21 March 2020
People Factors During the COVID-19 Virus Crisis
During any crisis it is essential not to overlook the people factors. We need to consider the psychological factors that may impact on people, teams and your entire organisation.
Individual resilience is an important concept when considering people factors in a crisis such as the present Pandemic. This is the ability to recover from negative events by using positive emotions. Some people are simply better at this and others, due to many factors. So, the first important point is:
- People may respond in many varied ways.
Due to their past experiences of trauma, their upbringing, experiences and even their genetic makeup, may impact on how people react in any given situation. People react differently to stressful situations.
It is also vital to remember that what everyone is experiencing, be it fear, anxiety, anger or even dismissal, is a normal reaction to the crisis. So, point two is:
- Whatever you are experiencing it is a normal reaction to an abnormal event
Not everyone copes with a crisis or traumatic event in the same way. Some people experience acute distress from which they are unable to recover. Some people seem to recover quickly but then begin to experience unexpected mental health problems. However, most people manage the temporary upheaval after a crisis or traumatic event remarkably well. It is important that HR Departments have services available to assist people with their mental health. This can be occupational health services, mental-health first-aid and preferably an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP). An EAP offers free, professional, confidential counselling to all employees and their immediate family. Sponsored by their organisation. So, the third point is:
- Have an Employee Assistance Programme Available for your staff
If you do not have an EAP, giving all employees access to a licensed mental health professional, such as a counsellor or psychologist, can be essential.
The COVID-19 Virus Crisis will end. What your organisation and your HR department does now will be remembered. A positive and compassionate response will improve engagement, loyalty and retention in the future.
The speaker is a very experienced Business Psychologist and a Senior Consultant to AZTech. He has worked with many major crisis and traumatic events worldwide. He was the Lead Consultant to the Sydney Olympic Games on Risk Management and Trauma Support, he coordinated and trained Chinese Psychologists providing trauma counselling to the survivors of the Wenchuan earthquake. He regularly runs courses on HRM and Leadership topics.
To know more about AZTech’s Human Resource Management Training Courses, please visit https://aztechtraining.com/training-courses/human-resource-management. You may also send email to [email protected] or call +971 4 427 5400.
