ILMA Compoundings - May 2021 - 29

the employees with information, " said Borysenko. Winging
it, while tempting, can only make matters worse. " If you are
not sure about something, you should communicate that
fact. 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.' "
The goal of all of the above is to assure people that
management will respond quickly and conscientiously to
new information as it is discovered. In the meantime, people
should know the business will reduce the risk of harm by
taking extraordinary safety measures.

Personal Connections
If anxiety is a highly individualized phenomenon, so is its
cure: Supervisors must renew connections with their charges
and retool the environment in response to individual needs.
" Everything that happens right now in the workplace must
revolve around the needs of each employee, " said Altschuler.
" That is the starting point and the overarching message. "
The launching pad for this initiative is the expression of
genuine concern for the staff's well-being. " People want to feel
cared about, " said Altschuler. " When someone cares about
me, the last thing I want to do is let that person down. "
Consider the case of Anita from our story's opening.
Although she has expressed some good feelings about
returning to the workplace, much of her current malaise
likely derives from her concern about the safety of that very
environment. Management must convince her that everything possible has been done to reduce risk.
" The source of anxiety for people like Anita is often
fear of the unknown, " said Martha Forlines, president of
Belief System Institute in 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
might 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, " said Forlines.
" Their answers will take the guesswork out of the equation. "

deprivation of the usual personal stimulation gained from
interaction with colleagues. Not only is there a joy in working together that goes missing in a remote environment,
but solitude can also magnify COVID-19 fears. " A lack
of face-to-face contact does have an effect on people, " said
Altschuler. " They start to feel more uncertain and fearful. "
Employees unmoored from the traditional working
environment can also experience a loss of purpose. " Remote
workers can lose clarity about why they are doing what
they are doing, about the so-called vision statement, " said
Altschuler. " It's easy to forget they are engaged in something
noble and helpful. "
Millennials can be especially sensitive to such a moral
vacuum, he added. " More than previous generations, millennials put more value on meaningful work. "
Finally, people separated from their colleagues can miss
the satisfaction of performance feedback. " One of the things
that motivate people is a feeling of mastery over their work, "
said Altschuler. " And that feeling fails to grow when they are
not working closely with the other members of their team. "

Remote Workers
How about Robert, who is still working from home?
Recharging his batteries may prove more challenging than
the same task with Anita. The absence of any face-to-face
contact beyond the cold stare of the computer screen
is likely the root of the problem. Isolation can mean a

ILMA Compoundings - May 2021

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