Easy Employee Engagement Strategies Your Company Can Implement Now
The coronavirus pandemic has changed and disrupted many aspects of our lives, careers, and business as we know it. It is much more than a public health issue, it's an epidemic that will change the financial lives of many.
When it comes to wage cuts and unemployment, how do we thrive? Facing long-term unemployment when bills continue to come in is not just stressful, it's traumatic and potentially paralyzing. Don't let your situation paralyze you to survive in turbulent times. In times like these, it is more important than ever to believe in positive outcomes.
As the workforce is going through a tumultuous time, many people are transitioning to remote work, others have been operating remotely for years, and others are going back to a physical place to work.
You would think that employment may be enough to inspire people to perform their best. However, particularly for top performers', employment shouldn’t be the sole motivation. You still run the risk of losing them to your competitors. In both good and bad times leaders need to think about the key motivators.
Focus on what you have control over, and you will emerge stronger and ready to meet the demands of the new workforce.
Consider the following 4 effective strategies to keep your employees engaged during tough times:
- Recognition
Recognition in the workforce is important to the overall performance of the company, there is no excuse not to recognize the great work of your remote workforce. Employee recognition and rewards take on a great deal of importance when workers are geographically distant because it shows employees that their extra effort makes a difference. When you acknowledge your workers for their excellent work on time, they are very happy with their contributions. It promotes their eagerness to do better and to win the respect of their superiors and peers. Recognition has proven to be the biggest impact on employee engagement.
- Promote Health and Wellbeing
Whether working from home or for employees back at work, mental and physical fitness is vital to productivity and engagement. It goes a long way to show your workforce that you care about them.
Especially today, ensuring good health has become a matter of the utmost importance. With the pandemic forcing employees to be isolated, staying indoors for a long time will have a serious impact on their mental and physical health. Consider implementing a well-being programme to improve health behaviours. A comprehensive well-being programme will improve employee health and improve your organization’s bottom line.
- Improve Communications
Particularly for remote employees, this pandemic has tested the capacity of an organization to communicate change and resilience to a large degree. Scheduling calls and meetings that provide meaning and knowledge is the best way to get in contact with others and share information effectively so that everyone is on the same page.
Communicating effectively with a remote employee, or a team of remote employees, doesn't have to be complicated, you just need to think smart about the most productive way to communicate.
Acknowledging the tension and frustration that employees can experience in challenging situations. Affirm their confidence in your teams using phrases such as "we got this," or "let's look for ways to use our strengths during this period." With this encouragement, employees are more likely to respond to the task with a sense of intent.
- Learning
Several businesses have invested in e-learning platforms, and employees will be able to learn new skills and develop their existing skills in the additional hours they receive every day due to having to work from home.
Offering career training and growth to your remote employees is a positive way to understand the importance of their efforts and to keep them motivated and willing to work for you. Providing learning resources that will help them develop their job or even work towards promotion will give the employees a sense of direction and support them in these challenging times. Whether through individual mentorships, a chance to engage in remote webinars, or tuition assistance for in-depth online education, you can keep your telecommuting staff on a solid path to career advancements.
Furthermore, the company's culture of promotion from within adds value to your employer 's brand.
It's a perfect time for employees to know what they've always wanted, and it's a great time for managers to make things simpler and better.
