<= Consider giving employees an extra day off
Find ways to connect with employees.
Dealing with social distancing and remote work, more employees are feeling lonely or isolated–feelings that take a toll on employees’ mental and emotional health. That’s been a big challenge for companies like financial services firm Edward Jones. Knowing that some employees were having a hard time, the firm became “intentional about equipping its leaders with ways to connect with associates–from video calls and different tools to help people feel connected, says Kristin Johnson, Edward Jones’ chief human resources officer. Johnson also began “coffee chats”–which she hosts twice a week with a partner from the organization for all 49,000 employees. The chats welcome different guests to talk about a variety of subjects–best practices on emotional health, for example, or a business topic for their branch teams. “It’s been really great to see the response of people really valuing that we stay connected when they’re not physically able to be together,” she says.
Related: Edward Jones’ coronavirus strategy: Keeping employees (virtually) connected
