Corporate success is every employer’s dream. However, that success can’t happen without employees and their engagement at work. All the more so when employee engagement also has an effect on their productivity and satisfaction in the workplace. That is why you should focus on engaging employees as much as you can. Following trends in this field for this year can give you some ideas to think about and implement in the workplace. Here are six trends to think about throughout the year.
Compassion
If there is anything the global pandemic had taught employers is how important it is to check in on employees and see how they are doing mentally and physically. The crisis has shown many workplaces need greater compassion. Soon enough, employees will return to their offices in the new normal. Along with a change of the work concept and conditions, you can also embrace and encourage compassion in the workplace. Let employees share their empathy for each other as they continue to overcome challenges together. As a result, employees will engage, show empathy and compassion while managing to deliver their best work.
Recognition
Employee recognition has been a growing trend for years now. It is expected for it to gain importance because of the pandemic and future challenges the new normal brings. A simple recognition or acknowledgment of their contributions to your company can make a difference when it comes to their engagement. If your company has an effective recognition system, it is more likely to attract new employees and retain the existing ones. Knowing their efforts and hard work matters to the management makes them actively participate around the workplace. It also makes them feel valued. All the more reasons to establish a recognition system and appreciate employee efforts.
Communication
The best way to engage your team is by allowing them to communicate. To make that happen, you should first give them all the necessary tools for uninterrupted interaction. For example, intranet solutions is the perfect business solution. Apart from connecting your staff, it also allows them to share files, knowledge, updates, and work together. All of these aspects are important for keeping your team members engaged. However, to make this work, you should encourage staff members to use the
software on a daily basis. Over time, you will notice how engaged and productive your employees are.
Benefits
Events caused by the pandemic changed employees’ perceptions about health, both mental and physical. As a result, they started to place great value on general well-being. They require additional benefits to meet their needs and allow them to work efficiently. Gym membership and office amenities will no longer do when it comes to employee benefits. Since it is becoming clearer every day that remote work will be a part of the new normal and employees won’t be returning to their offices any time soon, you have to step up your game and deliver. For example, you can assist with child care, ergonomics, or food delivery, so your employees have all the help they need to focus entirely on work tasks.
Relationships
Any organization rests on good and trusting relationships, whether those relationships are with clients or employees. However, last year’s events changed how those relationships are created and maintained. Workshops, conferences, expos are some of the many ways employees used to meet, learn and share knowledge and experiences. Today and in the future, you will face challenges trying to create long-lasting relationships. Without trusting relationships, you can’t manage a cohesive virtual team. Moreover, remote workers might also struggle with loneliness and alienation at some point. Therefore, you have to come up with ways to help them combat any feeling of loneliness they might have and encourage them to communicate with each other.
Work-life Balance
For years, employees wanted to give work from home a try. Now that they finally got what they asked for, they are moving on to the next aspect. That is flexibility. Since it is highly unlikely, they will return to their offices, employees are seeking ways to keep their work and private life balanced. This is especially important for working parents. However, if you give them the flexibility they need, employees will have everything they need to contribute to common business goals. This means it is a win-win situation for both sides.
To conclude, if you want a successful company, you have to engage employees more. Any of these five trends for 2021 will help you achieve that goal.
Morgan Rose Elliott graduated marketing from The University of Sydney. Hobbies include yoga, reading, home renovation. . Rookie blogger who loves writing about business and lifestyle equally. She is happily married, stay at home mother of three.
Twitter account: https://twitter.com/MorganRoseElli1