This year has certainly tested bank executives’ ability to manage during a crisis.
Apart from dealing with the myriad of business challenges thrown at them by the coronavirus pandemic, they are trying to maintain morale of employees, many of whom are working remotely and coping with stresses of their own.
This year American Banker asked executives at the 85 institutions that make up our ranking of the Best Banks to Work For to reveal how they have kept employees engaged and motivated in this most difficult of years.
The participants, mostly CEOs, emphasized that there’s no such thing as too much communication in times like these, as silence often leads employees to assume the worst. They also stressed the importance of reassuring workers that their jobs were safe, their pay would not be cut and that their colleagues have their backs when they need to step away from work to take care of loved ones or help children with remote learning. And whenever possible, the executives said, try to brighten employees’ days with perks, such as free meals, fun competitions and virtual social events.
Here’s what executives had to say about managing in a crisis.
