A dangerous and often lethal virus that spreads rapidly – through the rich and the poor, through the different races of the world, not restricting itself to any country or climate, COVID-19 has brought even the superpowers of the world to their knees. Ask them open-ended questions so that they can be thorough in their reply. Employee Engagement Software ensures that employees feel a connection to the company and their peers, warding off the negative effects of working in solitude. Therefore, planning Employee Engagement during the COVID 19 pandemic is very important. Having the right tools is one thing. 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. The 6 Es provide a … The activities are intended to help managers maintain employee performance and engagement in the throes of a pandemic. Therefore, when the ability to be social is snatched away from them, a dip in performance and general well-being is to be expected. How can you drive employee engagement in these challenging times? Maintaining employee engagement has become more important and more challenging during lockdown. 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. Don’t forget too, that (just as always) you should focus on inclusion. Harver helps the world’s leading brands to hire digital and hire fair at scale. ... will have a lasting impact on employee behavior including, engagement, productivity and … 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. Recognition can take many forms other than monetary rewards — public acknowledgment, tokens of appreciation, … We can help you get started with our list of 59 Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities! Employees need to receive constructive feedback to be productive, especially in challenging circumstances such as fast transitions to working from home (WFH). Not everyone likes to draw. Continue to invest in your leaders Many organisations have put their leadership development programs on … Employee recognition is vital, especially during a crisis. Celebrate (small) victories and recognize your employees, key to the manager’s ability to give feedback, tools that are currently offered free of charge. With the Coronavirus pandemic seemingly at its worst, businesses have no choice but to embrace the WFH lifestyle. 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. It's in times of crisis when employee engagement is necessary to keep a workplace thriving. © Business 2 Community. And while employee engagement is … 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. 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. Image: How Do I Add My Business to Google Maps? It may seem obvious, but creativity is an outlet, and in times like COVID-19, we need it. Customer Experience vs Customer Satisfaction: What’s the Difference? In the present business situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, employee engage-ment has become one of the utmost prominent primacies for human resource man-agers and practitioners in organizations due to lockdown. Organizations have to make a lot of adjustments to their business plans and to how they work during the COVID-19 outbreak. For example, encourage regular team checkins. Questionnaires and surveys through e. can be really helpful when forming such a care environment. And don’t confuse job satisfaction with employee engagement – they are two very different things. Employees want to feel a sense of belonging and that they’re contributing in a meaningful way. So, surveys conducted through e, Human beings are social animals. Essentially, just because your team is having to work remotely, doesn’t mean team members have to feel isolated. Not informing your employees doesn’t help keep them feeling secure and engaged. With the onset of the pandemic there has been a radical shift in the way work happens. 6 Manager Activities to Maintain Employee Performance and Engagement During a Potential Pandemic Published: 09 March 2020 ID: G00722222 Analyst(s): Asia HR Research Team Summary Pandemics have the power to evoke a variety of emotions that can disengage and distract employees from their work. 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. In this post we highlight resources, tools and ideas from Europeana … 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. Employee engagement. Research by Gallup found 35% of American employees were engaged in their work — meaning they were enthusiastic and committed. 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. 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. Not only will this show you’re invested in your people but you can also try and fill any. Being inside 24*7 has greatly changed the concept of ‘working hours’ and employees often struggle to cope with that kind of change, especially when family obligations come into play, more often than not for working women. Ask them questions on a sliding scale between 1-5. Ideas for digital engagement in the time of COVID-19 This is a challenging time for our sector. With employees often taking the role of caregiver, teacher and parent, all while working - … We can help you get started with our list of 59 Employee Engagement Ideas & Activities! The coronavirus and COVID-19 may force us into prolonged “social distancing,” but it does not have to follow that we lose our work-centered relationships and support. Tracking the progress over time will help you identify both roadblocks and victories. They need to be prepared for a marathon, not a sprint. 7 Key Advantages of Cloud Computing for Your Business, Image: How to Write Acknowledgement Email Replies (With Samples). Companies are preparing to reopen their physical offices in China over the coming weeks while continuing to support colleagues working remotely. Not only does connection to the team improve employee engagement, it also helps employees perform better. Now is also a good time to encourage your workforce to use any learning and development initiatives that you have in place. Creative ways of office engagement can succeed in providing a semblance of normalcy for the employees. 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. Ideas for digital engagement in the time of COVID-19. Twitter. Engagement feels good and has a range of positive outcomes for psychological wellbeing. All Rights Reserved. Employee experience drivers—perspectives and needs that vary between and even within those segments—may be somewhat heightened and … Your employees are doing their best and especially in times of uncertainty, it is important to recognize it. Measuring Employee Engagement During a Crisis Monitoring employee sentiment and gathering feedback is more important than ever during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to set clearly defined goals and success metrics so that you know if what you implement is working. Communicate, communicate, communicate. If your employees don’t use these tools or don’t know how to use them, onboard them quickly. Employee Engagement Software are beneficial in these kinds of situations. Organizations that are doing these practices are Genpact, Accenture, Deloitte, AMD, and Hinduja Global Solutions. 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. Your employees are the foundation on which the company is built, and if the foundations start to crack, the whole organization can come tumbling down. Cloud-based collaborative applications like Google docs and sheets. 3 min read. 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. These are the heart of your company after all, and now more than ever they are what you should be striving to uphold. In a recent survey, 65% said they expect that company actions during this time will likely impact which brands they decide to purchase in the future. 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. What’s more, many organizations are suddenly having to manage more remote teams. The 6 Es of engaging employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to set clearly defined goals and success metrics so that you know if what you implement is working. The activities are intended to help managers maintain employee performance and engagement in the throes of a pandemic. Encourage ‘trust in leadership’. 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. Employees are feeling committed to the organization and stay motivated during this tough time of COVID‐19 pandemic. psychology.org.au 2 Others have characterised work engagement as feeling energetic, enthusiastic, alert and feeling pride towards their work outcomes. How businesses can bolster connectivity for telecommuters during … 5 Ways to Engage Remote Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic Yeah, I know. Don’t wait for employees to come to you. That’s why so many organizations have made employee engagement a priority. 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. 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. Each employee will be sent a small gift card to a coffee shop in their area or their favorite coffee shop. #Kathryn Tyler These activities help in collating data about how exactly do the minds of the employees work and make it … That’s why employee engagement activities during COVID-19 are more important than ever before. And, whilst employee engagement is at the highest reported rate since 2000, it’s still only at 34 percent. Join over 100,000 of your peers and receive our weekly newsletter which features the top trends, news and expert analysis to help keep you ahead of the curve. Add a short end of day or week meeting to see how everyone did and if they need assistance from their team members. 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. 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