Most of us are already exhausted from our efforts to keep everyone in our organizations safe through stay-at-home efforts and other measures during the COVID-19 crisis. We now realize we are in for a more protracted period of deep challenges to the ways we interact, work, and live than we had anticipated. And that realization is hitting just as we see a pivot away from articles aimed at getting people through this crisis, and instead focusing on helping HR and benefit leaders join the efforts to “open up” the economy and get businesses back on track.
This shift concerns me because it may cause us to lose sight of a critical central fact: Our people are still hurting at a very fundamental level. The stress on your employees today is unprecedented and unrelenting. No wonder many experts are warning of a protracted crisis in mental health. In response, we must remember that while our patience for COVID-19 is flagging, our commitment to the human toll on our people cannot. To put a finer point on it, a powerful truth that transcends this crisis has emerged. No matter what specific approaches to engagement we employ, we need to forge stronger relationships with our people.
