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The Lockdown Effect: Changing Face of Employee Engagement & Satisfaction

May 26, 2020

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By Mr. Vikram Kumar, Co-Founder and Managing Director, SRV Media Pvt. Ltd.

Social distancing and the prolonged lockdown period have led to an all-remote working environment. Businesses have shifted to the virtual world. Employees are working from home. The interactions among the stakeholders of an organisation are happening through online platforms. There is no physical contact whatsoever. The situation is not expected to change any time soon.

Considering this sudden and uncontrollable change in work-style, organisations are trying to focus on the most important pillar of their success and business continuity – their employees. 

Working from  homes often with limited resources and restrictions, the employees are facing a hard time balancing professional and personal life. They are operationally and emotionally distant from their teams and managers. Employees with kids are struggling taking care of them, simultaneously meeting work deadlines

Given the current economic situation, financial stability is also a major concern troubling them. At such times, it becomes vital that an organisation addresses the concerns of its employees, helps them find ways to give their best, staying healthy and safe at the same time.

Many organisations are trying to devise interesting ways for employee engagement through virtual platforms. Some have redefined the term to incorporate family engagement within it. 

Deloitte India, for example, is one organisation that is hosting webinars to help parents by giving them tips on keeping children engaged constructively while they focus on their daily work schedule. 

Genpact is doing a similar activity through its parenting community – iSupport. A special mention goes out to Capgemini’s Big Boss Challenge, where employees, along with friends and family, can participate by taking up a series of tasks or contests. 

Everyorganisation has different ways of managing this situation.

Here are some  activities that you can implement to ensure your employees stay happy and healthy…

  1. Daily Video Interactions between team members – Interacting with your teammates during hectic office hours is always a happy thought; after all, they have become your extended family. This practice can continue virtually through daily team interactions at the start or end of the day. 
  2. Weekly updates with the Managers – A good manager ensures that her/his team is satisfied with work without facing many issues. A weekly virtual meeting with team members, individually or in a group, will ensure that the management cares about them.
  3. Flexible time schedules – Working from home may lead to inconsistencies in work hours due to various factors such as no electricity, poor internet connection etc. These are beyond the control of the employees. The organisations should be sympathetic towards such situations and provide flexibility in working hours.
  4. Recreation is still important – Though your employee is not present in the organisation physically, he/she is giving 8-10 hours daily to ensure that work is not hampered. 

It becomes important to engage employees through various virtual recreational activities. For example, organise inter-team interaction sessions over tea; hold quizzes and contests with individual/team participation. 

The HR can also have a one-to-one session to understand what an employee is going through and eventually come up with activities that align with the employees’ current state of mind.

  1. Training and Sessions – Many employees feel their learning curve has reduced over time within the  organisation. It may be due to the lack of time or lack of interest on the organisation’s part. 

This is the right time to engage them in upgrading their skills through various training sessions. Such training need not be limited to the employees’ areas of expertise; rather it can involve sessions on mental, emotional and physical well being especially during the lockdown period.

The lockdown has had a major impact on employee satisfaction and engagement. Maintaining an organisation’s employee satisfaction ratio is tough given the operational and emotional distance. But, failing this, we might have to lose some of our most valuable resources who contribute incessantly to our success. 

Remember, with changing times, we need to change and adapt to provide the best we can. We are already doing it for our clients. Time to do the same for our employees too.

 


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Dr. Vikram Kumar

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