Nearly six months of living with the coronavirus is beginning to take a toll on Americans: The Kaiser Family Foundation recently released a poll showing that a majority of U.S. adults (53 percent) say the pandemic has adversely affected their mental health. Your employees are likely feeling the strain, too.
With cases surging in parts of the country and some reopening efforts delayed or rolled back, Jennifer Senior, the New York Times reporter and bestselling author, recently wrote that many Americans are hitting a kind of wall. “Call it pandemic fatigue; call it the summer poop-out; call it whatever you wish,” she wrote. “Any label, at this point, would probably be too trivializing, belying what is in fact a far deeper problem. We are not, as a nation, all right.”
The effects can be especially profound for retail workers who may be worried about their own health and wellbeing. That’s why it’s important for owners and managers to keep communication lines clear, explained Glenna Hecht, founder of Humanistic Consulting, who has spoken at numerous events for the Society of American Florists and consulted with floral industry businesses.
“We have all received a flurry of articles offering guidance regarding reopening the workplace during the pandemic,” Hecht writes in the July/August issue of Floral Management. “Safety guidelines are vitally important and need to be immediately put into place. The most important ‘to do’ in reopening the workplace, however, is helping instill confidence and a sense of calm with your employees.”
How can you do that? Hecht suggests asking the following four questions:
- What would make you feel comfortable coming back to the workplace?
- What are your areas of concern about working in this environment?
- What suggestions do you have to deal with those concerns?
- What ideas or suggestions do you have to shift the business and our offerings in this next phase of COVID-19?
“You cannot address concerns or make the best decisions for reopening or pivoting your business if you have not asked these questions to the people most affected,” she added. “This requires courage, vulnerability, and being open to listen when you do not know what you will hear.”
Read more of the July/August issue, including advice from florists on how they are adapting operations to the new environment.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.
