Kind and caring leadership

What is a compassionate leader

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted, more than ever, that

looking after employees in a kind and caring way should be the #1 priority for leaders.

In this video, I explain how my clients are doing this.

What is a compassionate leader? The Desai Despatch – Episode 24

(JK) We have talked about this before, but this is quite a crucial time for businesses and their employees at the moment.

Of course, we are still in a sort of state of flux, I think you might say, where a lot of us are thinking,

Well, it is all very well for lockdown to be relaxed, but things are still happening with coronavirus.

So, what has been your advice to companies in this sort of situation where their employees might be feeling a little bit concerned about coming back to work?

(FD) I think what has come out of this pandemic is that leaders, business owners, CEOs have realised how important it is to be kind and caring to employees.

What I have suggested to clients is, as you say, this is not over. The virus is still very much with us. Even after a vaccine, it’s still going to take time and there might be lockdowns again.

You have got to make sure that your employees are well enough to continue working, OK?

It is incumbent upon leaders to be compassionate.

Make sure that you are looking after not just the performance side of employees, but you are looking after their welfare, it is about their lives as well because everything is connected.

The sort of things that I suggest to employees is, of course, allow employees to work from home where they still worry about getting on public transport, whether they are vulnerable themselves or they live with vulnerable people.

The flexible working has to be just open and really understanding that this is going to stay with us now, I think, for the long term.

One of the things I suggested to one of my clients was offering some sort of telephone support on wellbeing.

They have put in place counsellors that employees can ring and f they have any concerns or if they are feeling low or if they are just worried about something, they can pick up the phone and speak to somebody.

It’s confidential, but at least there is professional help there.

I have also suggested to clients that they still continue with the one to one meetings over the phone or over zoom with employees so that any worries or concerns can be communicated and dealt with.

The other thing is also to ask your employees for feedback.

How could the employer help them to make sure that they continue working, so the business work continues, but they have also looked after.

(JK) Fantastic, so in terms of the outcomes, what have you got back from your clients in terms of what they are telling you about the efficacy of this kind and compassionate approach?

(FD) They have had very positive reactions from employees.

They really appreciate all of the measures that have been put in place and they feel valued, they feel like they are being looked after and I think it is going to result in loyalty as well.

People will stay with them longer because I think there was a time, and maybe some people are still doing it, just paying lip service, that, yes, we look after our employees. But I think that time has gone.

You really genuinely have to look after your employees and care about them as you do yourself because the success of your employees is going to result in the success of the enterprise.

Really taking that on board and stepping up as leaders and having that compassion, as I say, is so, so important.

It was important anyway because, without a team, you don’t have a business.

They are your biggest assets as cliched as that might sound.

It is really being proactive and making sure that as an employer, you are doing everything you can to look after your employees and it is a two-way process, If an employer will look after their employees, they are going to get the reciprocal loyalty from them.

We are in a different world and I think what I have seen is that leaders, thankfully, have softened and they can see the more human side of people.

 

Does this resonate with you? If you would like to book a complimentary, no-obligation, coaching session to discuss this further, please email me at falgunidesai@actioncoach.com