Lockdown in the UK has well and truly taken over. Working life has changed and relationships between businesses and employees have become more distant than ever before. Physically, that is. Employee engagement strategies can bridge those gaps by keeping staff up to date and involved.
It’s easy to get lost in dealing with the issues that lockdown has caused for many businesses but when life returns to normal – and it will – those who are prepared will have a head start. If you’ve been preparing to roll out a new employee engagement strategy then plans might have had to alter – particularly if planning began a few months ago – but don't let that deter you.
If your staff are still in the workplace
One of the most common pitfalls when working directly with your staff (even during pre-lockdown life) is assuming that because you see them, you know how they feel.
Not everybody feels comfortable to be vocal about their concerns, particularly when speaking to a manager or a member of the HR team. There are many different tools and methods you can use to obtain feedback from your staff including online surveys that can be anonymised to encourage open and honest answers.
It’s not only how you ask the questions that’s important but also when. Everyone is dealing with unprecedented situations right now, so waiting until the pandemic over to seek employee feedback is too late. Asking for small amounts of feedback on a regular basis, then using this to make positive changes shows employees that their thoughts and feelings are important.
If your staff are working remotely
Take the guesswork out of preparation. Speak to your staff, ask them how they feel and how they anticipate a return to the workplace may affect them. This will give you a great indication of what to expect, but don’t forget that this may change.
Pulse surveys are a great way to keep up to date with how employees are feeling on an ongoing basis. You can get daily responses from your team and everyday engagement programmes result in more honest feedback. Using this data, you can track trends in how your staff are feeling and identify areas to address.
If your staff are furloughed
Employees are the beating heart of the business and those who have been temporarily asked not to work, will, hopefully, at some point be asked to return to their roles. For those who have been furloughed for some time, the move back to regular work may be difficult but employee engagement can create a smooth transition.
Your furloughed staff aren’t working right now but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be engaged in other ways. By keeping your staff engaged during furlough, they’ll feel more involved in what’s going on and ready to come back when you need them to.
If your business is still running but some staff are furloughed then keep them up to date with what’s going on. Check in on them regularly to see how they are and if there’s anything you can do. For some people, this is a highly stressful time in a small space with family and children but for those living alone or in difficult situations, it can be extremely lonely. Check in on your team and let them know that you care.
Not everything has to go back to pre-lockdown life
While working on your employee engagement, it’s important to remember that what was normal a few weeks ago, isn’t anymore. Take time to consider new ideas and suggestions.
Be prepared for things not quite being the same again. Consider all the changes that your business has gone through over the last few weeks and review any you might want to adopt on a long-term basis.
There are big benefits to remote working, including increased productivity, improved performance, stronger engagement, better employee retention and increased profitability. If that isn’t enough to convince you to consider offering more flexible working options in the future, you could also find that it helps you and your staff achieve a better work-life balance, and who wouldn’t want that?