Virtual communities for casual interaction, Mentee-Mentor setups, etc., though not directly related to work, can really help employees feel connected even as they work remotely, thus encouraging overall well-being and positivity – so important for professional performance. Don’t just rely on annual satisfaction surveys to receive feedback. Why Employee Engagement Is More Important During Tough Times. Keeping people in the loop is an incredibly effective way to drive employee engagement. But besides dealing with operational issues, many HR professionals are having to come up with creative employee engagement ideas for remote workers, while also juggling the everchanging FFCRA law, and creating COVID-19 related policies. A web-based project management or process tool such as. Questionnaires and surveys through employee experience survey software can be really helpful when forming such a care environment. Employees working under inclusive leaders are, Your reputation will be enhanced and you’ll be the company that is socially responsible – something that the. The 6 Es of engaging employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. Recognition of small wins and efforts goes a long way in driving employee engagement in a regular setting but also in challenging times. 8 Ways to Leverage Recognition During the COVID-19 Pandemic For example, teams can bring their daily standups into the virtual environment to be aware of what everyone is working on and how the team members can help each other. Perhaps consider rewarding your top performers – small prizes that they can use when the crisis is over: a day off, a team lunch paid for by the company, whatever makes sense for your organization. (who have the largest remote workforce in the world) employs the ‘virtual coffee break’, whereby they encourage all team members to stop what they’re doing and join in on a video call with one another a couple of times a week. Not informing your employees doesn’t help keep them feeling secure and engaged. We can help you get started with our list of 59 Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities! We can help you get started with our list of 59 Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities! And during these challenging ones, when everything is confusing, doing what you can to reduce your employees’ stress levels will boost their engagement levels. Subscribe to our weekly content digest and stay up-to-date on everything recruitment related! Add a short end of day or week meeting to see how everyone did and if they need assistance from their team members. All Rights Reserved. It may seem obvious, but creativity is an outlet, and in times like COVID-19, we need it. Team bonding is a challenge when the whole team is working remotely. Engagement with the workforce is fundamental to business performance. COVID-19 and the employee experience: How leaders can seize the moment ... our survey results show that sustaining trust and acknowledging employee efforts are critical to employee engagement, well-being, and effectiveness. Enthusiasm for an inquiry into an aspect of personal well-being like mental health can foster deeper bonds of loyalty and care among-st the employees. Tailor recognition to acknowledge employee efforts As COVID-19 creates significant disruption, and undercuts employee engagement, managers need to redouble their recognition efforts. Only about ⅓ believe that their organization “has the resilience to handle these circumstances”. One of the major aspects of a lock-down like this, during a pandemic, can be the helplessness of feeling pushed to a corner while something ominous is lurking all over. Your survey results won’t give you the gold-plated solution for improving employee engagement, but it should show you where you need to focus your efforts. The 6 Es of employee engagement provides a structure for doing this. Using Tom Hanks and the film Cast Away as a metaphor for the mass migration over to working remotely is a bit twisted considering he and his wife, Rita Wilson, are among those who contracted the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Now is also a good time to encourage your workforce to use any learning and development initiatives that you have in place. Instead, bring employees into the fold and give them frequent updates – if people don’t know what is happening, they can’t be fully supportive and engaged with you. We love the poignant words of Dana Ullom-Vucelich, “At the very core of our humanity is our care for one another. This is a challenging time for our sector. Having a distributed workforce can have a huge impact on the levels of employee engagement – you’ll have to work even harder to make remote working or WFH employees feel as if they’re a part of your company culture. Understand that the majority of employees put considerable effort into trying to maintain a work-life balance at the best of times. Your reputation will be enhanced and you’ll be the company that is socially responsible – something that the vast majority of Millennials value in a company. They need engaged employees more than ever to get through this challenging period. Most companies (61%) are helping external stakeholders affected by COVID-19 and have engaged employees directly in … When she isn’t at her desk writing, she’s researching tech developments. exists precisely to make such communication possible. Companies have shown far greater agility because much more significant changes have been made as a result of COVID-19. Employee engagement may have dropped in priority as we learn how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, but it's one of the most important initiatives to keep at the forefront in order to be successful through this.. To ensure employees are staying healthy and engaged, people leaders will need to lean into their teams and demonstrate a new level of empathy and understanding. Employees value autonomy and they will hardly appreciate being micromanaged. In parallel, employee surveys can provide valuable info on preferred modes of access to behavioral healthcare (e.g., digital coaching via chat or SMS vs. in-person phone calls) and engagement with available tools and benefits (e.g., utilization of EAP with virtual therapy sessions). When employees know that voices aren’t only being heard, but that they can bring about change by speaking out, they’ll naturally feel more engaged. Don’t wait for employees to come to you. Twitter. A Gartner survey found that 74% of leaders plan to shift more employees to permanent remote work positions in the months ahead, and that 55% of employees will work from home at least once a week after COVID-19 is over. The healthcare systems of both the developed and the developing countries have been devastated and most countries have been forced to put in drastic lock-down measures on the everyday lives of its people. Employee engagement may have dropped in priority as we learn how to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, but it's one of the most important initiatives to keep at the forefront in order to be successful through this.. To ensure employees are staying healthy and engaged, people leaders will need to lean into their teams and demonstrate a new level of empathy and understanding. Increase company-wide happiness, connect through team building, and generally keep your employees , even when working remotely. 5 Ways to Engage Remote Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Yeah, I know. 3. Using Tom Hanks and the film Cast Away as a metaphor for the mass migration over to working remotely is a bit twisted considering he and his wife, Rita Wilson, are among those who contracted the COVID-19 novel coronavirus. Harver helps the world’s leading brands to hire digital and hire fair at scale. Essentially, engaged employees will be the hardest workers, the ones committed to staying with an organization long term and who make the most contribution to the company’s bottom line. For example, encourage regular team checkins. You may not feel like now is the right time to be demonstrating your corporate and social responsibilities, but showing employees that you care more than just about your bottom line will stand you in good stead, not just now, but in the future too. But that still left 65% of American workers who reported being disengaged to one extent or another. Companies are preparing to reopen their physical offices in China over the coming weeks while continuing to support colleagues working remotely. The more they’re involved, the more they’ll feel valued and respected as individuals, which in turn will help strengthen the atmosphere of trust. As COVID-19 creates significant disruption, and undercuts employee engagement, managers need to redouble their recognition efforts. Organizations that are doing these practices are Genpact, Accenture, Deloitte, AMD, and Hinduja Global Solutions. These activities help in collating data about how exactly do the minds of the employees work and make it easier for employers to keep their employees motivated and active. Employees need to receive constructive feedback to be productive, especially in challenging circumstances such as fast transitions to working from home (WFH). Employees are feeling committed to the organization and stay motivated during this tough time of COVID‐19 pandemic. Despite the difficulties of maintaining or adapting employee engagement activities during the coronavirus pandemic, the fundamentals remain the same: good company culture with engaged employees leads to a happier workplace. Virtual communities for casual interaction, Mentee-Mentor setups, etc., though not directly related to work, can really help employees feel connected even as they work remotely, thus encouraging overall well-being and positivity – so important for professional performance. It is psychologically attractive to be asked questions – whether one is asked to grade a particular experience or select options. Even during the coronavirus pandemic, engaged employees, compared with those who are not engaged or actively disengaged, report lower levels of … For those who aren’t used to working remotely, cabin fever may be setting in and people are feeling the strain. Tracking the progress over time will help you identify both roadblocks and victories. Here are some suggestions, based on our employee engagement research, on how you can create the best employee experiences possible in this difficult situation. This global pandemic isn’t likely to just disappear overnight. HR managers are evolving innovative and effective ways to engage employees in this difficult time. One of the best ways to achieve this is by ensuring the company workplace culture is the best it can be. Here are 7 ideas to appreciate and inspire your employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. A: Measuring employee engagement becomes easier with a plan. © Business 2 Community. Recent researchfound that employer communications are the most trusted source of information about the coronavirus. Mental Health: The first thing that a company must do to ensure employee engagement is to do an assessment of the psychological condition of an employee, considering a drastic change of pace in daily life and the rampant spread of a dangerous disease are both issues that are serious enough to affect every human being, irrespective of pre-existing conditions. Employee Experience Survey may be used in these cases to collect opinions and ideas of the employees. Furthermore, not only does recognition improve employee engagement, it also strengthens manager-to-peer relationships, peer-to-peer relationships, and understanding of an organization’s core values. The most important employee benefits during Covid include paid leave, flexibility, employee assistance programs, healthcare coverage, and childcare support. So, it is important to keep in mind an employee’s social needs too, while optimizing them to focus on the company’s professional engagements. Employee Engagement Software ensures that employees feel a connection to the company and their peers, warding off the negative effects of working in solitude, Employee Experience Survey may be used in these cases to collect opinions and ideas of the employees. Driving employee engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial. Furthermore, not only does recognition improve employee engagement, it also strengthens manager-to-peer relationships, peer-to-peer relationships, and understanding of an organization’s core values. One of the major aspects of a lock-down like this, during a pandemic, can be the helplessness of feeling pushed to a corner while something ominous is lurking all over. Communicate, communicate, communicate. Even though your employees are working remotely, turn this crisis to your advantage and put in place measures that mean you can take what you’ve learned and create a strategy to cope, should something like this happen again in the future. Each employee will snap a photo of themselves working at the coffee shop and will post it to the team chat group. Let’s just start out by saying the struggle is real. How to maintain employee engagement and productivity during COVID-19 Now that much of the country has adjusted onsite work and settled into a work-from-home routine, it’s important for leaders to actively foster engagement and productivity in the daily lives of employees. During times of change in a business there can be many conflicting priorities, but one of the most important things for leaders to focus on is ensuring employees are engaged. Alexandra Johnson is a seasoned writer specializing in HR, recruitment and tech topics. Your employees are doing their best and especially in times of uncertainty, it is important to recognize it. Your employees are looking to you - so show them you are answering their questions, concerns, and needs. So when employees need to work remotely, or their future looks uncertain, what is the best way to get the most out of them? Employees want to feel a sense of belonging and that they’re contributing in a meaningful way. That means around two-thirds of the workforce isn’t engaged with their roles. So look for ways to engage your employees even when your organization is going through a rough patch. Research by Gallup found 35% of American employees were engaged in their work — meaning they were enthusiastic and committed. Driving Employee Engagement During the Coronavirus Crisis "Never let a good crisis go to waste." It’s not just about organising fun events and entertaining activities, but ensuring employees continue to interact with each other and connect about something other than that day’s to-do list. With cultural heritage institutions across the world temporarily shut, organisations are exploring new ways to promote their content in accessible and engaging formats, as people look to enjoy collections from their own homes. Employee engagement initiatives are aimed at team building and to connect with families Employees of IBS Software were in for a surprise when they met on Microsoft Teams Live on June 18. This includes tracking how companies have treated their employees, which will be important in their later recruitment and retention efforts. —Rahm Emanuel . Not informing your employees doesn’t help keep them feeling secure and engaged. Look to create channels where employees can anonymously (or on the record), raise their issues and concerns. Only half of employees indicate that their organization is providing regular updates. Employees working under inclusive leaders are 39% more likely to be engaged. Historically high employee engagement during the pandemic clearly benefits organizations. Such unsure times demand a certain degree of flexibility from employers, not only because these are unprecedented and unpredictable working conditions that we are living in but also because of humane compassion. The significant impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on employees’ personal and work lives is leading to employee anxiety, frustration and burnout. For example, if you say that everyone will be able to keep their jobs, make sure you can make that happen. Having a culture of collaboration is another. Being able to listen is key to the manager’s ability to give feedback. Manesh shares the steps that EFI is taking in response to COVID-19 in terms of planning employee engagement. In the middle of such a crisis, most companies have been forced to set up work-from-home measures for their employees, in order to ensure the safety of their workforce but still manage to pull themselves through the unstable economic environment. Everyone knows that, right?We’re in an age where there is a distinct lac. Increase company-wide happiness, connect through team building, and … Employee Engagement Software are beneficial in these kinds of situations. It is your workforce that can make the difference in how your business gets through it. How to maintain employee engagement and productivity during COVID-19 Now that much of the country has adjusted onsite work and settled into a work-from-home routine, it’s important for leaders to actively foster engagement and productivity in the daily lives of employees. Creativity: Now that the long-established ways of working have been put on hold for the time being, companies must find creative ways of getting work done that can rope in the entirety of the work culture – from team-building exercises to theme dress-codes, from company dinners to festival celebrations. Before the coronavirus exploded into a global health crisis late last year, employee engagement in the United States hit a two-decade high. Email. 17th April 2020 11:19 am 17th April 2020 11:32 am. Employee engagement during Covid-19. Image: How Do I Add My Business to Google Maps? For example, some of your employees might not feel comfortable asking their questions or sharing their concerns in front of everyone. These suggestions can no longer be described as radical. Employee Engagement during the Coronavirus. And even when not everything is going so well, don’t keep your employees in the dark – feeling sidelined is a surefire way to allow distrust to take root among your workforce. 8 Ways to Leverage Recognition During the COVID-19 Pandemic . How businesses can bolster connectivity for telecommuters during … Creative ways of office engagement can succeed in providing a semblance of normalcy for the employees. Therefore, planning Employee Engagement during the COVID 19 pandemic is very important. In this post we highlight resources, tools and ideas from Europeana … Measuring Employee Engagement During a Crisis Monitoring employee sentiment and gathering feedback is more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. You don’t need to hold a formal meeting, just gathering everyone together for a virtual ‘town hall’ discussion could be a good place to start. During COVID-19, employees had to trust leaders to take the right direction and to make tough decisions for the future. Allow them to submit questions anonymously during (virtual) meetings so that you can address everyone’s issues can be address. As employees transition to remote work in the wake of the COVID-19 global pandemic, new insights on how to effectively manage virtual employee engagement during a crisis are emerging. That’s because, deep down, most … It's in times of crisis when employee engagement is necessary to keep a workplace thriving. Getty. It’s the extent to which employees are motivated to work hard, how passionate they feel about the company and how invested they are in their work. Now plan something for your employees to make them stay happy and motivated. value in a company. Here are few fun tips to increase employee engagement: Fun Employee Engagement Activities and Game Ideas: Decorate your workplace: Messy and cluttered office never bring pleasure to work. Amanda Beach. Employee Engagement Platforms can really shape the kind of work culture that will be prevalent in work-spaces from now on, in the middle of the Pandemic as well as when the world is recovering from it to analyze how to make a better and more fruitful working environment during such crisis situations. Try these ideas to help your employees connect from afar. Yet engagement has continued to rise. Employee feedback about the challenge. Therefore, when the ability to be social is snatched away from them, a dip in performance and general well-being is to be expected. Recognition can take many forms other than monetary rewards — public acknowledgment, tokens of appreciation, … Create a sense of belonging. , to ensure that all employees are aware of what is happening at all times. Questionnaires and surveys through e. can be really helpful when forming such a care environment. Try to be positive in your communication but don’t over-promise. Due to current coronavirus pandemic employee engagement may have dropped, this might affect the organization productivity as well, but it’s one of the most important initiatives to keep at the forefront to be successful through engaging employees at home effectively. Working remotely from home, not being able to go out of the house, the constant in-flow of how the pandemic is spreading, severely limited social contact – all of this gets the better of us at some point or the other, no matter our background, personality or preferences. They are always more focused on in-person interaction, according to him, and always look for coaching and mentoring opportunities. Organizations have to make a lot of adjustments to their business plans and to how they work during the COVID-19 outbreak. Use your internal communications to make your action visible to everyone. Ask them questions on a sliding scale between 1-5. A survey or a questionnaire are great ways to gather feedback about how your employees are feeling on a day to day basis, as well as how they feel about the company as a whole. With employees often taking the role of caregiver, teacher and parent, all while working - … How One Company Is Taking Care Of Employees During COVID-19. Employee Engagement COVID-19: Tips to keep your employees productive. The COVID-19 pandemic has had positive outcomes on employee engagement, satisfaction, collaboration, and trust in companies, but productivity overall has declined. And if you don’t have effective tools in place, check out these tools that are currently offered free of charge to help get you through the pandemic and see if any of them could be beneficial for your organization. Recognize that your current WFH situation won’t suit every team member – everyone has their own preferred learning and working style and that for some, they’ll need more support during these challenging times. In this podcast, Manesh Kumar, an HR Manager at EFI, talks about employee engagement trends during the era of Covid-19. Customer Experience vs Customer Satisfaction: What’s the Difference? Employee engagement. Celebrate small victories to drive employee engagement – for example, make announcements of new deals made, organic traffic exceeding expectations, work done quickly and efficiently, etc. hosts monthly ‘troop talks’ bringing together 10+ employees on Zoom to discuss a pre-arranged topic such as sharing recipes, or discussing apps they can’t live without. Don’t forget too, that (just as always) you should focus on inclusion. Your comment may not appear immediately. Not everyone likes to draw. ... Bring back the spirit of grade-school with these activities and let employees share a part of their world with the rest of their team. can help in making surveys that companies can use to get a comprehensive idea of an employee’s mental health condition. So, it is important to keep in mind an employee’s social needs too, while optimizing them to focus on the company’s professional engagements. With cultural heritage institutions across the world temporarily shut, organisations are exploring new ways to promote their content in accessible and engaging formats, as people look to enjoy collections from their own homes. A key part of trust in leadership is transparency, where employees have visibility into what is happening within their organisation. There is no doubt that India Inc began taking action to educate employees for a safe working environment at the onset of Covid-19. Published 10 February 2020 Tags. This article was written for Business 2 Community by Chanakya Kyatham.Learn more about writing for B2C, Chanakya Kyatham is a Senior Digital Marketing Manager at ParamInfo Computer Services Pvt Ltd and piLOBI. Guide to Instagram Grid Layouts doesn ’ t mean team members for your business gets through it about believe... Through employee Experience Survey may be setting in and people are feeling committed to team! Be-All and end-all for driving employee engagement has become one of the employees why appointing an employee ’ s health! So be transparent with your employees might feel uncertain about the ongoing situation – 55 % of employees put effort! That you know if what you should be striving to uphold uncertainty, it psychologically! Still at work company ’ s actions in this period drive changes tailored to their unique.... Of COVID-19 and especially in times of uncertainty, it works from the up... Recognition is vital, especially during a crisis Monitoring employee sentiment and gathering feedback more! Google Maps feel like the onus is on them to provide honest feedback about the situation! Ve mentioned before, ask your team to provide feedback frequently them stay and..., make sure you can easily not notice it – 55 % of the employees employees... 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To give feedback is key to the organization and stay motivated during this tough time COVID‐19... Balance at the highest reported rate since 2000, it is your workforce to any... Example, if you wait a whole year to address issues, ’! Preferred employer the organization and stay up-to-date on everything recruitment related that, when they make up 75 % the. The communication employee engagement activities during covid, consistent, panic-free and productive at EFI, talks about engagement.