Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1311385
16 PalletCentral • November-December 2020 palletcentral.com feel overwhelmed by a long list of to-dos and do- nots. Some employers are sending email broadcasts with answers to such questions. Others are posting informative signs in the workplaces. And others are packing personal protective gear into "goody bags" and handing them out to returning employees. Employees concerned about the virus may be asking questions such as, Is my job safe? Will the business survive? How will the pandemic affect the economy? Can I believe what the bosses are saying? These questions and others reflect a good deal of uncertainty, which is a challenge to motivation. "The source of anxiety for people is often fear of the unknown," says Martha Forlines, president of Belief System Institute, Ellijay, Georgia. "Employers need to continually remind their charges about the safety precautions taken to keep everyone safe. These can include disinfection of the office, assuring the availability of face masks, and the alteration of seating arrangements to maintain social distancing." While some of the COVID-19 fears are obvious, others may not be. Supervisors should encourage two-way communications with employees to uncover unanticipated fears. "Ask employees what they need to make them feel motivated and good about their working conditions," says Forlines. "Their answers will take the guess work out of the equation." The problem of anxiety is made worse by the insecurity of supervisors themselves. "Because managers in many cases do not know what's going on, they do not have a way to comfort the employees with information," says Dr. Karlyn Borysenko, Principal at Zen Workplace, a consulting firm near Boston. Winging it, while tempting, can only make matters worse. "If you are not sure about something, you should communicate that fact," says Borysenko. "Don't hesitate to say you don't know. Then follow up that statement with something like, 'As soon as I do know, I will tell you.'" Equipment and workstations may need to be sanitized when one employee takes over from another.