Given the current realities of business – many employees working remotely as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic – employee engagement has never been more important. Keeping employees connected to the company was hard enough when they were in the office every day. Now that many of them are working from home, maintaining engagement and providing motivation have become even more difficult.
You may be wondering why employee engagement is so important. In a recent e-book, Employee Engagement for Today’s Workforce, Reward Gateway reminded us that engaged employees make better decisions, are more productive and are more innovative. What you want employees to feel connected to is your company’s mission, vision, and values. Today’s employees want to know how what they are doing contributes to the overall success of the company.
Communication is one of the keys to keeping employees engaged and smart businesses are staying close to their employees on an ongoing basis via a variety of platforms. Reward Gateway suggests tracking the effectiveness of your various communications efforts by looking at which content posts were viewed most frequently and what reactions employees had to various topics. What you are striving for is regular, tailored communication that is aligned with your strategic goals.
In addition to regularly communicating with your employees, it is also important to continue to recognize employee achievements “by showcasing and rewarding employees for behaviors aligned with your purpose, mission and values,” stated Reward Gateway in its e-book.
Your employee engagement efforts should include a variety of tactics and solutions, Reward Gateway says. Technology can help you see that your message is getting out even while employees are working from home.
Since you cannot use the bulletin board in the employee breakroom to reinforce your values and visions, Reward Gateway suggests you consider a series of emails or eCards to remind employees of what is important to you.
You can send alerts to their smartphones letting them know a new announcement or blog has been posted. Email and eCards can also be used to recognize employees who have gone above and beyond in demonstrating their commitment to the company’s values and vision.
While employee communication and recognition have always been important, they have taken on increased importance during the pandemic and managers need to make the extra effort to make sure employees stay engaged while working remotely.
