiety in the workplace brings low productivity and bad results. Why is that?
When people spend 50% of the time worrying about their future, they aren’t focused on new opportunities for the company. When we are afraid, it is much harder to pick up the phone and make new sales, when our belief in the survival of the company is dropping every day. Fear and anxiety are the cause of low motivation, and low motivation is the cause for bad sales results.
At the times when we must try our hardest, we perform at our lowest like we were in an energy-saving mode.
Unfortunately, in this case, we aren’t bears and this isn’t just a winter we can sleep through.
You can hear some of the business owners say: “We must just wait this out and we will see what the future will bring. Let’s just keep doing what we were doing this far.” or “This isn’t the time to invest or innovate, we are just trying to hold on to what we have”.
They are in survival mode, and are just waiting in fear for what the future will bring.
Now is the time to take the future in our own hands and turn the negativity to positivity. After the crisis there will be winners and there will be losers. Make sure you pick the winning side.
How can I turn the negativity into positivity?
This isn’t a one-trick job.
Instead, there are several things you can do to start turning your company into a productive workplace with a positive attitude step by step. Here are some things you can do:
Create a safe environment
Getting sick isn’t going to help your chances no matter what you believe in. Wear masks, get disinfecting stations, and keep in mind the appropriate distance between your team and the customers. Feeling safe is vital to the survival of your company.
Keep your employees in the loop
There is nothing worse than feeling fear from your superiors and not knowing what is going on with the company. Keep your employees updated about your company’s progress and challenges. Involve them as a crucial part of your growth and increase their loyalty.
Reward innovation
The times are changing faster than ever and staying behind, while your competitors automate their processes and modernize their company, will get you out of the race even before the crisis ends. Reward your employees for coming up with great ideas. When they switch their minds from fear and anxiety to ambition and progress they will immensely increase your company’s chances of getting out on top.
Limit the COVID-19 talks
Talking about the crisis won’t bring any positive outcome unless you are talking about the opportunity it brings. Limit the talks to one meeting per week, where you discuss the changes and the opportunities the crisis brings to your market. Focus on the growth instead of fears!
Equip your employees with new knowledge
Promote educating your employees. Enroll them in seminars that will equip them with the knowledge to innovate and bring your company to the next level. New skills will make them feel like they can contribute more, and they will!
Promote healthy lifestyle
Have you heard of the saying “We are what we eat.”? It is almost impossible to maintain a healthy mind in an unhealthy body. Order fruit baskets for your office and organize a morning routine for your employees. Workout and meditation can do wonders for the company’s morale.
Renew your company's values
If there was ever a time to stand united, this is it. Make sure your employees know what your company stands for and what are the values that hold you together. If you aren’t sure what values you have as a company, make sure you find out.
Start at the top
The head has to lead the body. Make sure your managers live your company’s values.
If the management lives in scarcity and doesn’t know what a vision of the company is, then you are in trouble. Your employees will sense the fear and it will spread like wildfire. Soon their main discussion at coffee breaks will be their search for more stable jobs. And we don’t want that.
Train your managers to find discipline and motivation in these hard times. Enroll them in courses that will enhance their EQ and help them overcome fear and anxiety. Positive leadership is what we need right now.
Exit the survival mode and focus on the future
Instead of waiting for what the future will bring, take the future into your own hands.
Pivot your business if necessary. Your employees and your customers are your biggest asset. Keep that in mind when you evolve your business to the next level.
Once you will see a clear vision of the future, make sure you transfer that vision to your employees. Everything is easier when you have a purpose and a common goal. Create a better future instead of just trying to survive.
When your team will feel the enthusiasm coming from the top, they will start opening their eyes to new opportunities and suddenly Covid-19 won’t bring so much fear and anxiety to your workplace.
Look at the pandemic as an opportunity to get ahead
Separate yourself from the crowd. Pick the winning side and start to level up.
When the times are golden, almost everyone is doing great. Now is the best chance to get ahead of your competitors.
Don’t just focus on the business. Focus on your employees. You want to fill them with ambition, vision, and positivity so they can focus on growing your company.
According to research, happiness is one of the main deciding factors of a productive work environment. When we are happy, we are full of ideas and courage. When we are fearful, we only wish to keep what we already have. There is no progress without happiness, so keep that in mind when you conduct your next team meeting.
“If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your customers.“
“Weiji” is a Chinese word for crisis, which is structured from two characters. The first one is “Wei” which means “danger” and the second one is “ji” which means a change point or a pivotal juncture, which you can also interpret as an opportunity.
It is up to you on which part of the crisis you will put your focus on.
Overcome fear and anxiety with the right help
Even the most driven leaders, sometimes need assistance to help their employees overcome fear and anxiety in the times of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is an ideal time to upgrade your business.
Investing in a productive and positive work environment is an investment that brings a 10-fold return.
Feel free to contact us if you need help with this.
Now we’d like to hear from you!
We really want to know how you motivate your employees to stay positive. What is your approach?
0 Comments