Yes, you can still boost engagement at times of crisis

Gallup recently revealed that their latest research shows that only 15% of employees worldwide are engaged. This is a pretty dismal statistic at times of crisis.

The last thing companies need right now are disengaged people who start virtual water cooler conversations that spark online rumours and result in demotivated, anxious employees.

When people are engaged and committed to the success of the company, they don't allow challenges to become an excuse for inaction. They try their best to continue performing, they take responsibility for their wellbeing and they keep their productivity at optimal levels. These sturdy stalwarts also take accountability and aren't partial to playing the blame-shifting game. In short, these are the people you want on your side in times of crisis.

Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to increase employee engagement even when the rug has been ripped from under your enterprise and there are countless new balls to juggle along with those you already had in the air to begin with.

It boils down to COMMUNICATION.

Speak human.

By now I'm sure you'd be ready to scream if you open yet another robotic email with the standard intro of 'I hope this email finds you well in these strange and uncertain times'. Now is the time to chuck the boilerplate email template, steer clear of empty platitudes and get right down to brass tax. Speak to your people - open up and be human.

Don't drown them in information

Most of all, cut through all the noise and bring your people useful information in a compelling way. To this end, you may want to reconsider the communication channel and mix you typically use - email is convenient, but if higher levels of engagement are what you're after, you may find that video, creative storytelling and interactive content are much more effective in engaging remote workers.

Keep messaging focussed on the recipients

Generic company-wide communication seldom has the impact you want, even when everyone is chipper,and the world at large is on an even keel. It becomes even less inspring at times when the sky is falling down and when each division of your company is busy dealing with very specific concerns.

Your frontline workforce, for instance, are coping with vastly different challenges to your sales or HR team. Make sure to keep this in mind when you share information - take the time to boil it down to the gist of what you need to convey, and keep each audience's particular pain points and needs in mind when you craft your content.

Equip your managers

These are messengers. Your vital 'in.' Rope in your mid-level managers to assist you with communication and take care to provide them with the tools they need to reach and communicate with their respective teams effectively. Share the info you want to spread throughout your workforce timeously and task them with tailoring it to the needs of their teams.

Focus on employee wellness communication

Healthy, happy people get stuff done. On the flipside, all work and no selfcare makes Jack and Jill pretty miserable. Employees are busier and more unhealthy than ever before. In a bid to stay ahead while managing families and remote working, they’re sleeping less, sitting more and eating worse. This is bad for them, and bad for business - unwell employees are often unable to perform optimally and they tend to leave in search of greener pastures.

It is so important to put the wellbeing of your employees front and centre, not just when the the pressure is on. This crisis has highlighted the need to provide employees with the resources and education they need to help them take responsibility for their self care and their wellbeing, while they assist you in tackling the enormous challenge of staying nimble in the unchartered territory of the COVID-19 economy.

How you communicate around this topic is key. Employees need to receive wellbeing content and resources in fresh, creative, inspiring ways. They're looking to their employers to be a trusted source for this information. Keep it accessible and real. Too much information or content in the wrong tone will switch people off.

Following these guidelines when you communicate with your team in a time of crisis will smooth the way for increased employee engagement. Feel free to reach out to me as a sounding board. The HolyCow team is currently in remote control, which means it's business as usual for us during all phases of the South African lockdown. The cows are in their sheds though, so if you need to get in touch, drop us an email.