The COVID-19 lockdown affected everyone, including companies and businesses of all sizes. It changed the way people work and the way people manage their workload. Employee engagement also drastically changed from workers not having to be physically present and trying to manage working remotely for the first time.
Implementation of more feedback
In the physical workplace, it is easy to go about the day and not actively give feedback to employees and coworkers. Oftentimes, there is a mentality that people will just do the task themselves if it was done wrong. Most people have found this harder to do remotely.
Feedback can often be an awkward experience for many, but with an online work environment, it is easier to send an email or message asking for advice or help. Most companies have seen an increase in feedback from coworkers as people are trying to navigate the remote workplace for the first time.
Many companies have also determined that they needed to create better employee engagement software solutions to make feedback available. Collaboration software has also proven to be crucial because employees need better and quicker ways to discuss work and possible issues.
Having software can also allow managers to give feedback to specific members of the team or the company as a whole much easier.
Time management skills
It is pretty easy to manage workflow when you are in an office and expected to have certain things done at certain times. Remote workers have found it hard to manage their time and work duties when working during the lockdown.
Some people make the mistake of thinking they have all day and then get distracted and end up falling behind on work. As a manager or CEO, it is harder to supervise people when they are home. You have to rely on emails and instant messaging to keep responses and feedback from employees.
In response, many employers have found that they need to implement time management training or create software to help employees track their assignments and how much time they need to complete them.
Less employee recognition
When people are all working separately and not in the same environment, acknowledging growth and accomplishments is less than ideal. Employees during lockdown state they felt less likely to be rewarded for making achievements because they were not around their boss and coworkers.
As a manager, it is also much easier to go from day to day and now realizing what an employee is doing. It is also harder to track because you are faced with emails and written agreements rather than having face-to-face conversations.
Without recognition, employees are less likely to perform better because they feel discouraged or not valued. Add in the stress of being in lockdown and dealing with potentially being sick, this makes for an easy way for employees to feel down.
Employers need to make a targeted effort to create a recognition system for workers when they are at home during the lockdown.
This could mean making social media posts or creating a forum where people can see what is going on in the company even though they may not be physically present in the office. Continue to make employee recognition, especially during the lockdown and its aftermath.
Concluding
Employee engagement can be hard enough when everyone is together and at the office, so now with everyone working remotely, it can be even worse. Implementing a few strategies though can help make your employees more engaged than ever before. Try using special engagement software, making recognition social media posts, and training your employees on important time management skills.
