COVID-19 has affected the entire human race on a large scale. It has been on the top global news for almost 2 years. The world has become different from today’s date than it was a year ago. Not only has it affected the work but also we faced difficulty in engaging employees. COVID-19 has taken away our social interaction and office culture as well. We continue to follow norms and precautions today at home and everywhere.
The best thing that we can do now is to keep patience and learn to take care of ourselves. It is an important aspect of life that we stay healthy to survive this outbreak. Not only do we need to survive, but also sustain, and for that, we need to engage every employee. If not at the workplace, then at home.
A good company will always help its employees in their tough situations. In this crucial time of disruption, you must provide empowering resources to keep your employees engaged, safe and healthy. You can support your employees by having a transparent conversation, communicating with them often, keeping confident information among yourselves, and being supportive. Make sure your employees are able to meet their needs. It is important to listen to your customers. Also, it is equally important to listen to your employees. This will improve employee efficiency towards the company.
The mission of your company must be to make work fun and better. With each day passing by, we come across situations where work becomes challenging. But make sure your employees know that you are a team and no matter what, you are rooting for each other’s success as a team. Not only do we need to improve the work experience of employees but also engage employees for better performance.
1. How WFH came into picture.
WFH became necessary to keep running the economy of yourself as well as your company. As the virus started the outburst on a global level, our govt started imposing strict lock-downs and ordered to maintain social distancing.
Many people in the country lost their jobs during COVID because the company did not have any funds to pay their employees. Many companies have moved their entire working system to remote work and video call meetings.
This pandemic has made businesses confide in working from home and disrupt the whole working from office experience. This has reduced employee efficiency on some level.
2. How COVID-19 has affected work.
a) Since COVID-19 has hit the planet, it has made an immense amount of damage to people’s lives, work, and jobs. The employee engagement also dipped then. But then this was not an option for the people and industries to stop working and sit idle. Hence when we started the WFH, we were able to lift up to engage employees by a slight percentage.
b) The economy of our country dropped but when people of the country did not have anything to do, they started investing in stocks. As a result, the number of traders has increased since then.
c) Since people have started working from home, employees have to make a balance between their personal and professional lives. The working hours have nothing to do with their productivity. The employees work flexible hours and their efficiency seems to have decreased. We need to focus on how to increase employee engagement. That depends on the employee whether to complete tasks within the specific working hours or do that flexibly for the whole day.
d) The situation of the problem is faced on both sides. The company needs efficiency from the employee whereas the employees expect to cut them some slack.
e) One thing is for sure that these down-going economic and employment conditions have impacted employee engagement on a high level. This is why employee engagement is important.
3. How to engage employees?
a) Connect emotionally with your employees:
Studies have shown that keeping an emotional connection with your employees can increase employee engagement to a better level. It is also important to engage new employees in your organization. The pandemic has caused many people to lose their loved ones and living alone has become stressful. Helping your employees deal with their emotional baggage can be very supportive. This is one of the strongest points of engaging employees
b) Transparent communication:
Frequent communication is a must. There is no concept of too much communication. The more the better. Be real and truthful while communicating and you can expect the same from their side as well. There must be crystal clear communication. Make your point clear as well as comforting. Employees will also become engaged and comfortable when they know you are trying your level best. There can be points when clarity will be necessary. So you have to be clear rather than awkward. No matter how good or bad the point is, be clear. This will increase your employee’s engagement
c) Handle Changes
During this crucial time of drastic changes, organizational changes can become overwhelming. So you must gain their trust by communicating accurately and clearly. Since everyone is experiencing so many personal changes they can take time to get along. Give all employees chances to speak. Make all of your employees feel that they matter. Make them feel the engagement you are trying to build. This will build more employee engagement.
d) Listen to your employees
We know that you focus on your workforce to feel supported and safe. You can do this by listening to your employees. Also, you not only have to manage your employees’ work but also the rest of the company management to look after. You must be well-equipped to gather feedback from your employees. And for that QaizenX is the best for you to choose for your organization. The best way how to engage employees is to choose a better tool, which is QaizenX.
e) Video call meetings
Showing your employees that you care is important. Your employees will feel valued, engaged and they will feel that they are being considered. It will create a direct link between you and your employee for reporting. Continuous communication can break down the walls between you and your employees and prevent unnecessary and invaluable discussions.
Stats around 10% of the top organizations have seen improvements using these strategies. According to Gallup research, 90% of employees say their morale is enhanced when their work schedules are flexible.
These methods are highly recommended for Human resource teams to get their employees’ engagement, productivity and efficiency to be improved.
Start analyzing these points and listen to your remote employees. Try QaizenX. A tool made for HR to collect, manage and act on employee feedback.
