This has been a difficult year as we’ve all navigated to a new normal. Whether faced with a temporary closure, a transition to remote work, an influx of consumer demand, or a new set of employee protocols, the pandemic has provided unique challenges to each of our organizations.

The team at Maxwell Locke & Ritter (ML&R) has prevailed through these challenging circumstances, even ranking #2 on Accounting Today’s 2020 list of “Best Accounting Firms to Work for” in the nation. However, they’ve tackled their fair share of challenges: easing team member concerns, finding ways to stay connected virtually, and working from home with kids while being isolated from loved ones and coworkers has been tough.

Throughout this historic year, they have discovered some best practices and key components for boosting employee morale and sustaining culture that could be applied in the broad business community.

Uncertainty leads to stress and anxiety that can be eased with regular communication. Because transparency is more important now than ever, keep your employees in the loop with where your organization stands. Give honest updates on the company’s financial position and clear expectations on job security and compensation.

Tips for effective communication:

• Survey your team to identify how often they’d like to hear from you and their preferred communication avenues. We recommend a mix of avenues including emails, videos, Teams, and phone calls to ensure you’re reaching your whole team.
• Vary the length of your updates. Even if there’s no change from a prior communication, a brief update is better than silence.
• Lean on and reinforce your company’s mission, vision and values and share how each team member’s contribution benefits the organization.
• Enlist departmental leaders to reinforce communication from senior leadership and to answer questions during departmental meetings.
• Conduct casual one-on-one check-ins with team members via phone or video chat to ensure consistent lines of communication and support.

Regardless of our different personal situations, the pandemic has impacted each of us. It is critical for leadership to acknowledge the various challenges of working virtually and to empower employees to embrace flexibility as they structure their workday around personal commitments.

Prior to the pandemic, ML&R was known for providing exceptional work-life balance, but since its onset, they've expanded their existing culture of flexibility, encouraging team members to work from home on a schedule that benefits them and their families. The firm also created additional family and self-care time codes to give team members needed time to care for their families and themselves when impacted by the pandemic.

When faced with troubling or uncertain times, you must provide support to your teams and search for unique ways to keep your culture alive, while considering various personalities, preferences and needs of your team members. There is no one-size-fits-all approach.

Tips for effective support and cultural initiatives:

• Share general support resources with team members
• Survey your team to learn how they’re doing and where additional support can be provided
• Create initiatives to support team members and cater to their specific needs
• Ensure actions, initiatives, policies and communication are reflective of your company’s culture
• Facilitate opportunities for virtual social interaction to create community
• When feasible, honor company traditions and practices by finding ways to transition them to virtual setting
• Provide structure for large group gatherings and provide unstructured opportunities to connect in smaller groups
• Host games such as virtual trivia, bingo or Jeopardy in large and small group meetings

ML&R has prioritized resources and discussion outlets for physical and mental health, finances, parenting, et cetera. They've also created a centralized channel for support resources, new policies, and technology guides.

The key is to talk to your employees. Find out what is going on with them, where you can offer help, and how they prefer to stay connected. Identify the common needs of your team members and offer solutions that address those needs, keeping in mind that it is not always a “one-size-fits-all” solution.

If you’d like to learn more about Maxwell Locke & Ritter’s approach to boosting morale and sustaining culture or the services they provide to clients, please reach out to them. If you’re interested in joining the team, please visit their careers page.