The COVID-19 360 Review

Jul 31, 2020 | HR for Small Business

COVID-19 has turned the business world upside down due to shutdowns, phased reopening plans, new sanitation protocols, and trying to accommodate different employee needs in the midst of a pandemic.

As with any major shift that occurs in your business, you need to assess the full effect. That’s where a 360 review comes in.

Many of us have been through a 360 review where people in the company complete a confidential assessment of your skills as a leader. It’s called a 360 review because it evaluates you from all angles, including employees that you supervise and the leaders or owners that you report to.

Benefits of a 360 review

A COVID-19 360 review is about looking at all angles of how your business is faring in response to the pandemic. You need to reach out to your employees and make sure you’re in tune with them and that they’re doing okay. Are they getting the support they need? Do they feel comfortable and safe at work?

This is a great way to gauge how your employees feel you are doing in response to COVID. Many employees don’t feel like their employer is taking it seriously. Do yours? Don’t stick your head in the sand and pretend everything is fine, because it probably isn’t.

Communication is key, and many companies aren’t putting the right level of emphasis on it. Nobody knows what the metric or standard is for “doing well” with COVID-19, but if you want your employees to feel like you’re doing something, you need to communicate it. Just like with stay interviews, a COVID-19 360 review can help identify problems and give you an opportunity to fix them before your employees start leaving.

Creating a 360 review

A 360 review should always be anonymous. There are a variety of online survey tools you can use to create a survey and send the link to your employees. Be sure that any built-in tracking is turned off so that the survey remains truly anonymous. Two possible tools to use are SurveyMonkey and Google Forms.

The questions you ask should be tailored to your company and your situation in response to COVID-19. Here are some ideas for questions to include:

● What are we doing well?
● What are you thankful for that we’ve put in place?
● Are we providing everything you need for this situation?
● Do you have the tools to do your job in your current location?
● Do you have the communication channels you need to do your job right now?
● Do you have the information you need regarding health insurance coverage and employee assistance program?
● Is there anything we’re not doing that could help you in your job?
● Is there anything we’re not doing that could help you personally?
● Is there anything that we’ve put in place during COVID-19 that you’d like the company to keep moving forward?
● Do you feel safe coming to work?

Employees often tend to stay silent even if they have problems. And if your team is working remotely due to the pandemic, you might not realize the problems they’re having until it’s too late. By asking employees what they need, you can help ensure your team feels supported and is able to do their jobs effectively.

This is one of the best times for you to conduct a 360 review of your company. Put together a survey and make sure that you’re doing the best you can for your employees. And as with any 360 review, be sure you’re asking employees at all levels of the company to respond.

Not sure where to start with a 360 review? We can help. Contact us today.