Oswald Companies believes that regular communication from upper management reduces COVID-19 stress and anxiety. Every week the entire C-Suite addresses all employees via Zoom, often employing humor while keeping everyone informed.
“When we see our CFO in a fake mustache and hear our CEO cracking jokes as usual, we’re encouraged to stay positive,” explains Cathy Kosin, senior vice president and Detroit market leader for Oswald Companies’ Detroit branch. “Through transparency, we know how our company is performing and adapting in a changed world. In turn, this breeds confidence and motivates continued productivity.”
The Detroit branch conducts weekly Zoom meetings primarily focused around emotional wellness and team connectivity rather than business updates.
Leadership encourages employees to submit photos of their new four-legged coworkers. These photos were used to create a photo montage shared with all employees.
Oswald’s leadership recognizes the benefits physical activity and social connectedness have on productivity and mental health, especially during COVID-19. Many participated in a video mashup of employees and their families dancing at home to “Uptown Funk.” A Zoom yoga/barre fusion class and a “mommy/daddy & me” exercise class was also organized to keep team members active and connected.
The wellness team circulates healthy recipes for “Quarantine Cuisine” and suggests quick exercises to help employees avoid sitting at the computer for too long.
“In the absence of face-to-face communication, we now rely heavily on digital platforms like Zoom and WebEx to keep us personally united,” explains Cathy. “This is working so well that a recent internal survey revealed that a majority of our employees still feel highly connected and equally as productive working from our homes.”