Employee Engagement-Rising above Pandemic

As a professional since past 21 years and an ERG lead at Fortune 10 company, I have personally experienced and faced the constant challenge on how to keep ourselves and employees engaged throughout their tenure along with keeping them connected with their company outside of their work role. In this article I will be walking you through this very important but sometimes neglected area in any professional space that directly impacts employer and employee bonding.

Let's first start with why is employee engagement important? There are several key reasons, to keep best talent around, to keep their morale up, to minimize attrition, to connect better with employees, to implement positive changes in an Organization processes/setup based on their engagement feedbacks, to have them feel inclusive, to strengthen that trust factor and productivity, enhance company's growth and many more reasons that are important for any organizations success trajectory whether its a startup or a large corporation.

Moving to States and beginning my career here was a big challenge and learning for me. It took me several years to adapt to the culture and people. While I worked in small firms initially, it was easier to navigate and connect around without getting lost. With my first Fortune 400 opportunity in 2006, I realized the magnitude of large corporations. I moved into a few roles during my 6 years span at the company and made a strong bond with my close group and team. I still appreciate all my work contacts there, some of whom became really good friends that I still stay in touch with. We used to celebrate birthdays, baby showers, holiday celebrations as we were all based in the same building within our team. My surprise baby shower at work was the best gift from my co workers that I still remember and cherish till date.

For any new hires, it takes at least an year and sometimes even more to completely understand and transition into their new work role, be able to understand their teams, business/industry better and eventually start giving back to their organization in every form. That process of giving back to the company/organization requires that employee-employer connectivity and trust and understanding and here its not necessarily just connecting well with their direct managers and immediate teams but outside of their teams as well.

Here are seven mantras that I have grown to learn from and evolve to enhance future employee engagements and connectivity including my own experiences:

Involving employees and their families- Sharing an employee's worth and appreciation with their families is a very crucial step that is often neglected. It not only adds more respect in the eyes of families and children but also adds inspiration to young and future generations to come. I want to quote an example of my father NPS Rana and his career journey. He was an HR professional started as Office Manger, moving to senior roles and eventually becoming a CEO of the same company that he joined 40 years ago. While growing up we used to attend several of his work related social meetings as well as yearly trips to beautiful destinations inside and outside of India. Those are some of my best memories as a family member who was quite inspired by the way they would operate. Those engagement opportunities ensured they had employees loyal to the company and stuck around for years, some of them through retirement. They ensured not only the employees were invested but their families were also part of the bigger family. Not to mention I was inspired to be like him when I grew up.

Taking continuous feedback and survey- Inviting employees to talk/discuss and contribute by sharing their thoughts leads to value addition. When employees feel they have a say or are being heard, their morale automatically boosts up. Regardless if their ideas or thoughts are eventually implemented, it at least helps them connect better with company's mission and vision. Some of the world's successful changes started with strangest ideas shared. Additionally when employees feel there is transparency, clear communication and visibility from leadership, that respect becomes mutual. An average worker spends One third of their lifetime at work, it is important for that heart to heart connection and being able to bring their complete self to work.

Personal level connectivity- Corporations can do a better job in connecting with employees who may be going through life changing events. I want to share an example here when my father had sent a few young professionals from India to Japan on site to resolve some customer issues in 2008. It was supposed to be a short term project but unfortunately the tsunami slammed and shut all travel. Those workers were stuck and their families back in India were left disconnected and worried. At that time, his team decided to visit every workers home every day to provide assurance and check on them. That assurance supported the families back home as well as helped relieve separation anxiety.

Encouraging employee associations- I realized how important role ERG's play in big corporations during my current role. An ERG pillar is independent of any internal teams or business affiliations, therefore the responsibility and impact here is much wider. An Employee/Business Resource Groups primarily mission is to bring all employees together via events and informative sessions. I attended cultural awareness events, team building and branding public events, speaker events, professional development and networking events before taking a leader role on our ERG Board as I felt connected and wanted to contribute further. The fact that employees are not all based in one location, a continuous reform in social events format is required to ensure maximum engagement from them. By putting together a few, yet impactful all year round events is the key to reduce virtual fatigue.

Training and Development - According to NPS Rana who was a HR professional leader for several years, not all degrees directly relate/translate to work experience. Therefore providing the adequate training and additional development programs to employees ensures they are well positioned to bring maximum to their work role. That training/development has to be a continuous cycle. Budgeting towards employees additional training every year and providing them opportunities where they can thrive within the organization will enhance their motivation. It will also keep the organizations up to the speed for new and advance technologies thereby eliminating a need for constant new hires or external support dependence. At one of my corporate role at prior organization, my leaders invested and encouraged me for in person Oracle trainings to help boost my financial systems knowledge and hands on experience that eventually did support me in performing my role efficiently with added confidence especially when tackling M&A.

Health and Wellness- By offering at work programs including yoga, meditation, free annual checkups, participating in local walk/run events and similar will not only reduce the medical liabilities and costs but also will boost the overall energy and growth required for a successful corporation to thrive. A medical plan that offers reduced costs compared to market or competitors is a key for long term retention as well. However many companies might be offering it but may not be sending reminders or personal checkpoints through managers/leaders, therefore ensuring employees are constantly reminded about how to better take care of their health and mental well being and how company supports in this area proves that an organization and leaders really care.

Incentives and Benefits- Our first color TV at home while growing up was a gift to my father from his company for his dedication and commitment at work. The sentiment is still there, the shape and form has evolved. Awards, recognition, gratitude, holiday gifts, one off bonuses etc. are always great ways to remind your employees that they are valued and not forgotten. Merit increases adds to the total package. Treating them best and prioritizing them first is the key. Maternity and paternity leaves, handsome PTO, sick and carry over days adds to the perk and ensures wider coverage and needs. At my telecom industry experience,15 years ago I was given assurance of my job if I return after 6 months and for up to 1 year in any other role as part of maternity benefit. That provided a peace of mind to me as I was able to give all my time to my new born without worrying about my career.

During this tough pandemic phase over last three years, many workers have realized the importance of personal lives over work. Many are learning to live in present versus working hard for future. Hence we are also witnessing great resignation because its all about demand and supply at the moment plus employees are going through the monotonous work style and fatigue. Better wages, pay equity, flex work, additional and handsome perks are attracting them instantly. That remote work option and current wave of attrition is not going away any soon. Innovating and enhancing the overall employee onboarding experience where they feel connected, cared and engaged will be a top priority for all corporations in the coming years.