New Era

Celebratin­g workers during a global pandemic

- Martin Shaanika

As the world observes another year, it is imperative to remind ourselves of the importance of each employee.

By doing so, below are a few ways to acknowledg­e and appreciate the team that has persevered through a global pandemic, which is still in our midst.

Workers’ Day (1 May) is a celebratio­n of labourers and the working classes who are promoted by the internatio­nal labour movement. While it may belong to a tradition of (northern hemisphere) spring festivals, the date was chosen in 1889 for political reasons.

Stay in touch

A simple thank you or work video call on the progress of team members makes a world of a difference.

Whether your team is fully remote or you have multiple locations, a virtual gettogethe­r helps bring everyone together.

Unity and appreciati­on have never failed in any crisis, and keeping up to date with many communicat­ion platforms each day may become overwhelmi­ng.

Celebrate your team without causing screen fatigue or disrupting their work through brief check ins and appreciati­on sessions.

Keep up to date with staff morale

According to Oxford University, happy workers are 13% more productive. Recent research into the mood of the UK has found that paid work is ranked near the bottom in terms of activities that make the population happy. As researched by professor De Neve, there seems to be considerab­le room for improvemen­t in the happiness of employees while they are at work, and payment is not the main factor in employees’ happiness.

Be relevant and understand­ing Amid the ongoing pandemic, more household demands have increased among employees, and Covid-19 has taught us to appreciate life primarily. This goes hand in hand with understand­ing employees more than ever before to understand frustratio­ns they may be going through while operating at their offices.

May we embrace our workers and frontline workers during the most difficult times; they risk their lives to serve the organisati­on in which they

operate.

 ?? ?? Appreciate workers… Martin Shaanika is the CEO of Namforce. Photo: Contribute­d
Appreciate workers… Martin Shaanika is the CEO of Namforce. Photo: Contribute­d

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