Why employee engagement is a crucial factor in a post-covid working environment

Lots have changed since 2019. When the covid-19 pandemic started sweeping across continents, people took comfort in their homes. Safely working from their home offices and kitchen tables. This introduced a completely different work environment that was present the year before. Yes, it was possible to work from home. No, this normally was not the case for the full week. Homeworking was typically associated with a few days in the office and a single day from home. In some companies working from home was even considered cheating. Did people work from home, or were they just doing their errands and enjoying some relaxation time employee engagement?

How working cultures have changed

The notion of working from home had to adjust now that everyone works from home. This is indeed what we saw happening. Where you would expect people to work less (e.g. no commute to work), we saw an increase in working hours of a large portion of the workforce. More meetings, more work, and long days staring at a screen. Employee engagement reduced, as they felt less association with the company they work for. Staying engaged to do your work is hard when the environment is your own home.

Why is employee engagement important?

Staying engaged with your employer is relevant, but why is employee engagement important? Studies show that engaged employees are more productive. When they feel that they are appreciated and connected, they produce better results. Companies that understand this are leveraging it to create a better and happier workforce. This is not only realized with monetary incentives. Often it can be realized with other means such as improved communications, involvement in decision-making, and inclusiveness among the workforce.

Your company values are also a cornerstone

Employee engagement is important and starts with the values of a company. What do we stand for? What do we value? How do we want to be known in the market? Clear answers to these questions can already help your employees to become more engaged in their work. When they feel aligned to the mission, they generally carry out better work.

How to measure employee engagement?

We hope that you know understand why employee engagement is important. There are many companies out there that can help you understand employee engagement. How engaged are your employees? There are several techniques you can consider. One-on-one conversations between employees and managers can help foster discussion. What are the pain points? How can managers make the work more enjoyable? 

If you want to use more quantitative measures, you could consider surveys. Some companies specialize in measuring employee engagement through surveys and tools. This can benefit your organization as it serves as a quick scan to understand your problems. Their expertise also helps in overcoming these problems. A leader in the field is Effectory, who is offering dozens of services that can help to get your employees to be more engaged. Visit their website via https://www.effectory.com/.