Why employee engagement is crucial? Whenever we open a blog or a website about workforce and productivity, we definitely come across the word ‘engagement.’ Why? Without engagement, what do we miss? When baby boomers were working, we never cared so much about engagement. They worked hard for the pay and the employers got their work done without the productivity being affected. But why do we create a fuss over engagement today? Sorry for using the word ‘engagement’ too much, but it was done intentionally to emphasize the importance. Now, your mind is filled with the question, ‘Why?’ 

Here is the answer. 

With the influx of technology and digital-savvy millennial workforce, which will be around 75% of the global workforce by 2025, working for pay concept has become obsolete. Of course, the employees work for pay, but more than that, they focus on learning and professional growth too. They stay in a company that takes an interest in their professional growth. Besides, they are ready to work for a company that takes diversity, inclusion, and flexibility seriously. The notion that money buys commitment among millennials is a misconception, says Michele Parmelee, the Global Talent officer at Deloitte. Salary can be a factor that influences the millennials’ decision to decide their workplace, but that is not the major factor. 

The war for talents has begun. According to a Deloitte report, the company culture, learning opportunities, and growth are pivotal to retain the employees. These key factors engage the employees and help them perform better. To win in the industry, the companies should try their best to retain the performers through engagement.  

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Here are a few factors that help you enhance the employee experience and engagement in your organization.  

Culture – The Major Criteria to Be Considered to Keep Your Employees Engaged 

Google announced that its employees can continue to work from home until July 2021. Many other companies are gradually moving toward having an entirely remote workforce as it provides the advantage of low operational costs and increased efficiency. Do you think that will work? Google has announced for the short term as they have built a very strong culture that can ensure engagement for a year. What will happen if employees are asked to work from home without a limit? Slowly, the employees would be disengaged and feel isolated, which in turn would affect their performance.  

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer experimented with the remote-working model but abandoned the idea in 2013 because the culture was diminishing and the engagement rate went down.  

Some companies think of even adapting a virtual hybrid remote-work model. But that has its downsides too. The companies started to have two cultures which are far more dangerous than a no culture company. The remote workers missed the social ties, social cohesion, and bonding, and one can even predict a constant cold war between the in-office workers and remote workers. If the culture is not strong enough, the company will be in jeopardy. There should always be ‘one culture’ that brings everyone together despite the workplace. The unified culture will motivate and engage remote workers. 

Always adopt a working model tailored to your company needs, so that the engagement rate is maintained and also the employees stay more committed as the company considers their well-being in decision-making. 

Strong Leadership Skill – Empathize with Employees 

According to Udemy Research, when the employees were asked what is the major reason they quit their jobs, the top answer was “toxic environment.” Can the environment be toxic even in remote working? Yes, the so-called virtual working environment can be made toxic if the leaders are not empathetic. This remote working environment is novel to even the leaders of companies that have no people-centric policies like work from home. The leaders, instead of considering this situation as an opportunity to build mutual trust, do not trust employees or listen to their concerns. This approach makes employees overwork and creates stress for them. Productivity will eventually fall, and absenteeism will increase. 

The managers and employers can utilize this period to strengthen their leadership skills, and the companies should also provide proper training to the managers. If the managers listen to the employees with empathy and take action on their work-related problems immediately, the manager-employee relations will become strong, and it will keep the employees motivated.  

Continuous check-ins help managers to collaborate with their teams and bring the best out of them. 

Flexibility is a Must-Have Policy in All Types of Working 

Employees are able to improve their work-life balance during this age of remote working. They would expect the same even in the coming years. Many companies are revising their policies to cater to the needs of the employees, which would also benefit the company. The management should offer flexible work hours to the employees. The company should focus more on the quality of work and the completion rate rather than the hours of the employees or the fixed working hours. If the employees get this freedom, they tend to stay loyal to the company and also help it to weather any storm. A report by Udemy discovered that 44% of employees say that the workplace with flexible work hours is their ideal work environment.   

Provide Learning Opportunities and also Reskill Your Employees 

According to a report, 69% of US employers strive to spot the required skills that they need. In these tough times, you cannot allow a budget for hiring new people. You can seek the help of your employees by reskilling them and leveraging their skills for different team projects. Unfortunately, only 42% of companies provide learning and development opportunities to the employees. Most organizations do not realize that even these opportunities engage the workforce to a greater extent. The fun activities can motivate the employees temporarily but it is the growth that inspires and enthuse the workforce. Around 42% of employees choose learning and development over pay when selecting the company to work for. 

Employees Give Importance to Corporate Social Responsibility 

The notion that millennials are self-centered is not true. Millennials actively participate in activities related to social good. That gives them a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction, and also makes them believe in their company’s core values. The Horizon Media’s Finger on the Pulse study suggests that around 81% of employees want their companies to be socially responsible citizens. This is a win-win situation, where the company makes its employees trust it by fulfilling its responsibility by giving back to the society and also the employees become satisfied with the company and work enthusiastically.  

Tom Haak, an HR leader and author, predicts that HR would spearhead CSR in 2025 as the requirements of the clients, employees, and candidates are changing.  

Never Forget to Reward Your Employees for Their efforts 

Rewards and recognition program is more needed now than ever. A rewarding culture is recommended in this remote working era. The remote workers, when they do not get the answers to how they perform and are they in the right direction, lose interest and become disengaged producing low-quality work or giving low productivity. Rewarding and recognizing the efforts keep the employees engaged and satisfied. No matter where an employee works from, if he/she exceeds the expectations of the manager, the employer should appreciate and let the employee know the contribution he/she has made to the company. 

Keep your employees inspired and engaged all the time. Stay safe and productive.