The Coronavirus is accelerating one of the biggest business transformations in decades. With work from home, remote and hybrid work strategies now the norm, businesses have had to shift their employee communication to digital. But digital channels are mostly one-way, so how do you ensure that your workforce is engaged and productive?

“Employee engagement is more than just smiles around the lunch table. Engaged employees feel an emotional connection to the business and have a sense that their contribution is meaningful. If they have a reason to care, they have a reason to contribute – and this impacts both productivity and profitability,” says Claire Storm, Co-founder and Director for Airshot.

Claire explains that organisations with strong employee engagement scores generate revenue growth at a rate 2.51 times higher than companies with lower scores. “They experience increased productivity, better customer loyalty and lower staff turnover, all of which are bottom-line reasons companies should pay careful consideration to employee engagement, especially now.”

So, how do you improve employee engagement to unlock productivity in a COVID-world?

Claire shares her 5 tips:

1. Get the message right
   One challenge to boosting employee engagement is figuring out an approach that works for a multinational, multiethnic, multigenerational workforce. Your employees are used to a digital diet of short-burst, highly-visual content that is personalised and consistent, so how do you duplicate that? Two words: Leverage technology. There is a range of employee engagement software available (like Airshot) that will enable you to deliver messaging that is personalised, eye-catching, relevant and time sensitive.
2. Banish FYI forever
   Information overload is not a stranger to the workplace, but it seems to be worse now than ever before. The simple solution is to stop sending out generalised communication that’s “For your Information.” Instead only send out communication that requires a reaction or creates an opportunity for engagement, because the more your employees are involved, the more they will feel valued and respected as individuals, which in turn will strengthen trust.
3. Everyone’s opinion matters
   Some of your employees may not feel comfortable asking their questions or sharing their concerns in front of everyone. If you can, don’t group staff into teams where they will feel inadequate voicing their opinion. Now more than ever, your focus needs to be on inclusion and creating channels where employees can raise their issues and concerns on a platform that makes them feel like their voice is being heard.
4. Eliminate imposter syndrome
   Often people don’t want to admit that they don’t understand something, but they get by without ever having to confess to it. To counter this, you need to create environments that is a safe space, where they can build their skills and knowledge base. A centralised digital platform can act as a repository for skills material and also provide a collaborative platform for your people. In fact, the incidence of great work increases by 83%2 when employees feel connected to their teams, so foster teamwork and a culture of collaboration wherever possible.
5. Don’t assume someone else will do it
   Don’t just blast out an email and think the job is done. Engagement is hands-on. Ensure that whatever digital platform you choose to use promotes a two-way conversation and will ensure that everyone understands what they need to do so that it gets done.

“At Airshot we believe that an engaged employee is a productive employee who impacts the bottom line. We don’t see employee engagement as a tool. We believe that it is the desired result because when companies work together with their employees, they unlock the organisation’s full potential,” Claire concludes.

Sam Watt
Marketing Communications