COMM THEORY - ATTRIBUTION THEORY/CRISIS/COVID

When the COVID-19 crisis first erupted, organiza�ons across the world were plunged into such

uncertainty it was hard for many to know whether they would emerge intact. Now, though the road

ahead remains difficult, leaders are shi�ing from whether they can return to how to do so .

Leaders are also having to manage waves of unfore seen crises, including the recent protests in the

United States and elsewhere. These events can take as much of a toll on workers’ produc�vity and

mental health as radical, rapid changes in the workplace. Employees will have to confront cycles of

disrup�on and adapta�on, driven both by pandemic-related health reasons and new business

impera�ves, ranging from reorganiza�ons to further reduc�ons in workforces or furloughs.

This reentry and recovery phase of the pandemic crisis provides leaders with a compelling reason to

engage and strengthen overall connec�ons with employees. Recognizing and addressing the core

human emo�ons of grief, loss, and anxiety in the workplace is a chance to rebuild organiza�onal

health, produc�vity, and talent reten�on. It provides a historic opportunity to overcome the s�gma of

mental and emo�onal health as taboo topics for workplace discussion, especially the feelings of

isola�on and shame that are a�ached to job losses and other employment casual�es.

Companies that have pledged to support their workforces and have delivered on that promise have

demonstrated their reliability and bolstered their reputa�ons. Now is the �me to con�nue to maintain

and build on that trust, as the focus shi�s from public health in general to the specifics of each

organiza�on’s individual recoveries.

Clear and inspiring communica�on is central to making this next unsteady phase a success. In addi�on

to moving decisively on strategic changes, leaders need to help ra�led workforces believe in the

future. For many people, their employer has been a zone of rela�ve stability during a �me of chronic

uncertainty. Employees have viewed corporate leaders as the most trusted source of informa�on

since the fran�c early days of the pandemic, especially where state ins�tu�ons have been less reliable

in their responses.

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By David Honigmann, Ana Mendy , and Joe Spra�

Communica�on messaging and ac�vity in four overlapping phases will help employees move from loss

to renewal. These steps—laying the groundwork, honoring the past, marking the transi �on, and

looking to the future—can help leaders design the right approach to communica�ng that works for

their organiza�on’s circumstances, culture, and history.

Because actual experiences of the pandemic will have varied, we segment organiza�ons into

“survivors” (struggling to stay in business), “adapters” (having to change their business models

radically), and “thrivers” (well-posi�oned because of extra demand or because they were already

working remotely). Some of the ideas below will need to be nuanced differently for each segment.

Lay the groundwork: Be sensitive to employees’ needs Before thinking about reentry at scale, leaders should understand where people are mentally and

prepare accordingly. Some will be enthusias�c about returning to the office, while others will not want

to venture back yet. S�ll others may want to reenter in theory, but worry about risks to their health

and the safety of their loved ones.

Teachers from Lombardy to the United Kingdom to New York are a good example of how leaders have

to weigh these concerns. Many want to return out of a sense of professionalism and because they

miss their students; on the other hand they must think about their own health and that of their

families if reopened schools become new vectors of transmission.

In addi�on to immediate risks to their own health and safety and that of their loved ones, people are

facing long-term uncertainty around lockdowns and job insecurity: Will their employer go under? Will

their re�rement savings be wiped out by a new depression? Based on stress syndromes from previous

pandemics and early surveys from Asia during COVID-19, there may be a 25 percent stress syndrome

incidence rate.

Prac�cal steps include:

Survey employees regularly so you know which camp they fall into. Focus on psychological readiness,

and seek to iden�fy prac�cal concerns. Know who wants to come back as soon as possible, and who

will need more �me to be comfortable—whether because they are in high-risk groups or because they

no longer have reliable childcare, or for some other reason. This will depend to some extent on job

categories, with some people having less choice about when to return. Here too inequali�es will need

to be addressed with sensi�vity.

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For survivors, show how returning to work will increase the chances of a quick return to

viability.

For adapters, show how the new ways of work ing will con�nue to help the organiza�on.

For thrivers, show how the return is a consolida�on of and a reward for everyone’s efforts.

Make your return planning processes transparent. Indicate who is working on the plan, how they are

thinking about it, and when announcements will be made. Make it clear how you will be thinking

about phasing and who will fall into which phase. Where possible, put bounds on the uncertainty:

What do you know is definitely happening, what is definitely not happening, and when do you expect

to have firmer answers?

Offer informa�on about the prac�cali�es. How hard is it to travel to your site(s)? What has changed in

terms of public transport? What will being back at the site look and feel like? This might be a

combina�on of wri�en materials and videos.

Solicit feedback from all stakeholders on a recurring basis. Some have put together task forces to

simply process feedback; others have set up recurring dialogues with employees.

Clarify how people can get their ques�ons addressed.

Honor the past: Address emotions directly Research into post-trauma�c growth suggests that companies that move effec�vely to address trauma,

grief, loss, uncertainty, and anxiety can rebound more quickly and experience stronger success.

Throughout the pandemic, employees have experienced varying degrees of trauma and loss, both in

their workplaces and in their personal lives. As grief experts have wri�en, acknowledging and

addressing loss helps people build resilience.

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Leaders need to invest �me in cul�va�ng open, compassionate conversa�ons about what has been

lost in the pandemic. They should validate that there is an emo�onal impact and that it can be a topic

of discussion in the workplace. While conversa�ons about the emo�onal toll of the pan demic may

seem uncomfortable or unnecessary, they help strengthen �es with employees, who appreciate

leaders’ openness.

Top teams that skip this step risk the appearance of being tone deaf or callous, thereby undermining

their authen�c concerns about moving the organiza�on forward. Leaders should be sure their efforts

are authen�c; ac�ng empathe�c without showing true compassion can, in some cases, make things

worse. Precise messaging will of course depend on the circumstances and the context.

In addi�on to individual or team conversa�ons, look for ways that companies can honor the past. For

instance, companies that have dealt with workplace violence have found ways to mourn the loss of

employees through memorials, establishing scholarships, holding fundraisers, or volunteering together

for a cause that resonates with the team.

Prac�cal steps include:

Lead conversa�ons with individuals and teams about emo�onal impact.

The CEO needs to be prominent here; this is not work to be delegated. Our experience is that

employees are more eager than ever to hear from their organiza�on’s top leader. This may

well involve a�ending mul�ple smaller groups.

Normalize emo�onal concerns of employees at all levels. Hold top team conversa�ons about

real and perceived losses from the pandemic, how it has affected us and recognize the

contribu�ons that the team and all employees have made. Define this as an important and

open conversa�on to have. Ensure that other leaders work with their teams similarly, and

cascade the conversa�on throughout the organiza�on.

Take �me to celebrate and reinforce the values the company stands for, and how they were

demonstrated in the company’s pandemic response.

For example, a century ago Lysol marketed itself as a weapon against the Spanish Flu. Today,

employees are being encouraged to see them selves as frontline workers helping to keep people safe.

Several hotel chains in the United States and some universi�es and hotels in the United Kingdom have

offered their prop er�es to medical personnel who needed a place to rest while caring for COVID-19

pa�ents in nearby hospitals.

For survivors, stress the long history of the organiza�on and how it has weathered storms before.

For adapters, stress the ways in which the organiza�on has reinvented itself in the past.

For thrivers, stress the ways in which current success is built on long-standing values.

Create company-wide recogni�on efforts to honor employees who:

died in the pandemic (recognizing those who have passed away is crucial to normalizing loss and grief)

served on the frontlines during the crisis (medical personnel, volunteers)

kept the organiza�on moving (the “quiet heroes”)

In some cases it will also be appropriate to honor clients, partners, suppliers, and customers who may

have died or served on the crisis frontlines. Being explicit about these recogni�on efforts will stop the

losses from becoming a great unmen�onable. As grief expert David Kessler says, “What everyone has

in common is that no ma�er how they grieve, they share a need for their grief to be witnessed.”

Leaders are important sources of resilience for their people—and also important factors in post-

trauma�c growth following crisis.

Showing gra�tude (as well as receiving it) is also important for mental health. For example, during

Hurricane Katrina in 2005, first responders who reported stronger feelings of gra�tude subsequently

reported higher levels of resilience and life sa�sfac�on. During COVID-19, people across the globe

have honored hospital workers and first responders by cheering together at an appointed hour.

Hospital workers have also gathered to support pa�ents being sent home a�er recovering from the

virus. These examples provide an indelible sense of everyone being in the crisis together.

Create an ecosystem so employees can maintain rela�onships with those who have been furloughed

or lost their jobs, presumably for economic reasons and not for lack of perfor mance. Isola�on from

others in the pandemic, coupled with the s�gma of job loss, can have a devasta�ng impact on

depar�ng employees.

Let retained employees know that it’s OK to have a rela�onship with former colleagues and

reach out to provide support in their job searches.

Launch or expand an alumni network to main tain good rela�onships and foster a future talent

network. These networks are a natural connec�on point to con�nue rela�onships.

Link these stay-in-touch efforts to company values such as respect and collabora�on.

Survey employees a�er these ac�vi�es to assess how well honoring the past has worked. Con sider

measuring employee health factors such as burnout, job sa�sfac�on, and psychological safety. Some

elements may need to be repeated, or integrated as part of the new ways of working.

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Mark the transition: Recognize the power of ritual Rituals create a sense of familiarity and reassurance. They help us navigate loss and celebrate joyful

events in our lives: births, gradua�ons, weddings, funerals, and more. People o�en turn to rituals

because the psychological processes underlying them have been shown to have a stress-reducing

component.

Likewise, COVID-19 has created unprecedented upheaval in the lives of our organiza�ons. New rituals,

along with company values and a renewed sense of purpose, can serve as pillars of psychological

safety and normality. They can help employees process what has happened and rebuild social capital

—and hopefully replace some of what people have lost. And rebuilding old rituals will be just as

important. All rituals are a way of communica�ng to employees that the losses they have experienced

are collec�vely acknowledged and are manageable.

The workplace provides a relevant and powerful source to help people put trauma�c situa�ons into a

more mo�va�onal perspec�ve. As furloughed employees return to employment and people return

from remote working to office- or site-based working, rituals will help mark the start of a new phase in

the organiza�on’s life. In terms of Kübler-Ross’s model of the five stages of grief, this is where

employees will start to move from depression to acceptance.

We recommend nomina�ng a specific date, or �meframe, that the organiza�on will collec�vely treat

as the start of the “ next normal ” and around which rituals can be enacted. Of course, not everyone

will reenter physically or psychologically at the same �me or pace. Things could go awry because of

public-health concerns and consequen�al disrup�on. Starts are likely to be staggered and involve shi�s

and cohorts.

For that reason, any date will be in many respects arbitrary—as it is for a wedding—but it is s�ll

important to set one. This is the point at which the social �es that bind the organiza�on together are

refreshed and reinforced and renewed.

Throughout this phase, focus messaging on discovery as a way simultaneously to look back and ahead.

Essen�ally answer this ques�on: Through the crisis and our response, what have we learned about

ourselves, each other, and our organiza�on that can help us in the future?

Prac�cal steps include:

Make the focus of communica�on the well-being of employees, not work.

Set a specific �meframe of events (exhibit) for the organiza�on to pivot from past to future.

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Provide a “welcome back” kit, consis�ng of what employees need to navigate the new normal. This

might include equipment as well as rules of the road for mee�ngs, elevator use, and so on; medical

experts can offer specific guidance on the most appropriate products to include. The University of

Virginia, for example, will offer returning students a welcome-back kit that includes masks, hand

sani�zer, and a tool to help open doors and press bu�ons.

Be sure people con�nue to know where to turn for help and con�nue to communicate the availability

of resources, including employee assistance programs (EAPs).

Look to the future: Embrace a new sense of purpose Leaders may be tempted to withdraw into small, �ght decision-making task forces to make key

decisions as quickly as possible. Instead, they can use this moment to define and demonstrate a

common sense of purpose with employees, who will be looking for leadership and ways to engage

themselves. Purposeful leaders will want to share execu�on plans broadly with staff to solicit input and

engage them on the challenges the organiza�on faces.

Taking the �me to reflect on purpose can have an array of benefits. At the organiza�onal level,

purpose ful companies have been shown to out perform compe�tors on equity returns and have more

engaged employees. At the personal level, reconnec�ng to purpose has been shown to be a cri�cal

factor in coping with crises and trauma. When decision makers align their decision making and

communica�on messaging with a sense of purpose they may help support their employees’ poten�al

at a �me when leadership needs it most.

Use this period to create a cultural conversa�on across the company and a posi�ve outlook about its

future. Many of the recommended ac�vi�es above will be appropriate for small groups, perhaps

spread over a few weeks or, where possible, held simul taneously on a single day, with op�ons for

people to par�cipate remotely.

Prac�cal steps include:

Start or renew discussions on corporate purpose, based on discoveries from the crisis.

Exhibit

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For survivors, how do we retain our purpose in a changed world?

For adapters, how do we move quickly to new ways of working?

For thrivers, how do we maintain our current success as the world slowly returns to normal?

Show how this purpose feeds into strategic direc�on—the “Where are we going?” Ar�culate how to

strengthen the connec�on between purpose and business ac�ons, for instance, how we display the

value of “customer first” in specific ac�ons, such as offering a comprehen sive customer experience,

that we have never taken before.

Managers and team leaders should speak with their teams about how the work they’re doing

contributes to recovery; they can ask people what mo�vates them and gives their work

meaning.

Set the strategic direc�on in context by develop ing, ar�cula�ng, and sharing the organiza�on’s

new/refreshed change story—the “How do we get there, and why will it be worth it?” This will help

people understand what the future looks like:

What has changed over the last few months?

What has stayed the same? (This includes the enduring values story.)

How do we priori�ze?

What are new expecta�ons of leaders? Of employees?

Commit/recommit to organiza�onal health. This could include new or updated diagnos�cs and

surveys.

Showcase stories about “living your purpose,” both personal and organiza�onal, in internal

communica�ons: through the company intranet, news stories, and town halls.

Con�nue to monitor the effec�veness of communica�on over the course of a few months; evaluate

and adjust as needed.

All of the prac�cal steps we recommend above stem from the need for clear, empathe�c communi -

ca�on that keeps people op�mis�c and hopeful, but also resilient and prepared for further disrup�on.

This stage of recovery will challenge organiza�ons’ communica�ons func�ons to become even more

agile, as they shi� between crisis response mode and normal, more future-oriented strategies. Leaders

will not know all the answers, but as long as they communicate openly and candidly, employees will

respect being brought into the conversa�on.