How to get more engaged employees in times of teleworking

The value that an engaged employee brings to your company is not quantifiable, but it is something that can make a difference.

We can see how the workers who most sympathize and empathize with their business push from it whenever necessary. They have a very strong human value that needs to be taken care of and that has been greatly affected in recent months. Let’s look at some possible causes and what companies can do to bridge this pothole.

Is the engaged employee the classic worker model?

Not really. Even before the pandemic, it was proven that they were practically a minority. According to a Gallup poll conducted in American companies, only 30% of employees feel somehow attached to their company. As we can see, the vast majority simply consider it a job and little else. There are several reasons for this.

One of them will be the employee experience, that is: the
experience
that the user himself has of his work. This has to be the more positive, the better. And it is also that the brand itself will have to work so that its employees see it as a future value and a place where they want to be.

In the same survey it was seen that up to 16% of workers are not linked or linked at all with their company. And what does this generate? Mainly expenses, either directly or indirectly. We can think of several cases in which a bad attitude generates losses. Whether it is poor customer service, inefficient work, malpractice that directly produces more expenses… Hence, it is crucial that the experience of the workers is as flattering as possible.

Other countries, such as Chile, have a much lower involvement of workers, being in some points alarming. The biggest risk here is that most of the staff may start to suffer from Burnout Syndrome. That is: feeling a total disconnection with the objectives or commitments that the company has assumed. This not only causes dissatisfaction, but directly results in the malfunction and performance of the company.

The important thing here is to understand that this employee model has never been the majority in the workforce. But it is that as a result of the pandemic, even, they have been reduced. Let’s see how teleworking has affected the most linked of the workforce.

Effects of teleworking and the pandemic

What has caused COVID-19 in many companies? Well, the truth is that here we can find conflicting data. In some sectors (especially technology or renewable energies) business commitment has been somewhat encouraged. Thanks to teleworking, many workers have found a much more comfortable way to meet objectives. And they have begun to dedicate themselves to the company in a different way.

Why has this happened here? Perhaps because they are employees who know how to organize and manage their time, or because they have received an injection of freedom that has allowed them to combine the world of work with the family. Thus finding a situation that suits them to maintain. But what is the reality of other sectors and other countries?

Although it is difficult to specify, places have appeared where the new situation has only served to further disengage many workers from their own company. Sometimes the work environment and colleagues are fundamental to create a suitable climate and an environment conducive to work and commitment. In these cases, teleworking has been counterproductive, since it has caused workers to have less contact with each other and, in some cases, feel their company as something even more distant and distant.

We must be attentive to how it will evolve in this type of issues, because if satisfaction or involvement continue to plummet, the company itself, its sales and its relationship with customers can end up cracking and losing efficiency.

How to improve the employee experience?

There are some tips that can be put into practice to improve employee
engagement
with their own work. Let’s analyze them:

1. A good work structure

When you feel part of a gear is when you can work and function best. Therefore, it will be essential in this regard that all employees know well what their role is and who has to indicate it. By reinforcing the command we can also improve the experience.

2. Good team cohesion

There has to be commonalities between employees, spaces or activities that are shared. Whether they are activities during working hours or outside of it. And, in the same way, we must provide spaces in the breaks so that they communicate, understand each other well and develop a bond (however close) that helps them interact better with each other.

3. Fluid communication

As you have to adapt to work situations of all kinds, communication between employees has to flow. For this, we can opt for all kinds of telematic or face-to-face channels. From meetings to new social networks exclusive to work. Something that demotivates a lot is the feeling that nobody is in charge or that one has no one to communicate with or to ask their doubts.

4. Avoid equipment wear

Therefore, we have to avoid work overloads or issue a reward at this time. It has to seem that any extra effort is valued positively from the company, and not that it is something that has to be taken for granted. This helps them to see the brand itself fairly and with friendship.

In short, getting a committed employee in your company is not easy, nor is it to keep him motivated. However, the benefits of doing so are many, as it can result in the success of your business. If you need solutions for a more cohesive template, do not hesitate and ask us.