Virtual connection doesn’t have to be limited to conversational check-ins. By now, your people are adapting to the temporary COVID-19 working conditions and/or shutdowns. Plus, you may want to provide extra flexibility and tolerate some background noise. Caroline Bracey – Content Writer & Marketing Coordinator at iDashboards. This can be new territory for many organizations and employees, especially those that are used to working together in person and those who not only enjoy but rely on building relationships through casual office encounters. 5 Ways to Engage Remote Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Yeah, I know. even reported that disengaged employees in the U.S. cost companies $550 billion a year. Becky Vea. But, don’t just assume you know how your employees are feeling. If you want to cheer people up, give them a sense of belonging and increase engagement, you should incorporate fun activities during the day and organize a set of virtual happy hours. Empathy may be a soft skill but it can pay dividends in terms of engagement. With the malicious tendrils of COVID snaking their way around every aspect of life, and the unintended diaspora to remote work, having committed and passionate teams is a life raft for so many organisations. The word “employee engagement” alone doesn’t give you anything you can visualize. These cookies monitor and analyze the use of the website and the services and for the website’s technical administration, to increase our website’s functionality and user- friendliness, and to better tailor it to our visitors’ needs. So our engagement has gotten better during COVID-19. What we learned: employee engagement rose 2% from 2019 to 2020 (86% are currently engaged). And while COVID has caused some disastrous impacts on the working world, it has also taught us some core lessons. The best way to increase engagement during video meetings is to start with an agenda. And remember, an engaged workforce has been reported to outperform competitors by 202%. With strength comes resilience, and an engaged team creates a strong team. COVID-19: Tips to keep your employees productive Here are a few tips and tricks to keep the communication two-way, consistent, panic-free and productive. A very interesting blog on Employee Engagement. wistia-http2-push-disabled, __stid, __utmx, __unam, __utmxx, __sharethis_cookie_test__, __distillery, muxData, visitor_id1, _gid, visitor_id, _ga. Doing so not only provides insight into overarching goals and organizational standing, but allows employees to have a sense of accountability for their individual responsibilities. During a crisis, it’s important that you and your company’s business leaders send a strong, visible message that shows we’re all in this together. So rather than hiding behind a smokescreen of indifference, it’s the managers who have been present and fully transparent about the situation that have garnered the best from their workers. 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. Good one! According to a recent, , ‘trust in leadership’ accounted for a 47.6% increase in engagement. With less than a quarter of workers feeling truly engaged pre-pandemic, what does that mean now? believe that empathetic leaders are critical to retention and success. Engagement and empathy are inextricably synced. For example, if you say that everyone will be able to keep their jobs, make sure you can make that happen. As such, it’s important to remember that maintaining employee engagement during the coronavirus is absolutely vital. Enabling your organisation to deliver a results-driven approach to perfect your D&I strategy. But what are the key areas that companies need to address with fractured workforces? It ensures that employees feel like they’re being invested in and that they are just as vital to the company as a profit margin. Employee engagement amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. 51. Worth reading the article! Beyond her passion for marketing and writing, you can find her watching sports with her family, discovering new music and places to travel, or getting outdoors and hiking. Learn More Establish Open Lines of Communication Given how rapidly COVID-19 is evolving, it’s critical that organizations monitor the situation closely and provide accurate and timely updates to employees. Professional development is one of the most important ways to keep your team members engaged, even from afar. Leadership must set the tone for the workforce, and this starts with genuine engagement, as well as open and honest conversations every step of the way. Your employees are looking to you to feel supported to do their best work, while also protecting their health and safety. Keeping people in the loop is an incredibly effective way to drive employee engagement. Meeting the engagement challenge of COVID-19. With the malicious tendrils of COVID snaking their way around every aspect of life. Employee Engagement: DecisionWise Consultant, Spencer Taylor, shares 5 ways to engage remote workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. It’s hard to think of another time when high employee engagement would be at such a premium. “Our policy is listen, understand, and act, so we do a ton of surveying. Here are a few ideas to get you started: Are you looking for more creative ways of engaging your team virtually? Try to be positive in your communication but don’t over-promise. Discuss your employees’ concerns as a leadership team and determine whether or not you should address such concerns with all employees. We take a closer look at lessons learned through the experiences of employee engagement during COVID-19. Technology in itself can also pose unexpected issues and delay turn-around when there is no immediate support from an at-home IT team. Everyone manages stress and fear in their own way; and times as unprecedented as these can make it even more challenging for people to manage their emotions and sense of unrest. As the Coronavirus (COVID-19) continues to spread globally, so do the feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. Share your tips in the comments below! You could either do this by sending out “all-office” memos or having each leadership team member address the topics during their weekly team meetings. So rather than hiding behind a smokescreen of indifference, it’s the managers who have been present and fully transparent about the situation that have garnered the best from their workers. Our current situation has produced challenges that organisations have never encountered. Show flexibility and understanding. Therefore, planning Employee Engagement during the COVID 19 pandemic is very important. Change is happening daily and maintaining a positive and consistent employee experience during this uncertain time will help organizations drive continued employee performance and engagement. of workers feeling truly engaged pre-pandemic, what does that mean now? Beyond providing transparency, empathy is also critical for driving engagement with employees. Keep lines of communication firmly open. Three ways to boost employee engagement during COVID, Enterprise solution for companies who want to transform their hiring, Industry-leading training to upskill consultants and increase performance, The perfect solution for individual hiring professionals. Try to get ahead of any concerns you can anticipate coming from your team. According to a recent McKinsey report, ‘trust in leadership’ accounted for a 47.6% increase in engagement. They look for questions to be answered and answers that make the situation easier to understand. It requires you to be a master of all trades, often wearing many hats all in the same day. How can managers encourage their direct reports to stay fully engaged — even as the COVID-19 pandemic changes the way we work? There is no doubt that India Inc began taking action to educate employees for a safe working environment at the onset of Covid-19. The COVID-19 pandemic has, undoubtedly, changed consumers and employees. Keeping employee morale high: A challenge during COVID-19. Employee engagement has been shown to increase productivity, retention rates, and even revenue. Keep lines of communication firmly open. Here are a couple of ways you can build trust with your team: One straightforward way to establish transparency and build trust is by directly providing clarity to employees of the metrics and data that define these items. Often touted as a primary reason for overall success in companies, employee engagement is proven to boost retention, increase productivity and enrich that bottom line. However, those needs are evolving, calling for a more sophisticated approach as organizations enter the next phase. But what are the key areas that companies need to address with fractured workforces? © 2020 Outback Team Building & Training, All Rights Reserved. Realize that what happens in one part of an employee’s life impacts all others. With workers dispersed and anxious about the effects of COVID, their job stability and wellbeing, it’s so important to be there for them. August 27, 2020. So our engagement has gotten better during COVID-19. In turn, they will likely become more comfortable and inspired to play an active role in an organization they are proud to be part of. Most importantly, that we need to protect our most precious asset – human capital. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. No-one wants to plateau, even during a global pandemic! #Kathryn Tyler We hope it serves you well. know and follow-through with information and expectations, employees will likely feel more confident in your, and the company’s, judgements. Leadership must set the tone for the workforce, and this starts with genuine engagement, as well as open and honest conversations every step of the way. Of course, it’s not surprising given the magnitude of unrest that 2020 has seen. And employee engagement is the most powerful driver of productivity and retention. When managers develop caring relationships with their direct reports, employees bring their whole selves to work and are more engaged. This exchanged respect makes it easier to set universal expectations of availability, performance, time allocation, and deliverables. Instead, engagement is about concrete behaviours that impact the very essence of a job. They help us keep the SocialTalent website slick. Employees in Wuhan/Hubei area. Some are parents with children who have been home from school performing online learning. Strategies to help maintain employee engagement during COVID-19 1. Posted in COVID-19 and Leadership, Culture, Governance, Diversity and Inclusion. How to Improve Employee Engagement During COVID-19 and Beyond, Provide Constant Communication from Leadership Team, Virtual Employee Engagement Activity Ideas, productivity, retention rates, and even revenue, online workout class run by a professional, 20 Virtual Team Building Activities to Engage Remote Employees, How to Support Mental Health at Work During These Precarious Times, The 27 Best Employee Benefits Packages and Perks for 2021, 32 Essential Executive Assistant Tools for 2021, Hiring During a Crisis: Tips for Recruiting, Interviewing, and Onboarding Employees During COVID-19, Asking for employee engagement feedback and ideas during regularly-scheduled meetings. With the malicious tendrils of COVID snaking their way around every aspect of life, and the unintended diaspora to remote work, having committed and passionate teams is a life raft for so many organisations. Uncertainty lurks at every corner. Here’s a great video by Kevin Kruse that gives detailed examples of what employee engagement is, and isn’t. Professional development is one of the most important ways to keep your team members engaged, even from afar. Continue to invest in your leaders Many organisations have put their leadership development programs on … During these uncertain times, teams are finding it important to stand with one another and look for ways they can improve as one. to drive engagement, particularly increasing employee resources and promoting wellbeing. Chances to grow and thrive in a career are a must-have. These cookies collect information about how visitors use our website, for instance which pages visitors go to most often, and if they get error messages from web pages. Have a look at our article “20 Virtual Team Building Activities to Engage Remote Employees” for some more inspiration. ... but loyalty goes deeper, inspiring engagement among high-performance talent and fostering a sense of connection and ownership within your firm. ... Learning and development programs can increase employee engagement and retention while also improving employee performance. Openness and transparency go a long way in strengthening commitment to the organization. It’s so easy to lose your way in unprecedented times, but the act of caring will always be reciprocal. Check-in with your team regularly. Have you been successful in engaging your employees during COVID-19? These cookies help us create the best SocialTalent experience for you. for the SocialTalent newsletter? Employees who must work in offices or stores while others can work from home. So be transparent with your employees about your plans and activities in this period. Here are the 5 ways. What is an engaged employee… In this time of uncertainty and disruption, we hope these resources empower you to keep your employees safe, healthy, and engaged. Dive into e-learning platforms, like, , and allow your teams to continue their L&D efforts no matter what their working situation is. report, employee engagement rates have fluctuated more than ever. Employee engagement has been shown to increase productivity, retention rates, and even revenue. Throughout these challenging times, more employees are worried about how they will be impacted as it relates to their job security. With everyone adjusting to work from home, there’s never been a better time to host a virtual employee engagement experience. How One Company Is Taking Care Of Employees During COVID-19. We call our surveys #unfiltered. It’s hard to think of another time when high employee engagement would be at such a premium. The 3R approach: Key to employee engagement in COVID-19 times Organizations are suddenly required to scramble for ways to maintain business continuity in the face of such a life-threatening crisis. Work-Style Adaptability While the future continues to evolve, fostering a feeling of trust with your employees will form a solid foundation for engagement. Learn More About Talent Management During the COVID-19 Crisis Just as much as employees look to receive a level of security and flexibility, employers and leaders also want to know their team is maintaining a level of open and honest communication. HR managers can agree that employee engagement and retention are at the top of their priority list. Employee Experience Management Platform exists precisely to … Engagement and empathy are inextricably synced. 7 best practices for supporting employees during COVID-19. Change is happening daily and maintaining a positive and consistent employee experience during this uncertain time will help organizations drive continued employee performance and engagement. Having the goals of your business and the ambitions of your workers align allows for tangible results. Being an executive assistant is by no means an easy task. Conclusion: When a company takes care of its employees (especially in uncertain/unprecedented times), the employees take care of the company. 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. As one % increase in engagement pandemic there has been a radical shift in loop! Billion a year believe that empathetic leaders are critical to retention and success caregivers family! 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