• Clear communication is particularly important during times of change and challenge. Ask questions and listen before advising and talking.
• Adopt communication principles and approaches from Motivational Interviewing (MI), a collaborative, person-centred form of guiding and facilitating change, used in counselling and coaching.
  • R.U.L.E.: This acronym summarizes important principles that can be used when communicating with your team about making change or facing challenges
    • R=Resist telling them what to do
    • U=Understand the motivations and barriers to making change
    • L=Listen with empathy and without judgement
    • E=Empower them to set goals and overcome barriers
  • OARS: You can also use the communication techniques outlined in the acronym O.A.R.S, which include use of:
    • O=Open-ended questions – questions which invite reflection versus a yes/no response
    • A=Affirming the person’s strengths and abilities, which can assist them to make change
    • R=Reflective listening – repeating back what you hear the person saying, in their own words
    • S=Summarizing the issues as you understand them
• Clarify what you know, or don’t know, and what you expect in the days, weeks and months ahead
  • This is particularly important in times of transition and uncertainty or when change is happening or needed
  • Reassure and revisit the issues often and offer regular, informal updates
  • Provide a date or approximate date when you will loop back more formally if information is changing frequently
• Learn more about appreciative inquiry – an approach to transformation and change that can help your team to envision and collectively create a desired future
  • This requires a belief in people and a willingness to trust and acknowledge that they know best regarding what needs to be done to transform the workplace
• Invite concerns, feedback and questions. Offer multiple ways to do so in order to identify and address issues. Some strategies include:
  • Emails, Microsoft Teams, social media, newsletters – remembering these are just one-way communication channels and you’ll want to invite opportunities for feedback
  • Group or team meetings, town halls
  • Anonymous feedback opportunities
    • When using Zoom invite people to replace their name with “…” so feedback in the chat is less connected to individuals
    • Use an app like Mentimeter to solicit anonymous feedback within regular meetings or classes
    • Conduct a brief survey (e.g., Google forms, LimeSurvey)
  • Bring in a safe third party, such as a mediator, to discuss issues or concerns if you feel you are not hearing the real ones

McMaster offices that can often assist in mediation include:

• Human Resources Services (Faculty and Staff members) – Employee and Labour Relations (ELR)
• Human Rights & Dispute Resolution Program, Equity and Inclusion Office (All Community Members)
• Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) Professionalism Office (FHS Community Members)
• Student Support and Case Management Office, Student Affairs (Students)

• Encourage open discussion regarding the challenges team members are facing such as dilemmas, mistakes, “near misses”, or receipt of critical feedback
  • Invite open, constructive and difficult feedback about you and your team’s performance in order to reflect or act on it
  • Encourage your team to ask each other for help or advice and model this yourself
  • Share stories about challenges or situations you have faced, or are facing, or that other individuals or teams have faced
    • Ensure you have created a safe and supportive environment, with learning and growth in mind (cultivating a growth mindset)
• Make a sincere apology when you believe you have made a mistake
  • Model a good apology – listen, take responsibility, make amends, reaffirm boundaries, make changes to reduce future mistakes

• Recognize often the efforts and successes of your team members. This is essential and should be done frequently
  • Evidence suggests that providing about 5 times as much praise over criticism helps individuals and teams perform better (a 5:1 praise:criticism ratio)
• Recognize specifically what has been noticed rather than a generic “good job”. – Provide a reward with context by detailing what the reward is for
  • Indicate specifically what it is you have noticed or are grateful for about efforts, individually and collectively
  • Let team members know the positive impact their efforts or actions have had
    • With permission, include positive feedback received from others – about the team member or team
  • Ask team members or peers to indicate the strengths of their colleagues and what they appreciate about them
  • Nominate someone for an award or ask them about an award they hope to receive
• Reward meaningfully – invite ideas about what may be meaningful and helpful to rejuvenate and reward team members
  • Write personal messages or cards with comments about the importance, meaning and value of individuals’ work
  • Provide small gift certificates
    • Meal service gift certificate
    • Gift card for groceries, a bookstore or online store
  • Initiate group gatherings (virtual or in-person) – be intentional about the gathering by finding ways to make individuals or the team feel appreciated and rejuvenated
    • Learn more about the “art of gathering” both virtually and in-person
    • Create new and novel activities or themes to co-design an inspired meeting, retreat or event
  • Create opportunities for programming that individuals or the team have requested (i.e., yoga session, mindfulness meditation, massage therapy)
• Encourage taking “time off” from both in-person and virtual work – our minds and bodies require this
  • Remind and help individuals to plan and take breaks, protect against working on weekends and utilize vacation entitlements
  • Reduce or remove barriers (practical and emotional) to taking time off
    • Reassign workload or reduce expectations
    • Reassure and reduce pressure and guilt a person may feel about taking time off
  • Discuss any expectations for work during vacation, including on-line or virtual work
  • Encourage individuals to be fully ‘offline’ when on vacation or establish clear expectations and boundaries regarding work if away
    • Clearly outline what is considered an urgent matter or emergency when on vacation or weekends
  • Encourage time blocking and other strategies before leaving for vacation including a return-to-work plan regarding how to “catch up”
  • Limit and discourage work-related communications during time off
• Reward more than the outcome – reward grit and persistence, the process, commitment, skills and values demonstrated
  • Resilience, risk-taking, vulnerability and facing fears should be recognized and rewarded, even if a project “fails”

To reduce risk of burnout, it is important to talk about how to:

• Provide as much choice, control, independence, and flexibility as possible in the way work is accomplished
• Reduce the demands of the job or school – small changes can make a big difference!
  • Talk about what processes or strategies are, or are not, working well day-to-day
  • Generate ideas about how tasks can be better managed with individuals and teams
  • Collectively review priorities and timelines and make adjustments
  • Review and reduce meetings – identify what meeting format is working well and which meetings should be virtual versus in person (or which can be a phone call)
• Reduce the communication and technology burden or demand – Check out the ideas of Cal Newport from Georgetown University.
  • E-mail practices are important to examine. Consider the following ground rules:
    • When addressing an email, only include people who need to take action in the To: line
    • Individuals who are copied (cc’d) on an email are expected to review but not respond
    • Ensure your team understands the expectations of being in the To: line versus cc’d
    • Use subject lines effectively and clearly to signal importance and priority
    • Use the email scheduling tool so that messages are only sent during regular business hours
• Increase access to potentially helpful resources to aid with work or school
  • Identify and discuss resources which could help lift the burden (e.g., training, technology, additional staff) even temporarily
  • Invite team members to identify 1 or 2 small changes that can be considered to make their day-to-day work life easier
• Build a sense of teamwork and belonging – people are each other’s biggest resource – both practically and emotionally!
  • Provide time during work to connect with groups or colleagues outside usual teams or meetings
  • Establish work buddies or “pandemic pals” for mutual support within a team or across several teams or units (e.g., in different units or programs who have shared responsibilities or challenges to ensure mutual understanding and collective problem-solving)
• Discover or rediscover the “joy in work” by tapping into positive, internal resources.
  • Find out and reinforce what it is that people value or what provides them with meaning regarding their work
  • Discuss these values and visions to reclaim fun and joy at work for individuals and teams

• Name them to tame them! Talk about the “elephants” (or hippos) in the room. This includes acknowledging difficult emotions or challenges, like the 6 A’s below, that may be present as the pandemic continues and as we return to campus.
  • Awkwardness – When facing the prospect of returning to campus, some of us might be feeling socially awkward or out of practice. Many of us haven’t had much opportunity to practice our social skills during COVID-19 and will need to rebuild our social skill “muscles” again.  Here are some suggested conversation starters: “wow, it feels a bit weird to be back face-to-face, doesn’t it?”, “It feels like we’ve forgotten how to have face to face meetings”.
  • Anxiety – Many have experienced increased stress, anxiety and worry during COVID-19. This may temporarily increase as we transition back to work and school or face other changes in our lives. Here are some suggested conversation starters to address anxiety: “Stress is running high right now with everyone coming back to school and work”, “I wonder if it will feel different when we are back together.” “I think it will be awkward and stressful at first”.
  • Avoidance – When we avoid stressful or anxiety-provoking situations it can help us feel better in the short-term, but can make anxiety worse in the long-term. A vicious cycle can be created if we continue to avoid certain situations, people or places, which many have been forced to do in COVID-19. We typically need to face or expose ourselves to our fears in order to reduce the anxiety. Sometimes this has to be done gradually – like coming back to campus on a quiet, weekend day before coming on a busy weekday in welcome week if crowds feel overwhelming. Over time and with repetition, anxiety and fear usually lessen if we keep practicing. If anxiety is severe or not getting better, professional support may be required. Returning to work and school can be stressful and provoke anxiety, even if it is welcomed. Even just acknowledging as a leader that you recognize this can be extremely helpful.
  • Apathy or motivation issues have been commonly reported during COVID-19. Some suggested conversation starters include: “It’s hard to get going again after all that’s happened”, “I suspect people may be feeling worn out – what could help rejuvenate us?”.
  • Attention and memory may not feel as sharp as they once were. Multi-tasking has become a necessity and a habit during the pandemic as many have encountered added and competing responsibilities. It is important to recognize, however, that multi-tasking does not help with productivity – it actual hinders it. This capacity may also need rebuilding, just like social skills. Some suggested conversation starters: ‘We’re all used to the pandemic pulling us in so many directions. How can we adjust back to focusing on one task at a time?’
  • Affect – emotions like sadness and grief are common. Suggested conversation starters: “So much has happened in our lives during COVID-19. Would it be helpful to make time to catch up with each other?”; If significant losses such as deaths have occurred on your team, consider checking in with those members regarding if/how they wish to discuss these losses; find ways to revisit pandemic loss and grief if your team has identified this would be helpful and connect these conversations to acknowledgement of the resilience and perseverance your team has demonstrated.

Take a look at these two guide books, containing some practical and helpful tips and strategies to cope with the above issues and with the pandemic.

• Psychological First Aid
• Coronavirus anxiety workbook

• Anticipate and ask your team whether they need additional support or services as they return to work or school. Consider whether any of the following might be helpful:
  • Re-orientation, re-entry sessions or town halls for groups could be considered before or soon after the return-to-the office date
  • Modifications to the work setting such as more flexible hours, a mix of in-person and virtual work, and a staggered or gradual return may be helpful, if possible, to allow for more incremental adjustment and to meet the needs of many individuals and teams
  • Temporary or permanent accommodations may be required if individuals are experiencing mental health symptoms, disorders or disability. Students, staff and faculty do NOT need to disclose the nature of the disability to you, as a supervisor or educator, but they will need to inform you of functional limitations and provide medical documentation in order to be granted ongoing accommodations.
    • Workplace Accommodations: Staff, faculty or student employees can contact Employee Health Services
    • Academic Accommodations: Students can contact Student Accessibility Services
• Avoid placing all responsibility on individuals for their well-being at work (e.g., “you really should start taking care of yourself”, “you should work on your mental health you know”).
  • Resilience, well-being and recovery are not just individual efforts, they require social and collective effort
  • It is often best to start with discussion about the workplace, or academic issues and workload, before or at the same time as making recommendations about what individuals can do to support themselves. Workplace Strategies for Mental Health have some good suggestions regarding this
  • Suggested conversation starters include -“we are in this together”, “how can we help one another?”, “what might help our team get through this stressful time?”
• Be selective in the mental health resources you suggest
  • Too much information (e.g., an “info dump”), poor timing of information (e.g., “too little, too late”), or information that is too simplistic or lacks credibility (e.g., “all you need to do is give yourself a break”) can cause added negative stress, anger and distrust
  • Initiate discussion about what team members are looking for and invite them to share their knowledge and experiences alongside a recognized expert or source of evidence
• Ideally, review the resources you are suggesting to ensure they are suitable and helpful and invite discussion
  • Share the resource during work or school hours. Utilize resources and links that are free or at minimal cost and are acknowledged as reputable or endorsed by people they know and trust (such as a trusted friend or a subject matter expert).
  • Gently explore if staff, faculty or a relevant representative are willing to speak about their experiences using a specific resource to address stress (e.g., Wellness Together Canada, Bounce Back Ontario) or their experience accessing benefits such as the Employee and Family Assistance Program, or Employee Health Services. This can be more helpful than hearing from leaders or providers alone
  • Similarly, some students may be willing to discuss their experiences with support or counselling services covered through their student fees like We Speak Student for undergraduates or Empower Me for graduate students, or use of Student Wellness Centre Services, or Student Accessibility Services if they have an accommodation, disability or accessibility concern
    • Peer recommendations of resources can normalize and encourage proactive help-seeking and resource-utilization
• Explain what the resource is, who it is for, and how it can be accessed. Consider who can help answer the following questions:
  • How might this resource be helpful?
  • What can be expected if the resource is accessed?
  • Is it free or low cost?
  • Is there someone who can speak to their own experience of using the resource?
  • Is there someone you can bring in who is knowledgeable about the resource and can facilitate a short discussion as well as answer some questions?

It is important to link resources to the challenges or issues identified by your team. Some common issues related to the pandemic and the University setting include: anxiety and stress, boundaries, burnout, distress and depression, care-giver responsibilities, conflict management, compassion fatigue or moral injury, financial stress, mistreatment, and work/school-life balance. We have compiled a comprehensive list of available resources on the McMaster Okanagan website.

On the following two pages are some key McMaster resources which leaders can recommend to faculty/staff or students. Additional resources can be found here: https://mentalhealth.mcmaster.ca/communications-toolkit/

Abblett, M. (2019). Tame Reactive Emotions by Naming Them – Mindful. from https://www.mindful.org/ labels-help-tame-reactive-emotions-naming/

Barr, D. (2021). We are not all in the same boat. Retrieved May 30, 2020, from https://www.damianbarr. com/latest/https/we-are-not-all-in-the-same-boat

Berinato, S. (2020). That Discomfort You’re Feeling Is Grief. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2020/03/that-discomfort-youre-feeling-is-grief

Bilotta, I., Cheng, S., Davenport, M. K., & King, E. (2021). Using the job demands-resources model to understand and address employee well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 14(1-2), 267-273. https://doi.org/10.1017/iop.2021.43

BounceBack Ontario. (2021). BounceBack, Reclaim your Health. BounceBack Ontario. https://bouncebackontario.ca/

Brown, B., & Parker, P. (2020). Brené with Priya Parker on The Art of Gathering In Unlocking Us with Brené Brown. C.13. https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-with-priya-parker-on-the-art-of- gathering/#close-popup

Caron, C. (2021). How to Start Healing During a Season of Grief. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/01/well/mind/grief-loss-mourning-covid.html

Carter, N. A (n.d.) Practical Evidence-Based Self-Help Program for COVID-19-Related Worry and Anxiety- Session One: On Anxiety. https://valleycentreforcounselling.com/onanxiety

Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. (2021). Mental Illness & Addiction Index. from https://www.camh.ca/en/health-info/mental-illness-and-addiction-index

Centre for Clinical Interventions. (2021). Information Sheet: The vicious cycle of anxiety. CCI. from https:// www.cci.health.wa.gov.au/-/media/CCI/Mental-Health-Professionals/Panic/Panic—Information- Sheets/Panic-Information-Sheet—03—The-Vicious-Cycle-of-Anxiety.pdf

Chan, T., Carter, N., Moll, S., Ayari, S.& Gouhary, E., & Menezes, N. (2021). Peer Support with Pandemic Pals (Special II) – Drs. Menezes / el Gouhary / Ayari / Moll / Carter In MacPFD Spark Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/macpfd/macpfd-spark-podcast-pandemic-pals-special-ii-nh2

Chan, T., Risdon, C., & Profetto, J. (2020). Bringing New Life to Meeting with Dr. Ridson | Leadership Development with Dr. Profetto In MacPFD Spark Podcast. https://soundcloud.com/macpfd/bringing- new-life-to-meetings-with-dr-risdon-leadership-development-with-dr-profetto

Cherry, K. (2020). How Multitasking Affects Productivity and Brain Health. VeryWellMind from: https://www.verywellmind.com/multitasking-2795003

Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D., & Stavros, J. M. (2008). Appreciative Inquiry Handbook For Leaders of Change (2nd ed.). Berrett-Koehler Publishers.

Cuncic, A. (2021). How to Cope With Social Awkwardness After COVID-19. Very well mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how-to-cope-with-social-awkwardness-after-covid-19-5180279

Cushing, E. (2021). Late-Stage Pandemic is Messing With Your Brain. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic. com/health/archive/2021/03/what-pandemic-doing-our-brains/618221/?fbclid=IwAR3qhtYqQ4srFXQ wbQAsNqqgzJ57s5mUk0opHV6OS8lSPslx0FMbf6pe_DI

DiMarco, I. (2021). Dreading post-pandemic crowds and social situations? Exposure therapy can help. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/after-covid-social-anxiety- crowd/2021/04/06/901c552e-93d1-11eb-a74e-1f4cf89fd948_story.html

Dollard, C. (2018). Emotional Intelligence Is Key to Successful Leadership. The Gottman Institute. from https://www.gottman.com/blog/emotional-intelligence-key-successful-leadership/

Dweck, C. (2016). What Having a “Growth Mindset” Actually Means. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/01/what-having-a-growth-mindset-actually-means

Eyl, E. (2020). COVID-19, Maslow’s hierarchy, and how to engage employees right now. Start it Up. from https://medium.com/swlh/covid-19-maslows-hierarchy-and-how-to-engage-employees-right- e696ba01079a

Graduate Student Association. Empower Me. McMaster University. https://gsa.mcmaster.ca/services/ empower-me/

Grant, A. (2021). There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/19/well/mind/covid-mental-health-languishing.html

Greater Good Science Center. (2021). Compassion Definition | What Is Compassion. Retrieved May 26, 2021, from https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/topic/compassion/definition

Human Resources Services. (2020). McMaster University: Recognition Toolkit for Leaders. McMaster University. https://hr.mcmaster.ca/app/uploads/2020/05/Recognition-Toolkit-for-Leaders.pdf

Human Resources Services. (2021). Compensation, Benefits & Retirement Plans. McMaster University. https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/total-rewards/

Human Resources Services. (2021). Employee and Family Assistance Program. McMaster University. https://hr.mcmaster.ca/employees/health_safety_well-being/my-well-being/employee-and-family- assistance-program/

Human Resources Services, (2021). Employee Health Services. McMaster University. https://hr.mcmaster.ca/about-us/our-services/employee-health-services/

Joanisse, M. (2020). Psychological First Aid for Frontline Health Care Providers During COVID-19. Joanisse, Mélanie. https://cpa.ca/docs/File/COVID/ Psychological_FirstAid_HealthCare_COVID-19_Workbook_Final_April82020.

pdf?fbclid=IwAR3qhtYqQ4srFXQwbQAsNqqgzJ57s5mUk0opHV6OS8lSPslx0FMbf6pe_DI

Jones, T. (2020). After coronavirus, the penny has dropped that wellbeing isn’t individual but social. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/12/after-coronavirus-the-penny-has- dropped-that-wellbeing-isnt-individual-but-social

Kininmonth, C. (2019). Brené Brown: 4 reasons being Unclear is Unkind. The Growth Factory. from https://www.thegrowthfaculty.com/blog/BrenBrown4reasonsbeingUnclearisUnkind

Lee, T. H., & Duckworth, A. L. (2018). Organizational Grit. The Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2018/09/organizational-grit

Lyall, S. (2021). We Have All Hit a Wall: Confronting late-stage pandemic burnout, with everything from edibles to Exodus. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/04/03/business/pandemic- burnout-productivity.html

McMaster University. (n.d.). We Speak Student. McMaster University. https://wespeakstudent.com/ home/8-mcmaster-university#/category-4

Mervosh, S. A Year of Trauma and Resilience: How the Pandemic Changed Everything. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/us/covid-pandemic-anniversary.html

Moss, J. (2021). Beyond Burned Out. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/02/beyond-burned-out Motivational Interviewing of Network Trainers (2019). Understanding Motivational Interviewing.

Motivational Interviewing Network of Trainers (MINT). https://motivationalinterviewing.org/ understanding-motivational-interviewing

Murphy, K. (2020). We’re All Socially Awkward Now. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes. com/2020/09/01/sunday-review/coronavirus-socially-awkward.html

Nature @ McMaster. (2021). Home – Nature @ McMaster. McMaster University, https://nature.mcmaster.ca/

Parker-Pope, T. (2021). Disenfranchised Grief in a Year of Pandemic Losses. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/15/well/mind/grief-pandemic-losses.html

Perlo J, B. B., Swensen S, Kabcenell A, Landsman J, Feeley D. (2017). IHI Framework for Improving Joy in Work. http://www.ihi.org/resources/Pages/IHIWhitePapers/Framework-Improving-Joy-in-Work.aspx

Scott, E. (2020). How to Apologize More Sincerely. Very Well Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/how- to-apologize-more-sincerely-3144467

Scroggs, L. (n.d). Time Blocking. Todoist. https://todoist.com/productivity-methods/time-blocking

Smith, W. (2021). The psychology of post-pandemic life – why you might feel anxious about re-entry. CBC Radio. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/whitecoat/the-psychology-of-post-pandemic-life-why-you-might- feel-anxious-about-re-entry-1.6032607

Student Accessibility Services. (2021). Student Accessibility Services. McMaster University. https://sas.mcmaster.ca/

Student Wellness Centre. (2021). Student Wellness Centre. McMaster University. https://wellness.mcmaster.ca/

Wellness Together Canada. (2021). About Wellness Together Canada. Wellness Together Canada. https://wellnesstogether.ca/en-CA

Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. (2021). Referring employees to resources. Workplace Strategies for Mental Health. https://www.workplacestrategiesformentalhealth.com/resources/referring- employees-to-resources

Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2013). The Ideal Praise-to-Criticism Ratio. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2013/03/the-ideal-praise-to-criticism