Enhance Employee Engagement and Create a Stress-free Work Environment Virtually
Well, we all know what employee engagement is. It is the extent to which employees feel passionate about their jobs, are more committed to the organization, and put discretionary effort into their work. But here the question arises that how can we provide a working environment during working from home?
The physical environment of a workplace greatly affects the positivity within the organization and these energies can create an attractive, comfortable environment and ultimately trigger productivity and success. If we do remote work, there are many things that increase stress such as lack of infrastructure, too many deflections, connectivity issues, lack of social interaction, and low concentration. Undoubtedly, it is hard to maintain a balanced work routine. People tend to think a lot when they are under stress and work-related stress is more intense than anything else.
All of us are feeling the impact of Covid-19 in our day-to-day life. The pandemic has affected not only physical health but also mental health. We cannot control the pandemic nor do we have any control over the thoughts going in the employees’ minds. But below are some ways through which we can maintain employee engagement and at the same time provide a great experience to the employees while working remotely.
- Counseling Sessions - Make Mental Health a Priority
The reason behind this is that some employees might be going through hard times and passing through a bad phase. Some may lose their interest in work and this may be due to the changing of positions. In this time of isolation, virtual interactions are essential for mental health and well-being. So, it is essential to provide employees with a platform where they can talk about issues that bother them, and allow advisors to solve problems or to help them develop better ways to manage issues. Such sessions will free their minds from apprehensions and prepare them to deal with the changes they are facing in the workplace.
2. Virtual Team Building Activities
This pandemic has affected the social bonding that the employees shared with their teams at the workplace. An informal virtual connection is the best way to build and communicate healthy relationship with their peers. Online team building activities provide employees with the scope to revive team spirit with various tasks that require high amount of teamwork even when they are not in close proximity to each other.
3. Timely Recognition for Employees
Recognizing the achievements of employees is important to keep them motivated and make them feel good, overwhelmed, and happy. Acknowledgement of good work or winning an award creates a strong impact, improves employees’ productivity and enhances the loyalty towards work and workplace.
4. Flexible Work Schedules
Work-life balance might have been difficult for many and some would’ve found it a challenge to cope up while juggling between work and life. It can also, happen that few might have the fear of getting infected and also, there is the unwillingness of some to leave their family during these testing times. Therefore, it is highly recommended to create a flexible working schedule for everyone in the organization to create a positive environment.
5. Focus on Employees’ Health & Safety
The pandemic makes us realize why healthy life is important. A small investment made with respect to the health and safety of employees, whether through sessions or through communication, can help employees to focus more on their mental and physical health. This ensures that whenever the employees return to work from the office, they will be physically fit and mentally active and they are able to give their best performance at work.
6. Surveys
Conduct surveys to check with employees how they are managing their work and work-related stress. Get answers to questions like, ‘what virtual connect they enjoy most? What motivates them? Ask them to share their views and ideas. Understanding what employees are going through will give a clear picture of how to deal with the current situation.
Pandemic has affected every organization, so improving employee engagement is something that all organizations should focus on. So what are you waiting for? Take a step and start creating a stress-free working environment for employees virtually.
To know more on how to keep your employees engaged during the testing times of the pandemic, please click on the following link.
By,
Jigyasa Sharma, HR Executive, RapidValue
