Leaders - Are you ready for the Pandemic Aftermath?
Typically our articles focus on the role of leaders in the workplace or we step to the other side to bring you HR updates. Because so much has happened this past week we thought it might be a good idea to give you a little bit of both.
On March 11, 2021, President Biden signed the third stimulus package ,the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) into law. The purpose of this plan, similar to the past two packages is to help struggling workers and companies get back on their feet following the hard blows our workforce and the economy has taken over the past year.
While the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) does not extend the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) paid and emergency family leave, it does extend the FFCRA tax credits through Sept. 30 to those employers who voluntarily offer paid and emergency leave to employees affected by COVID 19.
There are a couple of new wrinkles in this most recent plan. Employees who are eligible for leave now include:
The worker is getting a COVID-19 vaccine.
The employee is recovering from complications due to receiving the vaccine.
The worker is awaiting the results of a COVID-19 test or diagnosis for coronavirus
Perhaps more important to note is that ARPA also resets the 10-day limit for the tax credit for paid sick leave under FFCRA as of April 1. Any days an employee took before that date will not count toward the cap following that date.
So where does voluntarily offering the extended paid and emergency leave fit into to your growth as great, brilliant leader? I believe smart, savvy leaders will continue to recognize the needs and challenges their employees face due the pandemic and it’s aftermath. As more and more of our workforce become vaccinated employees are going to begin reevaluating their roles and to determine if they are working with leaders who care about them. Friedrich Nietzsche, the German philosopher once said, “A bad leader can take a good staff and destroy it causing their best employees to flee and the remainder to lose all motivation.”
According to recent studies employees who want to move on to new opportunities stated reasons such as disengagement, burnout, wanting a promotion or raise, and feeling less connected to their company because the company culture has diminished since the start of the pandemic.
Here a few ideas leaders should implement now to reinforce to your staff their value:
Keep top performers engaged. Ensure your top performers feel valued and excited about staying with the company. Leaders should focus on their career growth, offer stretch exposure and provide them with exclusive training to foster their growth.
Recognize all employees. Acknowledging employees for work well done is tops the list of what employees want more of. Take time to engage with your staff and to hold yourself accountable for regularly recognizing your teams.
Listen to employees. Leaders need to step outside the box and take some innovative steps to hear what their employees are saying. You can do this by conducting employee surveys, encouraging open-door exchanges between peers, and providing mentorship opportunities.
Offer more than the status quo. Even if you’re not in a position to offer more benefits or promotions or raises, think about the things your employees want now and in the future. Continue to offer flex schedules, brainstorm with employees giving them new opportunities to engage with you and their peers, provide virtual “lunch and learn” sessions on topics of interest, and most of all offer them increased access to you and share your stories.
Although the pandemic has brought forward many changes, one thing has not changed… Companies and their Leaders are measured on how they treat their most valuable resource—their people.
If you’re ready to become the leader your people deserve, we are ready to help. For a limited time, we are offering you the entire five-module Brilliant Leader Program for just $195.00. Just enter coupon code: BLPSPECIALOFFER when you check out to receive this special pricing.