EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TRENDS IN THE POST COVID ERA

Figure 1: Employee engagement post Covid era (Sen,2021)

 

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Employee engagement can be defined as employee’s willingness to contribute to organization’s growth. Employee engagement has been a long-standing critical concern for most organizations. The difference between retaining top talent and having higher attrition depends on how engaged the employees are with the organization. The past few years have been tough on the global economy and a lot has changed in terms of how employee and employers engage. In addition to the penetration of technology, Covid-19 pandemic has now fast-tracked this change. In such times, companies that are serious about improving employee engagement need to keep an eye on the latest trends in employee engagement.

(Possible works Blog, 2023) 

 

WHAT IS EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT 

Employee engagement is a workplace approach resulting in the right conditions for all members of an organization to give of their best each day, committed to their organization’s goals and values, motivated to contribute to organizational success, with an enhanced sense of their own well-being.

Employee engagement is based on trust, integrity, two way commitment and communication between an organization and its members. It is an approach that increases the chances of business success, contributing to organizational and individual performance, productivity and well-being. It can be measured. It varies from poor to great. It can be nurtured and dramatically increased; it can be lost and thrown away (Engage for success, 2021)

Figure 2 : Employee engagement Quantum Work Place, n.d.)

 

WHY COVID 19 MADE EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT EVEN MORE IMPORTANT  

The importance of employee engagement in a post-COVID-19 environment cannot be understated. Leaders have an opportunity to create the environment for employees to feel connected, recognized and supported by doubling down on their mission and making employees feel closer than ever to their organization’s “why.” And for organizations that are paying attention to how they treat their people, employee engagement is on the rise.

Recent Research from Willis Towers Watson found that 90% of companies surveyed believe their culture improved during COVID-19, while 83% believe their employee experience is better. HR isn’t far behind, with 63% of HR professionals surveyed believing their organizational culture has improved (Reward gateway, 2023)

Figure 3 : Employee engagement (Livetiles, 2021)

EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT TRENDS IN THE POST COVID ERA

The interest article written by Klemp, (2023) stated that five employee engagement trends and tips to help you make more informed decisions about your people strategy in the midst of a crisis.

 

1.Embrace flexibility

The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that 50 million jobs are currently work at home capable. . For many job functions, there are no definitive reasons to require people to come into the office every day, or for work to be done between 9 am- 5 pm. And although there are certain roles that don’t have the same opportunity as most to be remote—think, health care, retail, services industry, etc.—we have come up against an enormous opportunity for the majority of the nation to migrate into a flexible work environment.

While some companies are beginning to return to office, many are maintaining the option to work fully remotely or adopting a hybrid work model. The reality is that the great shift to remote work during the pandemic ushered in a new wave of working norms that will stick with us for the long term. With this shift comes a lot of opportunity to re imagine what work looks like, and make it better for employees so that they can do their best work.

2. Re imagine the employee experience

If asked a few years ago, most HR leaders would have likely shared their vision for an employees’ experience to be centered around well being, work/life balance, collaborative office culture, and luxury work perks, like gym memberships or learning and development stipends. But today, we’ve had no choice but to rethink what the employee journey looks like, as there are now many more factors affecting employee morale. 

Expecting your employees to leave personal problems at home is impossible, especially for remote employees whose work and home happen in the same location. And many of the work perks previously offered may not be accessible due to social distancing or the shift to remote work. Although it’s an enormous responsibility to take on, HR leaders are having to rethink the overall employee experience in order to support every individual through difficult and changing times.

3. Bring compassion to every conversation

While there are so many uncertainties we face during times of crisis, one thing is for sure: we’re all in it together. Times of turbulence are the perfect time to take the opportunity to help form more meaningful relationships with your people. These relationships are what help build more resilient workforce, drive up employee engagement, and help employees avoid burnout — and they will contribute to the speed at which your business recovers.

4. Focus on developing your talent

Before the world knew that COVID was at our heels, the business world was facing another threat—a talent shortage. One way company leaders can avoid facing a talent shortage is to re-envision their organizational chart. Think of your company as a “talent marketplace,” where employees are part of a network and can be assigned to new teams when their skills are needed on a project. This flexibility requires knocking down traditional hierarchies and allowing people to work on projects that energize them and where they can contribute.

5. Leverage employee strengths to drive engagement

Because performance can’t be directly managed, it’s important to understand what areas of an employee’s role drive behaviors that directly impact performance, and to help your employees find and apply their strengths to their careers. It seamless for employees to find and communicate their strengths so they can succeed in their current roles and pursue their career goals. It also helps employees communicate their personal values and create alignment with their work duties, which in turn advances their engagement and motivational drive.

 

CONCLUSION

Today employee engagement is becoming very crucial as employees experience job insecurity, compensation issues, and psychological stress. Organizations recognize employee engagement is key to
success during this unprecedented time. Organizations constantly trying to keep their employees satisfied and motivated through employee engagement practices. Many organizations adopting new technology and different kinds of employee engagement practices to improve productivity such as virtual team meetings, TED Talks, virtual coffee breaks, reorganization, and rewards of employees. This paper summits that the employee association to managerial strategy and goals, acknowledgment for work well done, and a culture of learning and development foster high levels of engagement. It is vital for HR to foster positive, effective employees along with workplace policies that focus on employee well-being, health and work/life balance (Bindu, 2021)

 

REFERENCES 

Bindu, N. H. (2021) Employee Engagement in Post COVID Era with Reference to IT Industry, Hyderabad. IJIRMPS, 9, 6. Available from https://www.ijirmps.org/special-issues/2/26.pdf [Accessed 02 May 2023].

 

Engage for success, (2021) What is employee engagement. [Online] Available from https://engageforsuccess.org/what-is-employee-engagement/ [Accessed 01 May 2023].

 

Klemp, N. (2023) 5 Employee Engagement Trends In The Post COVID Era. [Blog entry] Available from https://www.15five.com/blog/employee-engagement-trends-in-the-era-of-coronavirus/ [Accessed 01 May 2023].

 

Livetiles, (2021) Improving employee engagement in the post COVID-era. [Blog entry] 21 June. Available from https://livetilesglobal.com/improving-employee-engagement-in-the-post-covid-era/ [Accessed 02 May 2023].

Possible Works blog, (2023) Top 5 Employee Engagement Trends Post COVID-19. [Blog entry] Available from https://possibleworks.com/blog/top-5-employee-engagement-trends-post-covid-19/ [Accessed 01 May 2023].

 

Quantum Work Place, (n.d.) What is Employee Engagement? What, Why, and How to Improve It. [Online] Available from https://www.quantumworkplace.com/future-of-work/what-is-employee-engagement-definition. [Accessed 01 May 2023].

 

Reward Gateway, (2023) Why COVID-19 Made Employee Engagement Even More Important. [Online] Available from https://www.rewardgateway.com/employee-engagement-guide/importance-of-employee-engagement [Accessed 01 May 2023].

Sen, P. (2021) What Will Change for HR After The Covid-19 Lockdown? [Online] Available from https://techrseries.com/employee-engagement/what-will-change-for-hr-after-the-covid-19-lockdown/ [Accessed 01 May 2023].