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These are unprecedented times and all of us have found ourselves in a situation that invokes fear- fear of personal health, fear of job loss, pay cuts, fear of long term career growth and so on. We hear about spread of COVID-19 from all over the world every day, through television, social media, newspapers, family, friends and other sources.

Covid-19 pandemic has not had just a physical impact, but a larger socio-economic impact,and  it exacts a psychological toll as well; one that requires tending to. The most common emotion faced by everyone today is “Fear”. As we approach our 73rd independence day, we at Marching Sheep are talking about “Freedom from fear”. Feeling fearful is normal, but living with fear is not.

The scale of the issue

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), around 7.5 percent of Indians suffers from some form of mental health problem. However, the prevalence rate is said to be much more since many cases do not surface due to fear of social shame.

Further, the National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences (NIMHANS) — an autonomous institution under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare — has indicated in its report that nearly 150 million individuals need active psychological intervention.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau of 2015, India’s suicide rate is as high as 10.6 per 100,000 people. While issues like dowry harassment, abuse, broken marriages, and poverty were a few reasons for such deaths, it also pointed out that a large share (one-sixth) of it was attributed to mental health ailments.

Fear and anxiety are some of common root problems behind current emotional and mental turmoil. If not attended to, the negative emotional impact is going to be far greater than the physical impact of the pandemic.

Understanding the fears

The current COVID-19 pandemic has heightened uncertainty over the economy, employment, finances, relationships, and of course, physical and mental health.

There are certain triggers to stress in this crisis like Job uncertainty, Disruption in daily routine, Salary cuts, Lack of control over the situation, Family members stranded at different location, Conflicts in family due to finances and routines.

1. Fear of getting the infection – This fear is on top of everybody’s mind nowadays. Even if you and your family are safe and home, nobody is stepping outside still this fear of getting infected with the virus is there. Many of us fear becoming ill with the virus or passing infection on to loved ones, as the risk increases when people interact. Also the fear of social distancing is leading to anxiety related to separation from loved ones.

2. Fear of Uncertainty and the unknown– There is uncertainty all around us. Nobody knows when all of this is going to end which has created an uncertain environment which is draining everybody emotionally and trapping in a downward spiral of endless “what-ifs” and worst-case scenarios about what tomorrow may bring.

3. Fear of the Job loss/Employment: We all are well aware of the statistics of the employees who have been laid off or lost their jobs due to the pandemic. Worries about job losses are the highest in the country as 86 per cent being worried about losing their jobs and livelihood post-COVID-19 lockdowns. This in turn has led fear related to survival and sustenance for many.

4. Financial Fears / Financial Anxiety: With the people losing jobs and facing severe salary cuts has led to change in their way of spending money. A nationwide survey by IndiaLends, a digital lending platform threw up no surprises: 94 per cent said they would have to be extra careful about how they spend their money in the next few months; 84 per cent said they were cutting back on spending; and 90 per cent expressed concern about their savings and financial future.

Overcoming the fears

For many people, the uncertainty surrounding coronavirus is the hardest thing to handle. But there are many things one can do even in the face of this unique crisis to manage our fears.

As individuals-

1. Stay informed but don’t get overwhelmed– It’s vital to stay informed, particularly about what’s happening in your community, to follow advised safety precautions and do our part to slow the spread of coronavirus. But there’s a lot of misinformation going around, as well as sensational coverage that only feeds into fear. It’s important to be discerning about what you read and watch. If it gets too much, switch off or do digital detox for a few days.

2. Control what can be controlled: There are a lot of things we can’t control and that causes fear and anxiety, but there are some things that can be managed or planed for. Having an action plan for managing things you might find difficult can help. Don’t miss on the safety precautions like washing hands regularly, staying home as much as possible, avoid gatherings and most importantly having a healthy balance between personal and professional priorities etc. Making prudent financial investments, saving the money one would have otherwise spent on holidays, commuting, weekend at the malls or movies, eating out.

3. Stay connected even when physically isolated: Humans are social animals. We’re hardwired for connection and need human connection. Isolation and loneliness can exacerbate anxiety and depression, and even impact our physical health. Make it a priority to stay in touch with friends and family. It’s important to take breaks from stressful thoughts about the pandemic to simply enjoy each other’s company to laugh, share stories, and focus on other things going on in our lives. Call up old friends from school and college, reconnect with ex-colleagues, reach out to all cousins, have online games and parties.

4. Occupy your mind with relaxing hobbies: Whether you play the piano, read a book, garden, paint, play a board game or meditate, all of these activities can help calm your mind and prevent you from reaching for your phone or computer and falling into a downward spiral of despair. Adopt a pet, feed a stray or whatever gives you happiness.

5. Lastly- Speak up– face your fears and articulate them. Share them with people you trust. Sharing makes the fears seem less threatening, and collective wisdom can help you overcome them remember- none of us are alone in this situation, we are together in this situation.

As an organization

1. Employee’s mental health should be your first priority in current times. Building Psychological safety in teams and emotional resilience would be instrumental in healing as a society and as an economy.

2. Foster a company culture that acknowledges employees need breaks, rest and healthy relationships to succeed in the workplace. It is ok if an employee signs off in the evening on time. It is ok if some one wants leave. Work from home is no longer a perk or a cake walk, or relaxed working from home.

3. Acknowledge WFH burnout- It’s real, It’s here. Provide a support system for employees where they can anonymously reach out and seek counselling.

4. Foster a work environment that provides all employees with support from co-workers and supervisors. Build empathetic managerial capability and communication platforms that foster trust, openness and supportive environment. All conversations cannot and should not be work related and transactional. Get to know your team members better.

5. Recognize that every employee is different and make an effort to understand employees’ preference relating to their work and work environments, way of working, way of communicating, way of maintaining personal and professional boundaries and respect choices.

6. Corporate leaders can also create clear and confidential guidelines for reporting and responding to Covid-19 cases among employees, so that employees feel safe reporting if they become sick and secure that they will have a job when they have recovered.

As a society

1. Try to help others; it will make you feel better: As a quote says “We’re standing far apart now so we can embrace each other later.”Those who focus on others in need and support their communities, especially during times of crises, tend to be happier and healthier than those who don’t. Helping others not only makes a difference to your community and even to the wider world at this time, it can also support your own mental health and well-being. There are various ways in which you can help and give back like:

a)     Reach out to others in need: If you know people in your community who are isolated—particularly the elderly or disabled—you can still offer support. Perhaps an older neighbor needs help with groceries or fulfilling a prescription? You can always leave packages on their doorstep to avoid direct contact.

b)     Donate: Donate to food banks, donate to an organization that’s making a difference during the pandemic. Some possibilities include hospitals and health centers or national and local charities that provide housing, financial assistance, or food. You can help older adults, low-income families, and others in need by donating food or cash.

c)     Be a support for someone: If friends or loved ones are panicking, try to help them gain some perspective on the situation. Instead of scaremongering or giving credence to false rumors, refer them to reputable news sources. Being a positive, uplifting influence in these anxious times can help you feel better about your own situation too.

Just remember that we all are in this together. The uncertainty and the fears are not permanent. There will be good days and bad days, so stay optimistic. Try to look at the bright side of this situation.

No matter how serious and sad all of this is, there are upsides as well. Look at the opportunities you have, you can have more time if planned well; you can reflect on your strengths and areas where you need to develop further, opportunity to reconnect with near and dear ones be it virtually, and yes not to forget the cleaner environment. And like every phase in life, this too shall pass.

When you type CEO, CFO or CTO in your textbox on your iPhone, notice what comes up. It is an emoji of a man in a suit. Even seemingly innocuous things as an emoji can reinforce these gendered stereotypes and biases and demonstrate the structural sexism inherent in our society. However, most of us won’t even notice these subtle stereotypes in these emojis unless we are looking for one that represents us.

Bias is an illogical preference or prejudice. It is a tendency, inclination or prejudice toward or against something or someone. Some biases are positive and helpful – like choosing to only eat foods that are considered healthy or staying away from someone who has knowingly caused harm. But biases are often based on stereotypes, rather than actual knowledge of an individual or circumstance.

Stereotypes are characteristics imposed upon people or group of people because of their race, nationality, age, sexual orientation or any other way in which we bucketize people. These stereotypes are so well known, that in the United States of America, an average American wouldn’t hesitate if asked to identify which racial group in their country has a reputation of excelling in basketball. And, different stereotypes may also be present within the larger groups, resulting in things like gender-based stereotypes within the same race. For instance, the women of a racial group may be viewed as attractive and the men in the same racial group may be viewed as the exact opposite.

India is a diverse country with a huge population. We have a diverse cultural mix of Age, Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, Religious/ Spiritual Beliefs, Language, Regions and Gender. Every state, and every district within the state, and every village in that district shows a diverse side of India. While all this diversity adds a different colour to our country, it also brings a different type of Social Conditioning and stereotyping. For instance, North Indians are said to be loud and Jugadu people, who live life king-size. On the other hand, people from down south are considered to be simple and homely. And again, Mumbaikars are said to be street smart and career oriented. Are all people in North India or South India or Mumbai actually like this? Or are these some stereotypes which have been built over a period of time because of our experience with a few people of these regions? When a child is born, the child does not know whether he/she is a boy or girl and a Brahmin or Khatri. But as parents, we choose a pink coloured room and accessories for a girl child and blue coloured room and accessories for a boy child. And as we grow, we often get to hear that Girls have to be pretty, soft and quiet and Boys have to smart, confident and outspoken. Girls are the homemaker and should know the household chores while Boys are the breadwinners and have good knowledge about technology, politics and sports. These thoughts, over a period of time, lead to us talking to Girls mostly about shopping, if at all while Boys talk about the world. This is how social conditioning turns into stereotypes which in turn leads to a certain biased behaviour.

Biases are dependent not just upon the situation and backgrounds but also upon the upbringing and social conditioning. We are not born with these biases and instead develop them as we grow up. And over a period of time, this social conditioning turns into our beliefs leading to the development of biases. How we’ve been brought up, where we’ve been brought up, how we’ve been socialised, our socialisation experiences, our exposure to other social identities and social groups, who our friends are/were, as well as media influences, all affect how we think and feel about certain types of people. Most biases and stereotypes, do not come from a place of bad intent. It’s just a deep seated, unconscious belief that’s been formed in our brains through years of different influences we often had no control over.

Being insecure during current times is common and absolutely normal. But not just now, on several occasions in life don’t many of us perceive ourselves to be vulnerable in some way (could be socially, financial, professionally or personal), feel filled with self-doubt, feel short on confidence, have fear of failure, start believing that we don’t have enough to offer or are not smart enough as other people? Well, these are all forms of insecurities and it won’t be wrong to say that there isn’t a person amongst us who doesn’t have insecurities.

Is it normal to feel insecure? It is, because these are just our responses to the uncertainty of the VUCA times we are in or may be a manifestation of our beliefs we have lived with so far. But at the same time, what we need to be cognizant of is the fact that though it might be normal to feel insecure but what makes a difference is how we deal with it as it may have repercussions on our health, emotional well being and mayalso impact people around us.

What are the common insecurities we all go through?

For each one of us insecurities will be different. For some of us it may show up as social insecurity when we feel people around are always looking at us, talking about us and judging us or being excluded from a group of friends/events making it difficult to make new friends, network and socialize.

For some it could take the form of professional insecurity – fear of losing your job, denied roles and responsibilities, fear of failing to meet timelines etc. Since the lock down, many of us might be having insecurities around our work, given the state of our economy we are operating in.

Many times, professional insecurities give rise to economic insecurities. This revolves around our financial capability or even incapability. When we are financially insecure, we are afraid that we may not have a steady income or savings for our family or support a certain standard of living.

 Understanding why we feel insecure will help us deal with it better

Insecurities makes us angry, anxious and negatively impacts our mental and emotional well being. Insecurities make us panic, procrastinate, keep us away from things we ought to do and has bearings on the people we live and interact with.

If we introspect, we realize that most of our insecurities are a culmination of our beliefs and thoughts which could be influenced by factors like:

·        Certain life events

·        Past Traumas

·        Recent experiences of failure or rejection

·        Having a critical people around or being a self-critic

·        Perfectionism

·        Comparing yourself to others

Also, there are some common cognitive errors impacting our thinking pattern and might be fueling our insecurities. Lets look at some of them:

All-or-Nothing Thinking

Here, you see certain things in black or white categories. Something is either good or bad, right or wrong; there’s no room for middle ground. It makes us think of the extreme and can lead to low esteem and feeling of not being good enough. Eg: I answered one question wrong, so I’m a failure or I didn’t get a promotion so I might as well quit my job.

Overgeneralization

Overgeneralisation involves reaching a conclusion about an event and applying that conclusion across the board. It can cause you to feel hopeless and might stop you from trying to learn and grow. Eg: You may have cooked a dish badly and you conclude you are a terrible cook.

Mental Filtering

Another thought pattern which can lead to insecurities is the tendency to ignore positives and exclusively focus on negatives. Eg : If you receive feedback at work which says you’re a great team player, you have creative ideas and you could work on being more punctual, you might focus solely on the fact that you should be more punctual and ignore all the other positive feedback.

Personalization

This is about taking things personally when they’re not connected to or caused by you at all. Eg: When you blame yourself for circumstances that aren’t your fault or are beyond your control.

Let us all take an inward view

There are many causes of insecurities in our lives, but what matters more is how we deal with them. We can take steps to deal with our insecurities, to push past our insecurities and dare to follow your dreams.

To deal with insecurities, we need to change our perspective, from an outward view which is based on fear where we feel everything is out to get us to an inward view which is full of possibilities, choices and purpose to emerge stronger and positive. There isn’t much we can do to fix the world we live in but changing our minds and seeing things positively is freedom from our insecurities and fears in true sense. In the moment(s) of insecurity, focusing on possibilities, forcing our mind to shift from problem to solution, brings hope and positivity. Taking action leads to positive consequences that can potentially help us reduce insecurities and boost confidence. And doing this regularly, can create a habit of fighting insecurities mindfully.

As we celebrated our Independence Day this month, I have pledged to free myself from my insecurities. And when I say “free” I mean, to deal with them positively, find my moments of joy, leverage my strengths and stay optimistic, always !

A majority of employers—particularly in traditional industries—do not allow work from home. Even as new-age startups are open to remote working, at larger companies, it’s an option that is often offered as a perk or for special needs. The coronavirus outbreak has, however, made remote working a necessity overnight. It was a drastic change for both, employers and employees, and while it brought down the fixed expenses like lease and rent for the employers, the employees did get over the happiness phase quite soon and started missing the much talked about “Our second home – Office”. They started feeling depressed, burntout, secluded and unimportant, had anxiety attacks and hit the rock bottom on self esteem, resulting in affected work.

While the entire world is talking about the nuances of working from home, a look at the other side of the coin shows a different and exciting angle to it. While you are distanced from your office bestie and chai time gossip, you do have the liberty of making yourself a nice whipped coffee or a kadak adrak wali chai, instead of the machine made.

Work from home would also mean that you have the chance to change your study room or bring in the new work furniture. And a little bit of change never did harm anybody! Swanky work desks, customised stationary, freedom to wear whatever you want (without bothering about what others will say), having lunch with family and the time saved in travel to and from office, are just some of the perks of working from home. And the best thing is, you get to bill all this to your employer! Yes, Majority of the employers are giving allowances in line with the New Normal. For instance, the Furniture and Hardware Fixture allowances lets the employees buy necessary equipment like ergonomic chairs, cushions and desks. There are also Technology allowances which looks after the employees’ need for Laptops, monitors, printers and reimbursement for mobile bills.

In India, Larsen and Toubro NxT, Mphasis, Infosys, HDFC Ergo, DCB Bank and similar organisations have provided all the necessary equipment, including laptops, internet connectivity and chairs to their employees to make WFH comfortable. At Google, employees were given $1000 to cover equipment costs. For those without a WFH allowance, such as Lennox India Technology Centre, employees were allowed to use their health and fitness allowance to purchase home-office supplies.

Work from Home is not as bad as it seems. And Change is inevitable. So when you have to change, why not embrace it with a dash of positivity and sunshine. And when it starts getting monotonous, take a break and find better relationships within the house. You never know how your younger brother or elder sister or even your spouse can be your new bestie.

“The grass is not always green on the other side of the pasture. It is greener where you water it.”

So working from home for two months got turned into four months and we still are not certain that how long it is going to be.

With the coronavirus pandemic causing millions to work from home for the first time, work from home (WFH) productivity is on everyone’s mind. But what really should be the concern in this unprecedented situation is a longer-term risk which is employee burnout.

The lines between work and non-work were already blurred before the current situation. But they’re almost non-existent when your office is your home now.

Some Data & Facts

Burnout can be brought on in a number of ways, but three of the biggest contributing factors are exhaustion, cynicism and inefficacy inr your job. As it turns out, burnout is more common than you might think.

One of the studies conducted by TollFreeForwarding states that:

·        Over a third (36 percent) of respondents said they suffer from burnout every week. This manifests in anxiety (40 percent), exhaustion (44 percent) and stress (56 percent)

·        Over a third (34 percent) of employees take sick days at least every six months due to burnout

·        Over half (55 percent) have considered leaving their job due to lack of support for burnout

“With the suddenness and degree of the shift to remote work, the loss of childcare, and all of the worries that accompany the pandemic and its economic fallout, all of the things that typically cause burnout are intensified, which means the risk of burnout is intensified,” said Vanessa K. Bohns, associate professor of organizational behavior at Cornell University.

Signs of Burnout to watch out for-

1. You find yourself working around the clock. You never switch off. You are checking your mails late at night, or first thing when you wake up. Weekends are like any other day.

2. You procrastinate now more than ever. Putting off tasks, not raking decisions.

3. You feel like you have no one to whom you can turn when things go south. Inability to voice your concerns to your manager for fear of native repercussions. Inability to share at home for fear of inducing panic.

4. You feel an overarching anxiety to do more

5. You’re allowing meetings to run well past their delineated time blocks. This eats into other priorities leaving you over whelmed.

6. You stop “adulting” altogether. Stopping to spend quality time with people around you, unwinding, having a house party just with family, listening to music, carving out time for yourself.

As Laura M. George writes in Harvard Business Review:

“Many employees who are working remotely for the first time are likely to struggle to preserve healthy boundaries between their professional and personal lives. To signal their loyalty, devotion, and productivity, they may feel they have to work all the time.”

Ways to protect yourself from WFH burnout 

We need a new way to think about how to disconnect and avoid WFH burnout. Here are a few suggestions to help you get started.

1.Create a dedicated space for your work: While a lot of that has to do when and how much you work, it also has to do with where you work. You don’t necessarily need to have a separate room but you need to have a dedicated workspace that lets you walk away at the end of the day.

Also if you have kids at house this technique helps you to create boundaries with them. Set up a system to let them know when it’s ok to visit or when you need time to focus.

2. Start and end your day by specific rituals: Always start your day with some ritual like having a shower and getting dressed up or maybe having a cup of coffee and making your to-do list. Also try to end your day with another ritual like Close all browsers tabs and clean up your desktop and put your laptop away. These rituals will help you to move between the different “states” of your day and actually focus on what’s in front of you.

3. Prioritize Work—Busy doesn’t necessarily mean productive. It’s essential to work on tasks that are important. While working from home, employees often feel compelled to project the appearance of productivity, but this can lead them to work on tasks that are more immediate instead of more important. By tackling the most urgent tasks first thing in the morning, you’ll feel more accomplished and less stressed throughout the rest of the day. This positive, productive mindset is the key to avoiding WFH burnout.

4. Keep the meetings brief: Longmeetings that “could have been an email” have long been a top complaint of workers. Bring mindfulness to the virtual meetings now, whether that means actually hosting a virtual stand-up meeting, or just coming in with a clear agenda and designated timekeeper.

5. Get dressed up for work: Working in your pyjamas isn’t the best idea. Although people believe such comfort and relaxation could boost productivity, this practice can actually do the opposite for some. Working in your pyjamas promotes lethargy and makes it difficult for your mind to differentiate between working hours and relaxing hours. Instead, try getting dressed for work and changing out of your work clothes once you’re done with your tasks for the day. We don’t mean a suit and tie — just proper clothing and maybe a good head of brushed hair!

6. Set realistic goals and track your progress: The more clearly you can see the positive progress you make each day, the less likely you’ll be to overwork and hit WFH burnout. Researchers have found that the most important factor for feeling accomplished and happy at the end of the day is seeing real progress on meaningful work.

7. Keep your days fresh & interesting: Staying at home for so long can put a general drag on your mood. Such unhappiness and boredom could definitely translate to WFH burnout. Keep your days fresh and exciting, by breaking up daily routines with interesting moments. Try cooking a new recipe or maybe or some family fun activity like movie night. Actually you may use this quarantine period as an opportunity to upgrade yourself and to achieve goals you’ve been putting off. Introduce a workout schedule for instance, or earmark some time to tend to your house plants or garden. Even adopting a stray cat. Lockdown has given us umpteen opportunities to try out different things and stay with what excites you.

8. Seek support: Hiding your concerns will only make them worse. If you’re feeling burned out, tell your boss and coworkers as early as possible. They can collaborate with you to redistribute your workload, update reporting rituals to provide more recognition and motivation, or provide sideline encouragement as you bust through blocks. Speak to your spouse, sibling, friend. Vent it out. If needed, seek professional help. Telemedicine is just a phone call away.

9. Give yourself a break: Give yourself the virtual time off, No matter how stellar your home office setup, everyone’s eyes need a break from all that screen time. Between meetings, get up and get out if possible. Taking breaks at regular intervals will help you to recharge before the next call appointment and allow for extra planning so the next interaction goes as effortlessly as the last one. An effective break should include moving around to get your blood flowing and introduce a change of scenery. Talk to your family members, quickly whip up a salad or just take a power nap. Take leave if needed. Work from home and being unable to go on vacations does not mean you cannot take a few days off. Stay at home. Binge watch, pick up the guitar or the canvas. Or just do some serious HIIT.If you find yourself similarly in need of some recharge time, avoid scheduling virtual hangouts for the weekend ahead. Give yourself that time to be totally unstructured about how you spend your day.

Work from home is here to stay for some time atleast. It’s time we accepted it and work towards making it normal and fun. We as human beings are extremely adaptable, should we put our minds to it. These small techniques shared in this article will surely help you to adapt positively towards the new normal, but you will need to make them your own. Each one of us is different and hence our coping mechanisms will be different too. Feel free to connect with us on info@marchingsheep.com to know more!

While we said bye to our summer interns with a heavy heart, on the other side we were thrilled to induct @Shruti Srivastava to Marching Sheep Tribe.

Shruti has recently completed her Master’s Degree Program in Organization Development, Change and Leadership under the School of Management and Labor Studies at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. During her 2 years Program, she has worked within the HR domain where she has worked on HR Projects for Larsen & Toubro Corporate, Godrej Consumer Products Limited, Godrej Agrovet Limited, Raymond Limited and Intel India.

She has worked on HR projects in the space of Diversity and Inclusion (Hiring & Onboarding Persons with Disability and Women Retention & Progression planning), Capability building for Career Pathing/ planning for employee retention and Organizational Culture Assessment Projects.

Learning is inevitably indispensable on the road to growth, whether achieving one’s academic or professional goals.Needless to say, in times like now when nothing is constant but change, it is very important to stay relevant.

Learning over the years has transitioned from traditional methods and practices to newer ways of teaching and learning influenced by advancements in technology, changing forms of work at a global level and the recognition that different people learn and grow differently.

In today’s time of corona, where every organisation is trying to come out and recover from this difficult situation,learning and development of its employeeshas taken an all new dimension.

The lockdown may have bought economic activity to a standstill but learning and development has not paused.Virtual learning platforms have become the most appropriate mode of ensuring that employees remain engaged, motivated and continue to upskill themselves- on products, functional skills and behavioral competencies. This is evident from the marked increase in consumption of Digital and virtual learning programs during the lockdown.

Not just in the corporate world, the pandemic has compelled schools and colleges to adopt different style of teaching. Schools and colleges all around the world at all levels have been shut. Exams have been postponed. The latest UNESCO report on the impact of COVID-19 on education indicates that around 32 crore students in India are affected by this. The government recognizes this and encouraged more and more educational places to opt for online education and e-learning during this time.

Massive open online course (MOOC) appeared a decade ago, offering distant learning courses. These have gainedgreater relevance in the new normal. Many learning platforms such as khan academy, Udemy and many more are trying to cement their place given the perfect time. Big institutes like IVY league schools such as Harvard, Princeton, Stanford, etc have joined in the race of online courses and have aggrandized the spectrum of MOOC by offering courses.

Let’s look at how some organisations are making learning process seamless, relevant and effective for its employees during the pandemic.

·       McKinsey is providing online learning sessions which makes a learner feel as comfortable as he/she would feel in any class room training. They have started taking necessary technology tests, and have started sending materials in advance before the session, which familiarise the participants with the topic of discussion before the session. During the session, employees engage through polls and chats, as well as virtual breakout rooms which make sure that the session is engaging and no doubt or question remains unanswered. At the end, follow-ups and participant feedback are also taken.

·       ATD strategizes and curate a learning experiences that focus on soft skills, as emotions are running high during this time. Leaders can help build these skills, or simply focus on the need “to listen actively, show empathy, and meet the personal and practical needs of each person.”

·       HP has come up with a great initiative for employees who are parents, closing of school due to pandemic and reduced after-school activities mean their kids will be spending more time at home and having to leverage technology to ensure their education is not disrupted, the company is encouraging them more and more to take this opportunity to play an active role in steering their children’s learning, which includes creating online resources such as Print & Play that has fun learning activities for kids.

·       Lenovo has offered refresher courses to employees to ensure that they use the supporting tools and applications efficiently. Clear and open communication is vital when many employees need to work from home to make sure they feel happy and connected.

Our Take

Learning and development is an indispensable activityforany organization, which ensuresrelevance and sustainability. Today, for every organization, the focus is  on stabilising business and curtailing costs. It is critical to remember that it will be a relevant, motivated and engaged workforce that will march on the path of recovery.To ensure delivery of value-creating processes to excel in these difficult times, leaders need to offer the right opportunitiesto expand the skill set of its employees. While doing so they need to be mindful of certain things.

1.    Currently, there is a problem of plenty, with a plethora of online learning options available to employees. Learning needs to be purposeful and linked with the current needs, organisational strategy for recovery and employee needs.

2.    Employees in the present situation may feel overwhelmed with personal and professional boundaries getting blurred and fatigue setting in. Hence, building emotional resilience and psychological safety is of prime importance.

3.    Apart from functional and technical skills which are critical, also focus on building and inculcating positive behaviors and competencies which will make employees equipped to face today’s and future changes and challenges.

In this new normal, businesses cannot afford to put learning and development or capability building of its people on hold. Now is the time to embrace a continuous learning mindset. It will not only build a future ready workforce to help organizations bounce back but also help in the professional growth of its employees, winning their trust and appreciation during such testing times. There are good costs and bad costs, Learning and Development is an investment!

At the end of December, 2019, public health officials of China informed the World Health Organization that they identified a new virus which is causing pneumonia-like symptoms in the city of Wuhan. Soon after that, WHO named the virus as Covid19 and seeing its speed of spread across countries, declared it as a pandemic. As the virus started to spread, countries across the globe started taking several measures to prevent the spreading of coronavirus, ranging from complete to partial lockdown, testing, strengthening health care facilities and so on. In India, on March 24, 2020, the prime minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi ordered a nationwide lockdown for 21 days, limiting the movement of the entire 1.3 billion population as a preventive measure against the pandemic. On 14th April, PM extended the lockdown until 3rd May. On May 1st, PM extended the lockdown further for 2 weeks. We are currently in Lockdown 4.0, till 31stst May 2020.

The lockdown has had varied impact on people. While some adapted to it fairly well, and invested this time with their families, working from home, reading, writing, binge watching their favourite shows and doing what they usually missed on a regular basis. Some have found it tough, getting bored with monotony, getting anxious over the spread of virus, fear of loss of jobs, missing social activity. For the economy, this has been a huge blow. Companies across sectors have suffered, with business activity coming to a stand still.

The current situation, as it stands, is that there is still no cure for the virus. If the lockdown continues, the country would have to battle with both the virus and economic distress. Hence, the government is gradually relaxing the lockdown. For instance domestic air travel has started, albeit with restrictions. Offices have been opened, with reduced staff, and lesser number of days from office. Delivery has restarted. So while there might be a semblance of normalcy that people might be seeing, the number of cases continue to rise, and there is no other recourse but to learn to co-exist with the virus till a vaccine is found.

Governments, workplaces, schools/ colleges, health centres, religious places, malls, etc at individual levels should come up with well-designed guidelines for social distancing and hygiene norms, including testing at entry and exit. Government should keep in mind the high probability of increased cases once people are allowed to interact more freely, and hence bolster health care facilities.

We as responsible citizens need to take care of ourselves, our families, or domestic health, and teams. We should be fanatical about following safety norms and social distancing, continue to wear masks and wash our hands at regular intervals. For some time, we cannot go on vacations, we cannot go for or host huge parties. Our safety lies in prevention and prevention is possible when we are mindful of social distancing at all times. Exiting the lockdown doesn’t mean going back to business-as-usual.

A well articulated and comprehensive exit strategy needs to be implemented, which should focus on individuals and organisations. Atmanirbhar Bharat package has been announced, with fiscal support released in five tranches.

Exit plan to revoke lockdown:

·     Organizations across the country must ensure that the workforce adheres to the guidelines issued by the government. Organizations should encourage employees to work from home as much as they can and even if they want to continue with their businesses traditionally, they should call as less employees as they can and rest should work remotely. Only the employees, who can’t add to the business of the organization while working from home should be encouraged to work from office.

·     An advisory containing the guidelines to be followed, should be emailed to all the employees in an organization, and reinforced communication should become a part of daily routine.

·     Each employee should be tested before entering and exiting office.

·     Alcohol based hand sanitizers must be made available to staff.

·     Seating arrangements to be modified keeping in mind norms of social distancing.

·     People must commute by their own cars or bikes, which means they must avoid car-pooling.

·     For public transport, passengers need to follow social distancing, wear masks, and carry their own hand sanitisers,

·     Air travel and trains- On board pantry services should not be resumed.

·     Lavatories must be regularly cleaned and sanitized across transport and public places.

Economic activities needs to resume, except in coronavirus containment zones, albeit in a planned and cautious manner. And, each one of us has a role to play. If all of us follow the rules, we will help restrict the virus and rebuild the economy.

It was a pleasure to induct our first batch of summer trainees to Marching Sheep today. Welcome  @ Arna Bairagi @Suman Das from Indian Institute of Management, Ranchi @Ridhima Mahajan from @IMI Kolkata to the tribe. We at Marching Sheep are using this time to strengthen our portfolio, make it relevant to the new reality and strengthen our team. COVID 19 cannot stop us now!

Remote working will be an upward trend for times to come. While the current Corona outbreak might have pushed many organisations to embrace work from home as a response to the situation, the fact is – with technology making the world a smaller place, remote working will be the way to move forward.

While remote working has several benefits (like – reduced overhead costs of office space and travel), it also poses certain challenges. Remote working by almost complete workforce for extended durations, as is demanded by the present pandemic situation, isn’t something many of the organisations are geared up for.

Even with jobs where physical presence of employees can be done away with for the accomplishment of the required tasks, remote working does have certain pertinent issues that need to be addressed – the major ones being of accountability, employee engagement and experience.

Employee engagement happens to be an important part of an organisational culture of any progressive company. Engagement is based on the evidence of trust between the employees and the organization, where promises and commitments are understood and fulfilled from both sides. Being and feeling that you are a part of the team with clear goals, strong & authentic values, and a supportive environment helps employees know that you are valued. Employee engagement helps drive talent retention within the organization and instils a sense of belonging in the employees thereby enhancing their motivation levels and productivity.

If we view the current situation as an opportunity to learn and adapt, one thing that organisations need to look at is how to provide a superior employee experience while working remotely, keep them engaged and motivated.

Employee Health and wellness

In remote working situations, most organisations use an online attendance system wherein each employee is required to login at specified time. Alongside the attendance, it is equally important to keep a track of the health status of the employees along with their families, not just in the present pandemic situation, but on an ongoing basis. Having a well articulated health and wellness strategy, policies, practices and interventions as part of the overall HR strategy will give a sense of being cared for to the employees.

Team Rituals

While working remotely for extended durations, your employees may feel disconnected sometimes.Creating unique rituals and traditions helps remote teams to bond in the virtual space and also helps in keeping the company culture strong. For example – having Friday after-work drinks at respective places over a video chat, keeping a separate chat for cute pet pictures, sharing the fun fact of the day. For instance, several managers are connecting with their entire teams over zoom calls once a day. This is not just to take stock of work, but to bond as individuals. Individual needs are being addressed, and people are coming closer not just as colleagues but as human beings.

Online games

Have a quick break while playing Charades or Pictionary online with your remote team. A little competition and distraction from routine aid greatly in building a strongly-connected team. Just like we have a recreation corner/ break-out zones in offices, creating an online fun space once a week, may be on a Friday, might help keeping those engagement and bonding levels up.

Virtual challenges and competitions

Another great way to motivate your remote employees is to organize some sort of virtual competition with a small incentive. Hold a photo contest, a trivia quiz, even a sports competition and see how much fun it can be. The organisational values and behaviours can be woven into the reward and recognition process, and weekly/ monthly recognition of the right behaviours will keep the team engaged, and the organisation culture and values alive. For instance – a client organisation is running a virtual campaign during this period wherein each value is focussed on each week, and employees are sharing stories around those values.

Watercooler chat

Informal communications at workplace help employees to familiarize themselves with other team members and shift from 9-to-5 mindset, whereas online work is something limited to the duties and work hours only. Every remote team is a small community that should promote socializing and human interactions just as much as efficiency and productivity. By creating a “watercooler” chat process, encouraging team members to connect over coffee one-on-one with members within the team, or cross functionally, will help strengthen bonds and relationships.

Online Learning Interventions

There are many types of skills and knowledge acquisition that can be undertaken through online learning interventions and training programs. This can be effectively used to up-skill your employees along their existing line of work as well as for learning soft skills. New learnings are also a great tool to keep the employees motivated and gainfully busy. This is an ideal time for organisations to launch zoom learning, coaching and online programs for employees to learn and grow.

This lockdown situation can be used as a perfect opportunity to have autonomy over work-life balance and tap into different new learning opportunities without missing out on the main job. Employee engagement starts with trust and communication between the company and its people. A well-planned and effective engagement plan during remote working situation can help to keep employees productive, loyal and happy with the organisation, which will greatly benefit the company growth and business success.

The current spread of corona virus and its repercussions on organisations, the economy at large and on each one of us individually influences how we are responding to the situation, both physically and emotionally. It is imperative that we closely monitor our mental and emotional well-being, understand our stress triggers and deal with them constructively so that we emerge from this crisis strong. In this article, we have tried to break down the issue of stress so that each one of us can deal with it in our own ways.

What is stress?

Stress is our body’s response to any challenging or demanding situation -actual or apparent. Any type of challenge whether it is related to work, completing certain tasks within specified time, a significant life change or facing any tough, adverse circumstances can cause stress. Even events like getting married, receiving a promotion (and hence dealing with increased responsibilities) could cause some amount of stress!

Stress is different for everyone. What stresses me out may not even bother you or vice versa.  May be because some of us are better able to manage stress than others; or may be because we are better attuned to dealing some situations while others might overwhelm us.

It would also be right to demystify the myth, that stress is always a bad thing to happen. In small doses, stress can do good. All of us are equipped mentally and physically to handle some measure of stress. It challenges us to stay alert, motivated, and ready to avoid danger. It can give us the push we need, persuading us to do our best.  But we need to be watchful, when it gets too tough and demands in personal and professional life exceeds our ability to cope. That is when it starts impacting our physical and emotional wellbeing.

Symptoms of Stress

Stress is a part of our lives and can impact us in many ways. It may be impossible to stop it from impacting us, but the best we can do is manage it better. The first step to doing so would be identifying its symptoms. But recognizing these symptoms can be harder than we think.

People handle stress differently, hence its symptoms also may vary. Symptoms could be implicit or same as those caused by a medical condition. They could either be physical, emotional, behavioural or cognitive.

Most common physical symptoms of stress include fatigue, lethargy, headaches, insomnia, low energy, frequent colds or infections etc.

Feeling overwhelmed, becoming easily agitated, frustrated, irritability and moodiness could be emotional symptoms of stress.

Behavioural Symptoms could be changes in appetite, exhibiting nervous behaviours like nail biting, fidgeting, procrastinating, social withdrawal.

Cognitive Symptoms are the most difficult to identify which include concentration lapses, forgetfulness, constant worrying, being pessimistic to name a few.

It is important to be aware of these common warning signs. This can prevent stress overload. Else, ongoing stress, if not addressed on time can cause or aggravate serious health issues like mental health problems – depression, anxiety, cardiovascular diseases – heart disease, high blood pressure, gastrointestinal problems, skin and hair problems etc.

What are the triggers of stress linked to work?

Since stress is a very personalised phenomenon, a stress trigger could be an event, stimulus that causes stress and could be different for all of us. Numerous surveys and studies confirm that workplace pressures and fears are a leading source of stress and has been steadily increasing over the past few decades. According to the American Institute of Stress, 80% of workers feel stress on the job and nearly half say they need help in learning how to manage stress. Some of the potential sources of workplace stressors include:

Basic to the job – which include long hours, work overload, time pressure, difficult or complex tasks, lack of breaks, lack of variety, lack of adequate resources and poor working conditions (light, spacing, temperature etc). Given the current lockdown situation, some people might be facing issues in delivering on the basics. In certain cases, like in manufacturing or sales field jobs, there might be a complete stand still. For those who can work from home, handling of household chores and distractions might be leading to stress.

Job Content – Unclear /ambiguous work, conflicting roles and responsibilities, vague organizational boundaries and responsibilities for others can cause stress. In the absence of regular meetings and face to face interactions, this could possibly aggravate and be an area of concern.

Career Development – Lack of opportunities for job development, lack of growth opportunities/promotions, lack of training, and job insecurity is a major reason for stress at work. The current situation which has been impacting the economy, growth of organisations and in some cases business continuity will impact employee careers.

Relationship at work – It includes poor relations with superiors, team and subordinates create an environment which is critical, demanding and unsupportive. At times even leads to discrimination, bullying and harassment which creates stress. On the contrary, a positive social dimension of work can reduce it to a large extent. In remote working situations, lack of managerial empathy, connect can be extremely stressful.

Organization Culture – The organizational structure and climate where there is little or no participation in decision making, influenced by office politics, no stability, frequent changes like restructuring, mergers relocations etc are major contributors to workplace stress. The current situation’s financial impact may reflect in salary raises, pay-outs and layoffs and other drastic policy changes in many organizations leading to heightened financial stress amongst employees.

Work-related stress is a management issue

Stress is a costly affair. In the US industry it costs over $300 billion annually as a result of stress related – accidents, absenteeism, employee turnover, diminished productivity and medical/ insurance costs.

It is important for employers to recognise work-related stress as a significant health and safety issue and take appropriate steps. Given the current crises we are in, employee mental wellbeing has become an extremely important area for organizations.

Workplace Culture – Employers need to work on creating robust relationships with managers and colleagues, employee participation, level of responsibility, authority and decision making, optimal workload, flexible working hours, and career development prospects which are key factors defining the work culture of an organization. Specially amid the rumours and speculations doing the rounds these days, organisations will need to pay extra heed to connecting with their employees, regular communication to ensure a positive culture.  Employers need to lead with empathy and enable its managers to build psychological safety in teams– conduct awareness and sensitization sessions that help them build trust, acceptance of vulnerability and failure and ability to speak up without fear.

Safe physical work environment – A healthy workplace environment involves the physical environment of the office or shop floor and the occupational health & safety of its employees. Employers can reduce the worry of its employees by looking into the safety of the workplace. In current situations, extending medical and insurance benefits to employees and their family members would be key. Once the lock down is over, having a phased plan to get people back to work, ensuring complete sanitization of the workplace, make work from home a formal policy will go a long way in creating a safe work environment.

Customised Wellbeing Solutions – The symptoms and triggers of stress could be different for every organization. Employers need to deep dive into the same by administering wellbeing surveys to recognise the specific stress triggers for its employees. Accordingly offer solutions, interventions, introduce activities and even policy changes to mitigate the stressors.

Stress is a part of life. All we can do is focus on things that are in our control and worry less for things which are out of our control. Create healthy boundaries like setting realistic deadlines, take appropriate breaks from work, prioritize, adopt healthy lifestyle practices like exercise, diet and sleep. This way we can surely prevent stress overload and manage it without impacting our heath.  Stay Positive! Stay Healthy and Safe!

Coronavirus, a topic which is nearly impossible to avoid these days online, on TV or in conversations. Conferences have been canceled or postponed, travel on a stand still, social interaction zero and organizations are working hard to deploy business continuity plans to mitigate the impact of COVID-19.

Our working lives have been challenging for a while now, dealing with generational diversity, emergence of technology, volatile economic conditions, workplace burnout and many more but the emergence of Coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to a massive change, more uncertainty, and new challenges for many of us.

We all are well aware about the steps that need to be taken for protecting our physical health amidst this pandemic, but what about our mental health?

Between social media’s endless stream of information and news reports of mandatory quarantines, it is very natural for people to experience concern, fear, and anxiety.

Not a new concern, but now more prevalent

Concerns about health, trust, work, finances, children, family and the uncertainty of what will happen have created a perfect storm for serious behavioral health issues in the workforce.

The March 25 survey of 88,000 people by Evidation Health found a 68% increase, in just one week, of concern about someone in the household contracting COVID-19 along with a 59% increase in anxiety levels.

In the most recent poll from the Pew Research Center, 73% of Americans reported feeling anxious at least a few days a week.

Recently WHO named burnout a workplace syndrome which costs $125 billion per year. Workforce emotional wellbeing and behavioral health were already priority challenges prior to the pandemic. Extreme stress, fear and burnout may be the precursors for long-lasting problems such as depression, anxiety and PTSD.

Promoting workplace mental health during this crisis

We have to understand the importance of mental health in this time of COVID-19. It is foundational to overall health and maintaining the mental health of people right now is a fundamental priority for maintaining workforce health.

As workplaces continue to grapple with the best course of action for maintaining the health, safety, and productivity of their employees, they must also consider employee’s mental health.

Strategies to support mental wellness efforts for organizations or leaders

1. Lead with empathy: When communicating business related information, start with a statement that the organization is foremost concerned about the safety and health of its employees.

When employees hear inconsistent messaging from leaders about sick leave, for example, or if some managerspressurize employees to look at P&L at this stage, and send conflicting messages about job continuity, the damage to morale, engagement, and workplace culture can be devastating.

2. Communicate with full transparency: Regular, open communication is the key. With so much uncertainty, it falls to leaders to be the calm voice of reason and reassure employees.

Create psychological safety by including both logical and empathetic statements in all communication and convey that ‘whatever happens we’ll do the best we can for you.’ Build trust, allow employees to voice their concerns and share vulnerability, give assurances that it’s ok and we are all in the same situation.

3. Consider the impact across the board: Whatever our circumstances, this outbreak is going to have an impact on how we think and feel about ourselves and the world we live in. Good work is great for our mental health and it’s important that we preserve the opportunity to enjoy the benefits of work wherever we can. Try to share response in a way that protects the physical and mental health of staff – starting with those who are at greatest need.

4. Be flexible: One of the biggest stressors for many employees is the well-being of those they may care for. Due to the current situation we may have increased responsibilities, like child care, elderly care, household chores. Offer support for navigating these responsibilities by providing flexible timings for those zoom meetings, plan those one on one connects etc.

5. Promote access to support: You may provide access to support services through your workplace. If you have mental health champions, allies or mental health first aiders make sure they have the latest information to share with the other employees.

6. Don’t stop the social: From virtual team quizzes to conference call coffee breaks, the best way to combat loneliness during this time is to maintain connection with your colleagues. This could mean setting up one-on-ones; small team chats, or involving the whole organization, just make sure it becomes part of the weekly routine.

7. Seek opportunities for growth and development alongside crisis planning: Use this time as an opportunity for the development for your team. Engage with your team more, attend courses, engage them in developmental projects and crisis management, read or write articles and attend webinars. These practices will keep you and your team busy and also eventually promote growth and development.

Employee mental health is not only the responsibility of managers and leaders.Each individual needs to take care of themselves too. The coronavirus has unsettled the very fundamentals of our way of life and working, from CEO to intern, so we all need to keep ourselves calm and motivated. A shout out to organizations who have assured their employees of no job losses on adverse impact on employment and are leaving no stone unturned in ensuring business continuity plans and post Covid recovery plans. A word of caution to organizations that are still sending messages on profitability, cost cuts, using reduced ratings and low increments as mixed messaging. This is not the time to alienate your most important assets, your people. As I recently heard, your talent is the only asset that appreciates over time. Take care of them.