The economy reopened after the Covid pandemic has created new and unforeseen hurdles in an economy that had already slowed down. The mental, physical, and emotional health of employees has been severely affected. Physical workspaces are not accessible, and employees have to adjust to the new ways of work.
Employers face the challenge of engaging the employees, eliminating burnout, constricted by the limitations of the new ways of work. In this new reality, employee engagement shall be virtually managed. The basic elements of employee engagement are as below.
Engaging employees
1. Enablement: Enable the employees to effectively perform their jobs. Provide enough and necessary means for accomplishing the job duties, provide essential equipment/tools, specific know-how, clear job specifications, flexible work schedule, create a conducive work environment both physical, psychological and emotional, good onboarding and training and development actions — all virtual.
2. Encouragement: Encouragement to employees for good performance nurtures employee engagement. Managers shall have to use words of appreciation like ‘well done,’ ‘good job’ at least ‘thank you’ This will boost the morale of employees.
3. Empowerment: Delegating authority along with responsibility and accountability in accomplishing the job will boost the morale and confidence in employees.
The proven methods of keeping employees engaged and productive in the post-pandemic scenario are:
Training: Train managers to be the best virtual managers and train employees to be the best remote employees.
Proper work: Allot work that is meaningful and purposeful, challenging and important.
Mental health: Consider the mental health of employees on priority. Recognise and understand the emotions and anxieties of the employees. Remove the stigma associated with mental and emotional health in the workplace through counselling. If possible, check on the well-being of the employee over a one-to-one meeting instead of a phone call or email. Train managers on how to supervise with empathy.
Listen: Employees have different experiences due to the pandemic. Although the lockdown ended, schools are still closed and some employees may find child care difficult. Through one-to-one conversation, listen to their specific needs with empathy.
Build and retain trust: Employees look up to the managers for correct and truthful information. Organisations should build on and strengthen trust- Clear, transparent communication with employees will reduce the employees’ anxieties. Employees will trust the management. Trust begets trust.
Recognise good performance: Recognition and encouragement of good performance results in effective employee engagement. Train Managers on how best to leverage this key driver.
Celebrate: Celebrate/communicate every success, big and small, through internal communication. This positive information will enable employees to foresee a healthy future and have trust.
Business organisations that nurture higher levels of trust and psychological security among employees will be able to survive and succeed. Consider the pandemic as an exciting opportunity to build teams based on trust. Positive actions taken now will pay off in future.