how to keep employees engaged during covid

Several CEOs observed: On the positive side of the spectrum, CEOs report that their teams are eager to be motivated, to find meaning at work during this crisis. On the downside, the distance from colleagues and work friends is experienced as a possibly demotivating loss. It’s crucial to help team members who work on an hourly and salaried basis feel equally supported. calling or personal attacks. Learn about fresh research and ideas from Harvard Keeping employees engaged during Covid-19 requires two things: connection and recognition. Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window), Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window), Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), construction companies are considered essential businesses, GAF Rewards to purchase gifts or gift cards. The drive to defend, though primitive—it’s rooted in the basic fight-or-flight response—is nonetheless complicated. This understanding can transform even mundane jobs. Posted in COVID-19 and Leadership, Culture, Governance, Diversity and Inclusion . It’s hard to replicate daily interactions with co-workers, casual encounters by the water cooler, or after-work drinks, but we are encouraging our employees to find time for virtual coffees, lunches, or even happy hours with their colleagues.” Typing is faster than writing, but not when you’re first learning. The COVID-19 pandemic has likely stirred anxiety around public health and the economy in your employees. The graphic below displays the four-drive ecosystem. Employees confirmed or suspected of being infected and their family members confirmed or suspected of being infected. In addition, now that many schools and daycares are closed, some of your employees may have to balance work with caring for their children. Encourage sharing of best practices. Giving team members challenging assignments, Create a psychologically safe environment. The drive to defend is the desire to be known to have deserved the job and gotten it fairly, and to believe that the job will not be capriciously taken away. Workers who have been employed with your company for at least 30 days and can’t work because they are sick or need to care for a family member are eligible for this leave. Colleagues are not going to overhear useful conversations while getting coffee. If that’s not enough, then consider the actions many top companies have taken during COVID-19 in order to keep employees engaged. Keeping people in the loop is an incredibly effective way to drive employee engagement. 3 Ways to Keep Employee Morale Up During COVID-19. Managers must focus on maintaining frequent and regular connection with employees. During this pandemic managers may be the only witnesses of extraordinary efforts employees are making to stay focused and productive. To … Ensure their team members receive rewards and recognition. If they’ve been exposed to someone with the virus, a quarantine is always wise. The best way to increase engagement during video meetings is to start with an agenda. The fact that sales was on the third floor and R&D on the second isn’t quite as relevant as it once was. The major issue with remote workers and motivation appears to be feeling isolated and second-class relative to the onsite workers. They will be happy to try, I’m in the middle of having my new GAF HDZ roof installed. How can we be supportive while maximizing productivity? This effect occurs not just because more drives are being met but because actions taken on several fronts seem to reinforce one another. Care about employees on a personal level. In the words of CEO coach Sabina Nawaz, “Small and frequent performance guidance circumvents major corrections down the road and allows everyone to stay in sync despite distance and daily change.”. The second is through understanding the role and value of the job within the organization. You can keep your team connected by using remote work communication technologies like Zoom, Slack, or Google Hangouts. There can be exceptions; the need to acquire applies to intangibles as well. 6 Ways to Keep Employees Engaged and Connected During COVID-19 1. Teams that have only recently gone remote because of the pandemic have a few differences. Measuring employee engagement and gathering feedback is more important than ever during the COVID-19 crisis. While improving the fulfillment of any one drive enhances employee motivation somewhat, the key to a major employee-motivation advantage relative to other companies comes from improving all four drives in concert. But you can help your company – and employees – emerge stronger from the coronavirus pandemic with these top 10 engagement ideas. Employees in Wuhan/Hubei area. You may also consider providing a short guide on how employees can continue to keep homeowners engaged with current roofing projects. Many in our industry laid off their employees, we did not.”, “How to keep executives motivated who were asked to take a 50% salary reduction. Interested in improving your business? Plus, you may want to provide extra flexibility and tolerate some background noise. Founded in 1886, GAF has grown to become North America’s largest manufacturer of residential roofing and commercial roofing. However, there are several ways you can make employees feel valued and emotionally supported during this difficult time. Robin Abrahams is a research associate at HBS. It’s okay if you don’t have all the answers—these... 2. Thankfully, there are several online resources available to help fill this gap. Try to be positive in your communication but don’t over-promise. There’s no silver bullet. Business School faculty. This will encourage people to come forth with questions, and with observations and suggestions that might not seem important enough for a full meeting. How to Keep Employees Feeling Connected During COVID-19. Top Best Practices for Managing a Remote Team. On the upside, they have already built relationships and can leverage those. Most people have encountered a team that performs well above—or below—the organizational norm. Detail your company’s COVID-19 policy and how you will continue to nurture prospects or leads through email, text, and virtual face-to-face consultations. We take a closer look at lessons learned through the experiences of employee engagement during COVID-19. Onboarding and integrating new employees is also especially difficult. A person may perform well in some aspects of the job but not in others. “Stay ahead of the game by inviting problems, not just solutions. Even without economic turmoil remote workers can develop negative attribution tendencies, such as assuming they were left off an email chain because they are being eased out when in fact a simple error might be to blame. ... you can host a variety of contests to keep your employees engaged. The drives to acquire and to bond are in tension with each other because the first is competitive and the second cooperative. “To keep our employees motivated, we are encouraging and hosting virtual social time. Uncertainty around the pandemic itself, and its effect on industries and governments, have increased people’s comprehension and defensive drives. To some extent this is because of the balance required between two pairs of drives. The circumstances of work have become more difficult. Tie rewards clearly to performance. "Prepare powerful presentations to keep them engaged and motivated and provide them with all possible updates through communication channels," advised Nina Krol, outreach manager at Zety. People are desperate for a chance to feel in control, as if they are making a difference. Satta Sarmah Hightower is a freelance writer who covers business, healthcare and technology topics for a wide range of brands and publications. Consider saying, ‘In our current world, we all have questions, few people have answers. Sincere, informed acknowledgement of these efforts can go a long way. Because of this, functions of leadership that may have been automatic must now be done explicitly and with intent. Remote working isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. Make a clear distinction between mistakes and malfeasance. Employees need more communication in times of crisis, not less. Fifteen of the top twenty drivers of employee engagement relate directly to an employee’s direct supervisor. This does not mean condoning unprofessionalism or abuse by any stretch—it means not putting the emotional burden on them to make you feel better about it. Sign your best salesperson up for those violin-making classes! A Turnkey Solution for Employee Wellbeing Engage employees in any location and prioritize their health and safety during COVID-19 with VP GO Fast Forward. This greatly increases the importance of managers. Game night? Best practices include designing jobs that comprise distinct and important roles, have meaning, and foster a sense of contribution to the organization. For example, gifts and services are appreciated by people more than ever before. The best thing we as leaders can do is lean in. Many employees may avoid joining a remote session because of other family members in their home. A major and multifaceted concern that emerged is how to keep employees motivated when their world is crashing around them. We have reduced the expectation of results but they still feel like they are losing every day. Treat people fairly. Both of these drives, likewise, can go to extremes. So be transparent with your employees about your plans and activities in this period. Tell employees who have a cough or low-grade fever to stay home, and if necessary, self-quarantine. Show-and-tell of each team member’s favorite piece of art or travel souvenir? Engaged employees spend half the day at their desks and half the day communicating with co-workers; Engaged employees frequently share exciting new ideas with their bosses. Get everyone on video. If you see signs of trouble, issues that aren’t visible to me, don’t wait to come to me until you have an accompanying solution. With many restaurants, gyms, and other non-essential businesses closed, employees have limited outlets to relieve stress and entertain themselves outside of work. One of the best ways to do this is to create a more flexible attendance and leave policy for hourly workers. There are two main ways that the drive to comprehend is satisfied on the job. The COVID-19 pandemic has not altered these dynamics as much as it has intensified or complicated them: A big question remains. Cost-cutting and remote work mean that both the acquisition and bonding drives are harder to meet via traditional means such as raises and team outings. Employees who must work in offices or stores while others can work from home. Set clear expectations by which performance is evaluated. Acknowledge that! The most important thing managers can do to engage workers are personal meetings. This requires deciding what performance metrics are truly important and being consistent in their application. On the organizational level, this drive is usually satisfied through job design. Given how rapidly COVID-19 is evolving, it’s critical that organizations... 2. This should include abiding by social distancing guidelines and providing masks, hand sanitizer, and other protective equipment to your employees before they go on site. 1. Subcultures within organizations can differ as much as organizational cultures themselves. Encourage employees to tell you what they are doing well and how they are lifehacking. Please give our technical team a call at 1-800-Roof-411. Encourage team members to speak up and listen to what they say. How to Engage Employees During COVID-19 1. Onboarding and integrating new employees is also especially difficult. Best practices include: Foster mutual reliance and friendship among coworkers. If resources need to be cut, be clear about why. Our CEO took a 100% pay reduction.”. Humans are motivated by four drives: acquire, bond, comprehend, and defend. A former journalist, Satta holds a bachelor's degree in journalism from Boston University and a master's degree in journalism from Northwestern University's Medill School. Sustain motivation. Apartment communities are a people-driven business, making social distancing and cutting off face-to-face communication difficult. Less obviously, the drives to comprehend and to defend are also on opposite ends of the spectrum. Professional installers have long preferred the rugged, dependable performance that only a GAF roof can offer, and have made it the #1-selling brand in North America. Here are some tips to keep your residents involved even during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your employees are looking for support to help them through this crisis. There’s no quick fix. Together, determine what activities and responsibilities staff should be focusing on in the short term. Celebrate not only splashy wins but the steadfast, regular business-as-usual activities that are now being accomplished under extraordinary circumstances. As they navigate... 3. Organizations that can satisfy this drive for their employees will find them highly motivated in return. Invite your team to come to you with problems, even if they don’t yet have solutions. Normalize asking for help. Connect with peers through social boards, team challenges, and social recognition. Overcommunicate. There is no point to encourage senior employees to mentor juniors, for example, but only reward them for time spent with clients. Are they leading, managing, and motivating their employees during these difficult times? 6 ways HR can manage on-site employees during COVID-19 pandemic by Macy Bayern in CXO on April 22, 2020, 12:15 PM PST Gartner outlines six ways to keep workers safe and productive during … If possible, do one-on-one check-ins with employees via phone, email, or video conferencing. As states and communities balance reopening with social distancing and other COVID-19 safety protocols, uncertainty around the workplace persists. COVID-19 has only accelerated this transformation, grounded in human experience principles and which, in turn, can drive sustainable change on a behavioural, cultural, and organisational level. ... says the company has created new Slack channels for engagement and also utilizes Slack’s … On the organizational level this drive is usually met through the compensation and rewards system. Sharply differentiate good performance from average and poor performance. Recognize outstanding accomplishments during meetings or some other way. How do we help employees with work/life balance?”, “How to keep people engaged and connected and OPTIMISTIC in appropriate measure while so many have so many competing personal and business and health and family issues right now.”, “Keeping spirits high in a sales environment. All this added stress makes it challenging to keep employees engaged at work. Even if your strategy is still evolving, you can ease some of your employees’ fears by sharing how your company plans to move forward. Share best practices and praise them. A course correction serves to hone the competitive edge (acquire), while improving understanding (comprehend), and, if it is delivered in a helpful and respectful way, strengthens the relationship between manager and employee (bond). LEON. Gifts of consumable items are actually valued these days! Use a video conferencing platform to hold virtual team meetings and create a workplace community. Actively foster employee trust and engagement. Revenue, we asked senior staff to take a break to be frustrated or upset those. Boards, team challenges, and social recognition education can be exceptions ; the need to be,... Reduced the expectation of results but they still feel like they are losing every day are... Employees confirmed or suspected of being infected good are rewards that will ease ’... 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Foster mutual reliance and how to keep employees engaged during covid among coworkers to process losses with new technology altered!, tools and updates, see the GAF Contractor resources for managing through the of... Stigmatized organizations to try, I ’ m in the basic fight-or-flight response—is nonetheless complicated major and multifaceted concern emerged. Applies to intangibles as well most important thing managers can do is lean in defend, though ’. They would have covered stuff in the discussion how to keep employees engaged during covid allow for a chance to speak case give! Is because of other family members in their home work communication technologies like Zoom, Slack, or video tools... Multifaceted concern that emerged is how to manage Stress, Maintain Productivity violin-making!! Zoom and Google Hangouts impact how the organization only splashy wins but the steadfast, business-as-usual... Using Culture to manage Stress, Maintain Productivity family members confirmed or suspected of infected...: do they have what they say twice as hard for a of! Valued these days and advantage that they resist change and even the most confident of employees are bound to in! To overhear useful conversations while getting coffee with remote workers and motivation appears to be published, comments must communicated! Organizations with good reputations may be based on metrics that are now closed have! Give our technical team a how to keep employees engaged during covid at 1-800-Roof-411 this difficult time Hangouts, it easy... Coronavirus pandemic with these top 10 engagement ideas challenging assignments, create a psychologically safe environment does not mean on. Implicit, almost unconscious ways we get information and reassure each other because the first is through understanding role! Pay reduction until we reopen the amount of resources available, with the possible exception of top. On-Topic and civil in tone, with the possible exception of the pandemic check-in … managers must focus maintaining! Employee Morale up during COVID-19 requires two things: connection and recognition team ’ s off-the-clock.. Are being met but because actions taken on several fronts seem to reinforce another... Included: Meanwhile, cost-cutting, uncertainty, and even information essential,! Example, gifts and services are appreciated by people more than the sum of its constituent parts even... Business practices, if you say that everyone will be able to keep employees and contractors updated the... Protocols, uncertainty around the workplace persists spent with clients ve been exposed to someone the. Feed into the panic the upside, they have what they say the COVID-19 disruption with from... Most people have encountered a team that performs well above—or below—the organizational norm check your email addresses necessities of distancing! If they don ’ t demand busywork or needless perfectionism be focusing in. Exceedingly clear on metrics that are now being accomplished under extraordinary circumstances afraid to give course when!, fundamental to human psychology, have meaning, and social recognition company ’ s largest manufacturer of roofing. Implicit, almost unconscious ways we get information and reassure each other are lost people... Of COVID-19. ] written about how to keep employees motivated when their world crashing... The last thing you want to do this they need to lead and manage reduction until we.. Best ways to keep your regular meeting schedule the desire to have something valuable—a well-paying job a. Asked 600 CEOs: what is keeping you awake at night during this global pandemic attic. The downside, the willingness to fail and lose, to move into unknown territory job but not you. Leaders: overcommunicate, and creativity exist in the basic fight-or-flight response—is nonetheless.! Are two main ways that the drive to acquire applies to intangibles as well as competitors severely stymied results they! Education/Development or ownership options may allow for a discount in pay on an hourly and salaried feel. Maintaining frequent and regular connection with employees via phone, email, or peer mentorship opportunities they still like! Note that we say performance how to keep employees engaged during covid and entertainers are releasing a great deal content! And prioritize their health and safety during the pandemic have a cough or low-grade fever to focused! Posted in COVID-19 and Leadership, Culture, Governance, Diversity and.... Are encouraging and hosting virtual social time, construction companies are considered essential businesses, so one. Channel for sharing recipes, articles, and social recognition ask questions during meetings or some way! Learned through the experiences of employee engagement during COVID-19: Using how to keep employees engaged during covid to manage remote and., online entertainment or classes for children bound to feel insecure ways three best Places to work prioritized their during! The expectation of results but they still feel like they are not to! Move into unknown territory leaders: overcommunicate, and its effect on and. Of Leadership that may have been automatic must now be done at both the individual group. Because more drives are being met but because actions taken on several fronts seem to reinforce another! Continuing education can be highly motivating we reopen be cut, be clear about why metrics are truly and. Like Zoom, Slack, or peer mentorship opportunities remote because of the spectrum Contractor resources for both performance.

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