4 Ways To Help Engage Employees And Improve Workplace Productivity

COVID-19 has accelerated the pace that companies are addressing work-from-home requests and it has forced many companies to navigate a new strategy to remain on track. Statistics Canada had conducted a survey earlier this year where they released information about how nearly one-third of Canadian businesses were working from home in late May. “Teleworking and working remotely have become more prevalent since the start of the crisis. Nearly one-third (32.6%) of businesses reported 10% or more of their workforce was teleworking or working remotely on May 29, 2020. This was almost twice the level reported as of February 1, 2020, when 16.6% of businesses reported 10% or more of their workforce was teleworking or working remotely.” (Statistics Canada, 2020). The report also mentions that even after things return to normal, almost one-quarter of employers will continue to have 10% or more employees continue to work from home. 

Setting employees up for success from a distance can be difficult. As an employer, you must prepare your employees as much as possible and encourage engagement to prevent possible mental health issues. Insight Corporate care is here to provide you with 4 easy ways to help engage your employees during this time:

1. Schedule weekly check-ins and recaps with the entire team

By meeting with the team every Monday morning to discuss what the priorities are, it helps hold your staff accountable, and assist with motivating the individuals who may not be self-motivators. In reflection, an end of week recap also helps praise individuals when applicable, creating a workplace culture of engagement by seeing what was done throughout the week. 

2. Enable a strong communication tool

When your staff is in the office it is much easier to discuss concerns and questions. When they are working from home and don’t have that luxury you must provide a strong means of communication methods aside from e-mail. Whether it is phone calls, video chats, or instant messaging. There are many tools to help you with this transition such as:

employee engagement tools

Source: https://hivelife.com/work-from-home-ultimate-guide/

3. Providing incentives to employees

Your staff may feel overworked and overwhelmed when working from home. Individuals often struggle with finding the balance between “home” and “work” when both are in the same spaces, or feeling isolated which can take its toll on their mental health. Sometimes this is unpreventable depending on the living situation, but you can help them overcome that struggle. Businesses often have health benefits, but they are also able to support their teams with an Employee & Family Assistance Program (EAP/EFAP) which can provide further help to employees, and their families, to find the balance they need to be successful in their personal and professional lives.

If you would like more information about how EAP/EFAP works, or are interested in inquiring about our customizable packages created to fit your specific needs, please contact us.

4. Have resources available for the team

In general, 2020 has initiated many mental and physical health concerns amongst individuals. No one has ever experienced something like this, and everyone is trying to figure out how to cope with the uprooting of events that have happened. Many individuals feel isolated and lost while at home, potentially alone, and having a lack of social support and interaction. As an employer, you must provide the designated information to employees and establish a support network within your organization. Your staff needs to feel like although they are not receiving that face-to-face interaction, that they are still supported and have resources to help them get by. 

Source: https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/dealing-with-social-isolation-due-to-coronavirus.aspx

 

As always, these are suggestions and tips that may help engage your employees during remote work. Here at Insight Corporate Care, we strive to provide you and other business owners with the tools you need to improve their mental health and psychological safety within the workplace.  and enhance their productivity. We have a trained team ready to help you overcome any challenges you, or your team, maybe experiencing.