Defining a New Era of Employee Engagement

It's never been more critical to put a dedicated focus on employee engagement. We know that organizations with engaged employees outperform those without by 202 percent, and that enterprises with highly engaged employees have a 10% improvement in customer ratings and a 20% gain in sales. There's more to engagement than ping pong tables and free meals.

Employee engagement in the post-COVID-19 era must be inclusive, individualized, and, above all, human. HR stepped in to be the partner that businesses needed and that their people sought when employees were confused where to turn, what resources were available to them, or whether they were about to lose their job. An engaged employee is one who comprehends and believes in the direction in which the company is heading. They are aware of how their work impacts and contributes to the organization's mission, vision, and goals.

Employees will want to work for companies that continue to put their people first and show them that they care through meaningful recognition, open and honest communication, and inclusive wellbeing. Leaders may achieve this by establishing avenues for open and honest dialogue and criticism, allowing employees to speak up and positively impact cultural change. Reaching your complete workforce demographic necessitates implementing programmes that allow a diverse set of voices to have an impact on your entire company.

Why COVID-19 Made Employee Engagement Even More Important

Engaged people remain at the heart of any successful organization, no matter what your business has been through (or is going through) in the midst of a pandemic.

The value of employee engagement in the post-COVID-19 era cannot be overstated. By doubling down on their purpose and bringing people closer than ever to their organization's "why," leaders have the chance to create an environment where employees feel engaged, recognized, and supported. Employee engagement is on the rise at firms that pay attention to how they treat their employees.

According to a recent study by Willis Towers Watson, 90 percent of employers surveyed say their culture has improved during COVID-19, and 83 percent believe their employee experience has improved. HR isn’t far behind, with 63% of HR professionals surveyed believing their organizational culture has improved.

Resetting Your Post-Pandemic Employee Engagement Strategy

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has been frightening, it has also offered HR leaders with a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You now have a great opportunity to reset your own post-pandemic employee engagement strategy and approach, just like many other organisations who are resetting their business plans.

The first step in the process is to assess, which is where you pause to reassess and evaluate the following:

ACCESS

1.??How have your employee engagement strategy and programs changed throughout the pandemic? First, to reflect the evolving situation and secondly, through varying factors impacting your workforce?

2.??How will your employee engagement strategy and programs continue to change as your business and workforce continue to evolve?

3.??What lessons have you learned throughout the pandemic regarding engagement programs and actions –?what’s worked and what hasn’t?

There are two parts to this step, reassessing your?objectives?and then reassessing your?actions.

BUILD

The "how" is decided in the second step of the procedure. This is where you'll figure out how you're going to change any programmes that you wish to keep from the previous phase. You can also utilise this stage to create new programmes that deliver on your new targets based on your new goals.

This process consists of three parts: gathering input, rebuilding or creating new programmes, and conducting a gap analysis to ensure you haven't overlooked anything.

CONNECT

Connecting all of your findings to take activities forward, reconnecting and engaging with your employees to execute your strategy is the final step in the process. This process is divided into three parts: planning the actual changes, planning how to re-educate your management to support the changes, and planning how to re-engage your workers with your programmes.

No matter what?engagement?solutions you may be looking at, whether that’s a new wellbeing initiative, a renewed focus on digital reward and recognition programs or a natural evolution of your employee communications, this 3-step process can help you determine what to keep and what to leave behind to usher in a new era for your business.