Free Engagement Tool for Employees Through the Rest of 2020 - Change is the only constant and technology has already been driving trends in the workplace around us. Now COVID-19 has changed our lives and workplaces in ways we could not imagine just a few weeks ago.

Now organizations must make their workplaces resistant to this type of disruption, the new workplace must be secure, innovative, productive, mobile and virtual, or remote, it must promote a sense of cohesion and belonging.  Given that it will not be business as usual for quite some time, how can you help your people stay focused and mentally healthy in the face of such significant change?

A crisis or any significant change like this one presents an opportunity to strengthen your organization, infrastructure, and productivity for the future.

This COVID-19 pandemic is highlighting the need for businesses to strengthen their virtual capabilities, so they are less dependent on vulnerable physical workforces. Studies show that pandemics of this kind are likely to occur in the future. Organizations need to create virtual  workplaces that are resilient, flexible and distributed.

Being engaged means your senior leadership team is aligned on your response to COVID-19. Employee engagement means your employees feel well-informed, senior leaders know what it’s like on the front line. Managers and leaders are able to demonstrate they care about employee concerns and is performing effectively and efficiently given all of the changes, stresses, and contingencies being presented due to the crisis.

• Manage and plan for results, not the time spent on tasks. - Work From Home

• Set-up a working schedule that respects the employee’s autonomy and set clear expectations as to when a situation requires an immediate connection. - Work From Home

• Extend that flexibility to a commonly agreed reporting system, that sticks to the flexibility of working from home. - Work From Home

• Leverage technology tools (employee voice, employee communications, employee engagement, teleconferencing, online meeting and file-sharing). - Work From Home

• Equip remote employees with the necessary resources to get their done. - Work From Home

• Make sure employees know and recognize even though they are working from home, they still belong and are part of a team. - Work From Home

• Keep employees informed of the business status; to make sure that they always feel connected with your company.

• Don’t neglect the social aspect. Connect one-on-one, communicate openly use the opportunity to build a resilient relationship.

• Use the OurOffice Employee portal to establish an informal safe space, where the focus is discussing how employees feel, the evolving workplace culture, and things outside of work. – Engagement tool

• Encourage an inclusive culture. Even if you’re mostly connected online, you can still agree on common values, ways of working and communication policies – Engagement tool

• Make sure to recognize employee efforts and their achievements.
• Don’t micromanage. While individual needs vary, employees working from home should have a high degree of responsibility and self-awareness based on established goals, communication channels and engagement process. – Engagement tool

• Once the crisis is over, consider having one or two in-person meetings during the year, where you get to spend a couple of days as a team, discussing both work and personal topics and issues.

• Use a wellness-monitoring tool to stay ahead of employee engagement and any emerging issues.

• Use theOurOffice Employee Portal as a feedback system, to make sure there are no pending issues, frustrations or ignored suggestions.