Employee Engagement in a Post-COVID Workplace

“When people are financially invested, they want a return. When people are emotionally invested, they want to contribute.” – Simon Sinek

The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us many things. First, it has taught us that empathy and kindness goes a long way. We’ve learned that as individuals, communities, and as a nation, that we can do hard things when we work together. Finally, this pandemic has taught us that the relationship between employer and employee is a valuable one. How much the employee feels valued by their employer is called “engagement.” And this feeling of value is one that more and more companies are investing in in a post-COVID environment.

Employee engagement is when an employee feels “high levels of involvement (passion and absorption) in the work and the organization (pride and identity) as well as affective energy (enthusiasm and alertness) and a sense of self-presence.” Let’s dive in and look at some fast facts on this subject and how to increase engagement in this new workspace we have found our world occupying.

BY THE NUMBERS

  • 34% of employees and 35% of employers stated they felt engaged in their work in a 2019 Gallup poll.
  • 38% of employees now say they are “highly involved in, enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace” via a May 2020 Gallup poll.
  • This is the highest reported engagement since Gallup began measuring this topic in 2000.

BOTTOM LINE

  • Unengaged employees lower productivity, innovation, and the bottom line.
  • Engaged employees have lower absenteeism and lower turnover.
  • When an employee believes that they are being heard and seen as a valued investment, they feel empowered to do their best work.
  • Teams that report being engaged in the workplace have 21% higher profitability than those who report being unengaged.

HOMESCHOOL

  • One way to create engagement in the workplace is to promote learning opportunities at home for employees. This can be done in virtual workshops for remote workers.
  • If a company’s investment is in learning and development, this shows the employee that their employer sees their future as important.
  • Positive results of investing in workforce education include increased employee engagement, more innovation, and increased understanding of the company’s goals.
  • Remote employees who participate in a company’s virtual training report that beyond the educational benefit they receive, they also feel as though they are being equipped with new skills for handling stressful situations once they are able to return to work.

RESOURCES

There are numerous blogs and articles and creative educational interaction sites to keep employees engaged and learning while remote. Below are some fun and creative sites to help you create your own engagement campaign for your organization.

 

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