Redefining Employee Engagement During These Unprecedented Times

The term employee engagement took a new meaning this year, from a time where all the fun-filled activities motivated employees during the course of the entire month. However, this year has its own story to tell. From, celebrating birthdays, festivals, and potlucks in office– to now attending virtual call meetings, COVID outbreak has given a new face to employee engagement.

Work from home has been nothing less than a challenge for all of us, in terms of the health, mind, and most importantly the work productivity, which is largely influenced by how one enjoys sitting and working at home. But the bigger challenge lies with the employers, who are continuously trying to keep their employees motivated during this pandemic.

It is an established fact that employees are the greatest asset for the company and their well-being is of utmost importance to meet their business goals. Although the companies are still trying to sink with this “new normal’’ of engaging employees through virtual town halls, the second phase of a pandemic is already at our doors.

We can definitely not avoid this new normal, but we must consider the following approaches to keep our employees engaged:

1) Well- Being | The New Mission: In this difficult time, the mission of a company should be overall well-being of employees which in turn increases their morale. Share the company’s growth, current status with them and assure that we are all in this together. A sense of personal touch will keep them engaged with the company for the long run.

2)  Mental Health | The New Need: Amidst all this, mental health has taken a toll on everyone, because of this the employees can be low on productivity. In this scenario employers can become a ray of hope in terms of conducting mental health sessions, mindfulness activities, counselling session, etc. for their employees. Invest in an Employee Assistance Program to empower your employees with virtual counselling sessions, team building workshops for employees, cases studies for employers and more.

3) Become a Leader | Not a Manager: Leadership is the most vital element in encouraging employees. As a leader, one must listen to their employees, talk to them, ask them questions, understand what they need and most importantly keep all the discussion transparent with them to give them a sense of belongingness.

4) Virtual fun-filled sessions:  Who says we need to be physically present to enjoy team sessions? Having technology as the biggest support, employers can totally engage their employees through online potlucks, can relive their hidden talents from their childhood, share stories how they overcome their challenges in this time, and multiple ways to connect to them.

5) Learning & Development – Learning can never be subjective to in-person training. Engage employees in virtual learning and development sessions like live webinars, seminars, technical & soft skills trainings, etc. to make them feel that the employer is interested in their growth.

With this hard time in front of us, we all trying to move ahead with zest and an attitude of resilience. Where things are getting more challenging for the employers at every step, employee engagement can act as a great strength.