{"id":442,"date":"2020-07-18T19:12:20","date_gmt":"2020-07-18T19:12:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.ims-online.com\/?p=442"},"modified":"2020-10-17T22:49:24","modified_gmt":"2020-10-17T22:49:24","slug":"protecting-employees-from-covid-19-through-connection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.ims-online.com\/index.php\/2020\/07\/18\/protecting-employees-from-covid-19-through-connection\/","title":{"rendered":"PROTECTING EMPLOYEES FROM COVID-19 THROUGH CONNECTION"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Will\npeople follow-through and do their part for the good of the whole? What can be\ndone to increase compliance with these and other requirements so that the risk\nof virus transmission is minimized?   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mass General Brigham has kept Covid-19 cases at a minimum among its 75,000 employees despite being in Boston, one of America\u2019s hotspots for the disease, and treating sick patients. In a recent article, Dr. Atul Gawande, the noted surgeon and author, described in detail the hospital system\u2019s four-part strategy combining hygiene, distancing, screening, and masks. Dr. Gawande writes that culture<\/em> is a fifth element in order to achieve success and it is \u201carguably the most difficult.\u201d It\u2019s culture that moves people who know <\/em>what to do, to actually do <\/em>it.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How\ndo we cultivate the type of culture that motivates people to care about others\nand, as Dr. Gawande described, \u201crigorously and thoroughly\u201d comply with the\ntasks that minimize virus transmission? Diligence in undertaking the protective\ntasks will be especially important as workplace research shows that virus\ntransmission overwhelmingly occurs inside buildings<\/a>. Furthermore, periodic\nforced isolation from resurgences of Covid-19 may lead to dopamine-driven cravings for connection<\/a> that will make it more\ndifficult for people to maintain the willpower to adhere to protective\npractices. A pent-up desire to socialize will lead some to ignore guidelines.\nWe saw that over Memorial Day weekend with videos of people congregating on\nbeaches or packed together at a pool party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving from Me to We<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Dr. Gawande points out in his article that properly wearing a mask at all times is primarily to prevent the wearer from transmitting a virus to others when he or she sneezes, coughs, and talks. The mask is a barrier to protect you, not me. In other words, it\u2019s our regard for others that motivates us to be diligent about properly wearing a mask. And here\u2019s where the issue of culture in the workplace comes in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For\nmany years now, we have been helping organizations develop healthy,\nhigh-performing relational cultures where people expand from operating\nprimarily out of self-interest to also caring about others and their group as a\nwhole. We\u2019ve learned relational cultures can be thought of as falling into\nthree types and that it\u2019s not uncommon for organizations to have a mix of\nrelational subcultures if left unchecked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nfirst type of relational culture is the culture of control where those with\npower rule over the rest. Implicitly or explicitly, the leader conveys, \u201cDo as\nI tell you or suffer the consequences.\u201d People comply with the dictates of\nthose in power but some will work against the interests of the organization\n(Gallup describes these employees as \u201cactively disengaged\u201d and estimates they\nrepresent 13% of the U.S. workforce).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nsecond type of relational culture is a culture of indifference where people are\nso busy with tasks that they don\u2019t take time to develop and maintain supportive\nrelationships. In both cultures of control and cultures of indifference, people\nare more likely to act out of self-interest, especially if they feel left out,\nlonely, or undervalued. They don\u2019t feel leadership actually cares about them as\na person or they see that care as lukewarm at best. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The\nthird type of relational culture is a culture of connection. In a culture where\nconnection is cultivated, people feel a sense of community on their team or in\nthe organization, and they feel connected to their supervisor, colleagues, and\nthe people they serve through their work. The bond people experience makes it more\nlikely they care about others, and will act and contribute in ways that benefit\nthe group. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\nis our expectation that in cultures of control and cultures of indifference,\nwhere people feel disconnected or ambivalent about their coworkers, people are\nless likely to be internally motivated to rigorously and thoroughly comply with\nthe CDC\u2019s standards. In cultures of connection, however, the communal bond\nmakes it more likely people will be diligent about complying with the\nprotective practices.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cultivating Connection in a Work Culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bonds\nof connection in an organizational culture arise from shared identity, empathy,\nand understanding. We developed a simple, memorable, and actionable framework\nto help leaders cultivate a culture of connection. Put simply, connection is\nformed and maintained when leaders:<\/p>\n\n\n\n