Employee engagement and motivation play a crucial role, and act as important indicators of a company’s effectiveness. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a far-reaching impact on economic activity and employment. Consequently, all these shocks have the potential to substantially impact the subjective well-being of the employees. 

Despite the negative effects of COVID-19, we all can concur that – it has taught us a lot as well. After businesses were forced to move out of their brick-and-mortar model and set up work from home, and manage their employees remotely, the learning curve for the managers across the globe was massive and steep. This ‘new normal’ and new way of business functioning brings with it new lessons on boosting employee engagement and motivation now more than ever. 

Most of the perks that companies create for creating exemplary employee experience are focused on physical space, however, with lockdown and work from home business models, it is not the case anymore. As per a press release by Gartner, Inc published in the year 2020, based on a survey of 800 global HR executives, 88% of organizations have encouraged or shifted to work from home due to COVID-19. The time is now to reset and create meaningful connection between the employees and the employers.

Future Workplace, an HR advisory and research firm providing insights on the future of learning and working, uncovered through a survey titled, The 2020 HR Sentiment Survey, that employee experience  as a focus area, is witnessing an increase among the HR and business leaders around the world. Employee experience remained top priority for the first 60% of the respondents.

While employers and workers have reported considerable increase in productivity, the work from home setup has thinned the line between the work time and the personal time. According to a Forbes India survey, 41% Indians have reported that work from home is negatively impacting their well-being, and 29% have reported increased burnouts. The productivity gains due to work from home has led to increased cases of mental health issues. This is precisely why employers must focus on improving employee experience, especially when major organizations around the world have decided to work from home permanently. 

Employee engagement, experience and motivation is about the emotional commitment that the employee has with the organization – its vision and goals. It’s a popular conception that employee engagement is a human resources issue, however, COVID-19 has completely changed the way companies work. In the ‘new normal’ employee experience, engagement and motivation is more a business issue than a human resource one. 

Companies need to introduce methods and policies that nurture the emotional connections between employees and their workplaces. Here are three recommendations about how to improve employee engagement.

• Taking the supportive & coaching approach: Many companies have adopted a system of regular check-ins and micro-goal settings, generating a process of constant feedback. This ‘coaching’ approach  allows management to assess progress whilst also boosting team-productivity and keeping them engaged.
• Developing Culture of Recognition: For an organization it is equally important to develop a culture of recognition, for employee engagement. An aspect of the coaching method explained earlier is praise. Positive feedback, and constructive learning opportunities keep the employees engaged and motivated.
• Building a flexible & positive work environment: Flexible working environment during COVID-19, has led to a changed understanding about the work-life-balance. Working from home has served as a reminder that there are a number of factors (e.g. taking care of elderlies, children, errands, and other household activities) that affect an employee’s mindset and thereby their engagement. The post-COVID period must focus on creating a positive work environment where these factors are taken into consideration – where work fits into employees’ lives and not vice versa.

The recovery phase of the COVID19 crisis presents an opportunity to the organizations to improve employee experience. Given the current disruptions, employee experience drivers are fluid in nature, and companies must adopt a nuanced approach that recognizes not just the mental and safety needs but also other differences among the workforce. The companies must act as anchors, and set a course towards creating meaningful impact now and in the future, by efficiently navigating the constantly shifting landscape.