Employee Engagement In The Hybrid Workplace

In the past year and a half, there has been tremendous change for employees in North America, from going fully remote for much of 2020, to shifting to a hybrid schedule, and for some now returning back to the office. The unpredictability of the pandemic has created many challenges, especially for HR leaders responsible for the health and safety of their employees. Although some offices have reopened, many reopening plans have been delayed. Vaccination mandates for employees are starting to become commonplace.  And many knowledge workers will continue to work from home―and some may never go back to the office. 

In this new reality, employers must fundamentally rethink how to engage their employees. They can do this by focusing on four key pillars: Insights, Wellness, Personalization and Purpose. 

Insights

A stellar employee experience starts with employee listening―having a pulse on what is happening within your organization and what’s top of mind for your employees at all times. This is key to a successful business and engaged employees. With remote work, it’s harder to engage in low-stress everyday interactions to gauge how your employees are feeling. 

Pulse surveys are a start and can provide HR leaders with meaningful data, but it’s also vital to go beyond and assemble other, more subtle feedback mechanisms. Passive engagement can be a valuable indicator of how your employees are feeling. For example, how many employees participate in all-hands video calls? Are your employees taking full advantage of their benefits like 401k(s) and wellness programs? If not, what are the barriers to doing so? These insights can help build a realistic portrait of engagement in a remote or hybrid environment. 

Wellness

The pandemic has made employee well-being top of mind for HR leaders. In the BrightPlan 2021 Wellness Barometer Survey, employees rank well-being benefits such as healthcare, remote work, financial wellness and more vacation time as the most important benefits they’d like to see from employers. 

This new era of employee engagement is about going back to the basics: enabling people to gain financial security while supporting initiatives that advance all aspects of health. HR leaders are listening and many have already started investing more in employee well-being programs. Embracing benefits for the new era of wellness―from mental to financial―will play a critical role in redefining employee engagement in a remote workplace. 

Personalization

One of the many advantages stemming from a hybrid workforce is the ability for employers to better personalize employee engagement. No longer do companies have to design events and options for everyone in the same office. Instead, everything from virtual team meals to feedback sessions can be customized for the unique and personal preferences of the individual employee. Something as seemingly small as allowing employees to expense their lunch choice for virtual group meetings can go a long way to show your employees that you care about them as individuals. 

Online personalization also offers an opportunity to recreate some human connection that we’ve lost with remote work. Now is the time for companies to reinvent how we connect with humanity in an age of constant video calls and limited physical gatherings. For example, small group meetings with leadership or small employee hobby-based groups can help employees connect on a more personal level―allowing them to be more authentic with peers and leadership alike.

Purpose

With the challenges we’ve faced over the past year and a half and an increased focus on work-life balance, come big questions about meaning, mission and purpose. Companies that draw a clear connection between their day-to-day operations and a bigger societal goal have a clear advantage in keeping employees engaged, even in these challenging times. Survey after survey confirms that the new generation of workers seeks purpose. In our hybrid work reality, giving employees purpose will be critical to a happy and engaged workforce. 

Flexibility at work―including allowing or even encouraging hybrid and remote work―will not just be normal but a necessity for companies to hire and retain the best talent. However, along with this flexibility comes the need to redefine employee engagement. By gaining insights through employee listening, focusing on wellness, personalizing the employee experience and giving employees purpose, employers can help their employees be happier, leading to greater productivity and engagement.