Remote or flexible working has been around for quite some time now, but it has never been more prevalent than it is now due to the recent spread of COVID-19. Today, most companies around the world have no choice but to allow their employees to work from home. While this can be considered an inconvenience to some people, organisations that are willing to embrace work-from-home practices will see it as an opportunity. It is crucial that employers do everything in their power to make sure that their employees are motivated and engaged during the transition to remote working. Here are some tips that you, as an employer, can do to encourage employee engagement during WFH:
1. Foster Engagement Through Community Building
Working remotely and separately from other people can make employees feel secluded and unmotivated, coupled by the fact that no one seems to know how long this WFH phase will last. This is especially true for people who are used to working in the office during normal office hours as the change would be quite drastic for them. Therefore, it is crucial that companies keep the workflows going while also encouraging internal communication as much as possible.
The first thing you can do is invest in communication tools such as high-quality video conferencing platforms. Make sure that everyone in the company has the channel where they can share updates—both personal and work-related ones. Another thing that you can do to lift up employees’ spirit and boost team morale is to do something fun during the virtual meetings. It could be something as simple as a trivia or fun quizzes where everyone can engage during their virtual breaks. Alternatively, you can include gamification into the work processes to make them more interesting for your employees. For example, you can incorporate gaming elements into work to enhance employee motivation and engagement.
2. Give Employees Timely Recognition
Recognition is one of the most important factors that drive employee engagement. Employees are more likely to feel energised and more motivated to do well on their next task. However, when working separately, employees may not get the recognition they deserve at the right time. Managers should be able to recognise employees’ good work and give them positive feedback as soon as possible to maximise employee motivation and morale. This is why a digital platform that allows team members to instantly communicate and interact with one another is vital.
3. Facilitate Learning Among Employees
By working from home, employees have some extra hours that they would have spent on commuting to the office. This makes it a great opportunity for managers to encourage learning among their employees. It could be something that can add on to their current skills or something completely new. Either way, e-learning platforms are what companies will have to invest in. Apart from learning for professional development, employees should also be given the choice to learn something that they are personally interested in as well, such as international languages or music. From learning new things, employees are less likely to feel burnout or stressed out during this challenging time. Moreover, you can organise online learning workshops where employees are encouraged to learn together as a group, which can lead to a higher sense of community.
4. Provide Add-On Perks and Benefits
Another effective way to boost employee motivation is to offer them perks and various benefits. These can range from something as simple as gift cards and corporate discounts to something as huge as insurance plans. To make sure that employees can track and access these benefits as conveniently as possible, companies need to invest in a cloud-based platform that can facilitate such service.
Find out more on what OmniGive can do to boost your employee engagement during the unprecedented times – Join us now or call +66 2012 5198 (OmniGive Thailand) or +60 3 2859 2061 (OmniGive Malaysia)
