2020 has certainly been a challenging year with COVID-19 forcing most NFP organisations to adapt and change the way they manage, recruit and train staff and volunteers.

We hope you’ve still had a good year and that the ideas we’ve brought you through the Not-For-Profit People Blog have helped you navigate some of the challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The EthicalJobs.com.au Team is looking forward to 2021 and bringing you more ideas on how to attract, manage and retain the best people for your organisation. In the meantime, here are the ten posts you enjoyed the most in 2020.

Wishing you a happy and safe holiday and new year! 

1. Resources for NFP Employers: Navigating the challenges of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic created challenges for employers, HR teams, managers, staff and volunteers across the NFP sector. Undoubtedly you and your team have been affected – whether you adjusted to social distancing in the workplace, shifted to a remote set-up, or you’ve had to make the tough decision to stand down employees.

As we sought to support our community to navigate these tough times, we compiled a list of resources to help NFPs continue to attract, manage and retain your staff and volunteers at a time of incredible upheaval and challenges.

2. Google spent 10 years researching what makes a great manager. They found these 10 things

The managers in your organisation matter. Research shows that they have significant impacts on employee engagement and a range of linked outcomes like productivity, quality, staff turnover and delivery of your products for which we recommend service like ardentx.com/cross-docking/.

But in 2002, Google tested this in a decision to do away with all of its managers. Needless to say, the removal of a layer of bureaucracy that they thought would set them up for success, had many other negative impacts.

After that experience, Google set out – using 10 years of additional data – to understand why managers are so important, and what makes a good manager. Here are the ten common behaviours that they discovered across all high-scoring managers. 

3. How to approach an employee who may have poor mental health during the coronavirus lockdown

Supporting a mentally healthy workplace has always been an important part of being a manager and leader – even before the COVID-19 pandemic one in five Australians experienced mental ill-health every year.

With the coronavirus pandemic creating a high level of uncertainty, it’s likely to be making existing anxiety and depression challenges for staff and volunteers even worse.

So what are the signs that a staff member might be going through a mental health challenge? And as a manager, what can do you to support them through it?

4. Five ways to be a better manager while working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic

For many NFP teams, working from home is the new normal during the coronavirus pandemic and is posing all sorts of new challenges.

Managers have lost some tangible parts of doing their job – like non-verbal aspects of communication and more casual interactions that help to support their employees.

Given these changes, adjusting ways of communicating and connecting is essential to knowing the personal needs of colleagues and keeping teams functioning in a human way. Here are five tips to help you be your most compassionate and caring self in the new remote environment.

5. Victorian NFPs: Four COVID-19 supports for your staff that you might not know about

As Victorians bunker down for the strongest restrictions seen yet during the pandemic, it’s reassuring to see governments stepping up to support employees as much as they can.

With things moving so fast, here are four government supports that are now available for staff and volunteers at Victorian NFPs that you – or they – might not know are available to get through this tough period.

6. Are you or your teammates burned out? Here’s how to tell, and what to do about it

2020 was enough to make even the most resilient NFP staff member feel stressed, anxious, worried and potentially burned out.

Indeed even before the world-changing events of 2020, community sector workers occupied two of the top five positions in the list of occupations most at-risk of mental health stress.

So as a manager or HR professional, what can you do to help your staff – and yourself – avoid burning out?

7. How to help your employees with back-to-work anxiety

As the COVID-19 restrictions ease, many parts of life are returning to normal and work is no exception, with many NFPs starting to prepare to re-open their offices and other workplaces.

But with the majority of Australians still concerned about the health impacts of COVID-19 —combined with the readjustment, uncertainty and change it has created — it’s likely that your employees may be feeling anxious about the return to their usual workspace.

So try these four strategies to help your staff transition back to the workplace and ensure you’re supporting their mental wellbeing in the process.

8. Six tips for the difficult conversation with a remote employee who’s underperforming

Remote working has been a sudden and new adjustment for many NFPs. While many employees have adapted and settled into the change, others may be struggling in the new environment. 

For leaders, there’s a pressure to remain compassionate of what others may be going through, but an employee who isn’t keeping up while working remotely is a problem that can’t be ignored.

So how can leaders address team members who are struggling to successfully work remotely while also remaining sensitive to the times? Here are some simple guidelines to help managers achieve positive outcomes from these difficult conversations. 

9. Four lessons on being an authentic leader from Jacinda Ardern

As organisations keep moving through the challenges that have been created by the coronavirus pandemic, effective leadership has been more important than ever.

Regardless of where you sit on the political spectrum, we can all agree that Jacinda Ardern’s leadership has been able to gain incredible respect under extreme pressure. In fact, some are calling Ardern the most effective national leader in the world.

So what can we learn from the way Ardern leads? And how can you start to implement a similar approach in your own organisation?

10. Even during a pandemic, your organisation can be a fun place to work. Here’s how

It has long been recognised that all work and no play is likely to lead to less productive, dissatisfied workers. 

Besides making working lives more enjoyable, there is strong evidence that fun in the workplace packs a powerful punch in terms of organisational benefits.

So how can your NFP create a pro-fun culture and environment, especially during a time of uncertainty and stress for many? Here are four essentials.