During uncertain times, there may be no such thing as overcommunication. Lakeview Industries employs about 100 employees, 20 in the office and the rest working on the manufacturing floor in shipping and receiving.
It’s a diverse workforce with people from different backgrounds, ethnicities and language skills, says Bryce Segna, chief financial officer of the Carver-based rubber fabrication and molding manufacturer.
This created some challenges last March, on top of the basic uncertainties associated with the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, he says, adding that especially early on there was a lot of uncertainty and not a lot of answers.
“The biggest challenge has been how do we communicate,” he says. “You always have some folks who say ‘I’ve got it, you don’t have to keep telling me.’ And other folks say ‘I want to know more.’ We took the stance when the pandemic first started and we were entering that quarantine lockdown phase one, there was a lot of ‘we don’t know what to tell you.’”
Segna acknowledges that the company hasn’t handled everything perfectly. But he adds that staff seems to have embraced their honesty and transparency, along with their willingness to seek out answers to questions.
“We made the decision as a management team that we’re going to say what we know and we’re going to be honest about what we don’t know,” he says. “And we’re going to do a daily point of communication for everybody.”
Daily communication, following through
For office staff that had been sent home, that meant a daily phone call that sometimes lasted an hour, sometimes lasted five minutes. The same was true for those who were still working on site. During those calls, they also asked “How are you doing?” pushing for more than the perfunctory “I’m fine.”
“Our leaders, we had to be more transparent,” he says, adding that employees and management have done more empathizing, sharing when they are struggling with balance or acting up kids. And, when problems have arisen, management has tried to be flexible and helpful.
The company did what it could to keep people working, pivoting to face shield production instead of shutting down during the pandemic. Lakeview also has modified schedules for employees who had to deal with distance learning challenges. And managers have recommended the company’s employee assistance program more this year than in years past.
“I think folks are much more comfortable saying ‘I’m going through something, I need that resource,” Segna says. “I think that’s developed a level of trust within our organization for being able to, when we have work problems we have to discuss, have more safe conversations. We have a relationship. ‘Bryce knows what I’m going through.’ We’ve been able to have better conversations.”
Daily communication helped Eagan-based All In One Accounting try to stay aware of employee needs and concerns, as well.
All In One has a history of caring for its employees’ wellbeing. It starts at the top. Founder and CEO Heide Olson famously conducts her workday while walking at a treadmill desk and she has provided the same for employees who find it compelling.
And not going into the office wasn’t a problem either, as more than 60% of the company’s work was already done remotely.
“We love having people in the office,” she says. “It’s great when they are here because we can collaborate, have meetings. I love the vibe, but people don’t have to come in. They have a lot of flexibility.”
So, when COVID-19 shutdowns hit, the company was more ready to carry on than most. But that doesn’t mean there weren’t significant challenges. Olson immediately closed the office, allowing everyone to work from home as long as they wished.
“My first priority was my team’s safety, and making sure that their health and wellbeing and their families’ health and wellbeing were covered,” she says, adding that for three months she was the only person in the office.
She went into ultra-communication mode. Leadership huddled daily and management met weekly with accountants and controllers with that leadership group present, making sure all 55 employees were checked in on and letting them know that despite the challenges — All in One’s business took a 25% hit for the year — she had never laid anyone off and had no plans to start.
“It was a chance for all of us to be together,” she says. “Having leadership there made a big difference.”
As Paycheck Protection Program loans started rolling out, the staff was working tirelessly to help clients, but also dealing with the stresses of distance learning and having children at home, creating balance issues.
“It was a really intense time,” she says. “People were having not only physical concerns, but mental concerns. Mentally it was challenging for our team.”
Then, when civil unrest following the death of George Floyd at the hands of then-Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin took hold during the spring, some employees whose spouses are police officers added yet another stressor. The company adapted work schedules or reduced hours for some, offered leaves of absence for other.
“There was a lot happening,” she says. “We just continued to support our team from a mental health standpoint, a physical health standpoint, what do you need to survive right now. We really just supported whatever it was they needed.”
Not rocket science
Tyler Arvig, medical director at R3 Continuum, has been wrestling with these challenges himself. His wife is a special ed teacher and has responsibilities with her school, so distance learning with his pre-teen son has largely fallen into his hands. So, he knows firsthand the struggles his employees and clients have faced the last year.
“I am definitely not a teacher,” he says.
Arvig says companies need to acknowledge those feelings with their employees these days as part of their daily existence. And, they need to know that there is more to come. As the pandemic restrictions subside, going back into the office is going to create anxiety for some employees. Be ready to deal with that, he adds.
Make sure employees are checked in with and feeling supported. It can be challenging — managers, he says, typically are promoted because they are good at their jobs, not because they have extensive training on mental health management.
“We’re so used to focusing on helping our employees with the work we don’t often think about those other pieces,” he says. “Prior to the past 12 to 18 months, I wasn’t very involved in my employees’ personal lives. But now that they’ve been working from home, trying to balance work and a personal life, there’s not really a firm boundary there anymore.”
But the steps — checking in, making sure employees feel comfortable being honest about how they are doing, providing them with some resources for help if they need it — aren’t terribly difficult with some foresight.
“None of this stuff is overly difficult or rocket science,” he says.
And it can be mutually beneficial. A struggling employee is going to be less productive and contribute less to the bottom line. But, Arvig says, an employee who receives some help and who feels cared for may become more loyal.
It may be better being small
While large companies may arguably have a larger toolbox of resources, it might actually be easier for small businesses to do this well because they’re more flexible and capable of checking in with employees frequently.
Managers and C-level employees need to know what resources are available, but should also know some of the details so they can pass them along. EAPs usually are available, but they are rarely utilized. Make it a priority.
“Even though they might not have the breadth of resources of a multi-thousand employee population company, there are more personal relationships there,” Arvig says. “That can really help with this process, as well.”
Truly caring builds loyalty
Companies that truly do a good job of taking on that communication and understanding of their employees’ emotional and mental health needs during difficult times can really deepen those relationships for the long-term, says Jaime Taets, CEO of the Keystone Group.
She agrees that checking in with employees is a must, but adds that when done right, it can become a competitive advantage. Create an open dialogue. Hold employee focus groups. Really, truly listen.
During a time like this, if you can show them you care about their basic human needs, such as certainty, significance and growth, you can build loyalty that will pay off in the future, she says.
Keep in mind, she says, that in addition to the uncertainties brought on by a global pandemic, they, to an extent, lost their identities. If you take the time to give them some sense of that back, they can become your brand ambassadors.
“People have been robbed of conferences, certifications, new projects they wanted to work on, a lot of these things we didn’t realize as humans actually kept us going,” she says. “Leaders need to figure out a way to help their people with that in a virtual environment, or even as we come back to the office.”
Small businesses usually can’t compete with larger employers on pay, but in a time where seven of 10 workers are looking for new jobs, they can create a culture that attracts or keeps people by making them feel cared about.
“I don’t care if you are a team of five, if you engage them and do the right things,” she says. “As a small business you have to.”
Lasting impact
Lakeview’s Segna hopes and believes that while the pandemic has been hugely challenging, the strategic decision to be transparent and communicative is here to stay.
The company just went through a move and management intentionally made the decision to seek a building with a wall of windows where management could see those on the floor and floor employees could see management.
The company used to be resistant to change. And, while it might like a respite from pandemic-induced upheaval, it’s a better company for having gone through some of the challenges.
“Even if we tried to go back to communicating less often,” he says, “people would be saying ‘what the heck?’ Our employees are the best. I’d put ours up against anybody else’s.”
