Ever since the COVID-19 (coronavirus pandemic) began, it’s making a huge impact on our daily lives. Amid global country-wide lockdowns and social distancing, many companies have made a sudden shift to working from home to help reduce the coronavirus transmission. Yet many companies were not fully prepared for this transition. In tough times like these, it’s important to not only have the right tech and collaboration tools but also to have a plan for keeping your staff motivated and focused on their jobs.
So, how do you keep your employees engaged as you navigate the Coronavirus outbreak? How do you keep your operations running smoothly? Here are 5 easy ways to improve engagement while your employees work from home:
1. Communicate consistently
As the coronavirus outbreak evolves, share as much information and updates with your team as possible. Communicate regularly with your remote employees. Have various ways to reach them via emails, chats, and remote meetings. Prepare coronavirus task forces and groups on team messaging. Also, create tutorials or guides on working from home, dealing with isolation and other relevant topics. This will show your empathy and keep your staff engaged. And will make it easier for them to cope with the current situation.
2. Collaborate with video conferencing
Use video conferencing tools such as Zoom for all remote meetings. Encourage your employees to connect through live video conferences and webinars to get that much needed social interaction. Such face-to-face interactions will help build relationships across your company. You’ll also be able to see who’s engaged, who has questions, and who’s checked out. It will also be easier for you to schedule remote team meetings regularly.
3. Avoid micromanagement
Trust your remote employees and give them the freedom to make decisions. Don’t check in constantly to see if they’re doing their tasks as they work from home. Give them directions, answer their questions and allow them to do their jobs autonomously. Also, develop a high trust culture by letting your staff know that you trust them. Doing this will keep them engaged and will help your company get through the current coronavirus crisis.
4. Follow actual office hours
Even though technology has made easier to access and send emails. Avoid creating an “always-on” working from home environment. Since not everyone will find catching up on emails convenient after office hours. So, make sure to let your employees know the expected response times for mails or delay sending them until the next day. Also, ensure to schedule remote meetings only within the office hours.
5. Get employee feedback
Keep in mind that your teams will need some time to adjust to the current coronavirus situation. Hence, welcome feedback from your work from home team as it will improve their engagement. Also, set up employee engagement surveys. This will show that you’re willing to listen. This will also let your staff know how you acted on their feedback.
Final word
So, there you have it! Using these 5 ways, you can keep your employees motivated and engaged during this coronavirus pandemic. It will also improve their overall experience as they work from home during this phase of crisis and uncertainty. Want to see how working from home works? You can easily schedule remote meetings and conduct live virtual classroom sessions with our integration with Zoom. Learn more here.
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