What represents one of the most important aspects of all sorts of businesses is by no doubt the employees. That is precisely why Employee Engagement is considered crucial for successful growth and development of different organizations. As research trends within SHRM point out, Employee Engagement is seen through the prism of employees’ opinions and behavior, and their emotional attachment to the company. Global researches done by SHRM point out that those companies in which workers show more dedication, outperform their competition by 300%. Also, one should bear in mind that the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on enterprises, which made cost optimization and profitability even more impactful. The best way a company can achieve its goals is through employee engagement, which is directly proportional to productivity. SHRM has done some research that showed how the relationship between employee engagement and achieving business outcomes is intensified during the economic crisis, as opposed to doing business under normal circumstances.

The question we ask is: What is the best way to sustain an adequate level of employee engagement during a crisis? According to SHRM’s findings, employee engagement is to a great extent determined by the perception of employees that their work is appreciated and relevant to achieving business objectives, regardless of the workload being reduced due to the crisis. Also, another factor in sustaining employee engagement is by letting your workers know that their performances are measured using objective (and not subjective) criteria.

Global research done by Gallup, an analytics and advice firm, implies that it is much more efficient to measure team engagement instead of overall employee engagement. When team engagement is measured, we can learn more about best practices, success, and about those fields which need further development and support. Company managers should use the obtained results on employee engagement to create effective action points for those aspects that require further development. By implementing such action points, workers will feel more appreciated and valued.

How does employee engagement affect achieving company objectives in times of crisis?

If workers become emotionally connected to the company, the importance of employee engagement intensifies. As a result, employees are more committed to their work as they wish to lessen the impacts of the crisis on their company. The committed workers will feel fulfilled during their regular work activities, they will completely commit to their employer and invest more effort to contribute to business success.

Employee Engagement typically falls under the responsibilities of HR managers. However, if the company wants to achieve success, all of its leaders should be devoted to nurturing Employee Engagement. Gallup laid out an Engagement Hierarchy based on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, which can serve as a foundation for company managers and leaders.  For example, if employees do not have their basic needs met, such as having the materials and equipment supplied, then things like teamwork, or opportunities for growth and development will not have sufficient power to affect their performance.

How to improve Employee Engagement during a crisis?

  • Make sure that your employees perceive their work as an integral part of achieving company objectives
  • Set clear expectations and communicate them in the right way
  • Encourage your employees to share their opinions, feelings, and ideas; and to propose resolutions if possible
  • Provide all the necessary tools and resources so that your workers are able perform everyday work tasks
  • Be clear about company missions, visions and values during a crisis
  • Regularly monitor your employees’ performance in terms of the newly-changed workplace and work demands during a crisis

 

Implementing all these action points might seem like an undertaking, but in time, we learn to embrace this new perspective, and it becomes automatized within our everyday business. As a result, there are multiple positive effects and a foundation for success. Taking all the above-mentioned guidelines into consideration, it becomes clear that what we get is a vital and resilient organizational culture, which can be sustained not only under normal circumstances, but in times of crisis as well. Such organizational cultures are more solid and their operations exhibit minimal problems in times of crisis. Consequently, both employee productivity and company objectives are sustained.

It is the responsibility of our Research Team @Assert to provide a detailed and realistic representation of working conditions on the market to our clients, as well as to successfully map out all the profiles and personnel, both employed and unemployed, across different industries. We strive to direct the market towards ensuring fair and transparent conditions for all employees.  Our focus is on creating plans and methodology, as well as efficient internal and external research in accordance with the highest standards of quality and efficiency, and the specific needs of our clients. Additionally, we propose and implement action points that give companies a competitive edge on the job market.