5 COVID-19 employee experience trends to continue in 2021

Coronavirus brought such a lot of disturbance and changes to our way of life that we’ll all be happy to see the rear of it. In any case, it’s hard to deny it carried some certain progressions to working life. From bosses receiving more open perspectives towards adaptable working to far and wide computerized change, numerous associations needed to fundamentally rethink workspaces, with HR pushed into the spotlight to assist organizations with navigating their employees, operational changes, and communication procedures every step of the way.

One part of HR’s boosted import was the employee experience, with most HR pioneers intend to focus on the Employee experience more exceptionally now than before the Pandemic hit. The Employee experience is approximately characterized as all the touchpoints an employee has with their boss, which incorporates each one of those regular minutes, for example, asking for a leave, finding data and the innovation/technology experience. A positive Employee experience implies happy employees, and happy employees are more engaged with their work, have higher job/position fulfillment, and are more efficient overall, Basically all the factors that have a positive impact on the business.

During COVID-19, its significance was given a boost, as employees inclined toward their bosses like never before to address their essential necessities of wellbeing, financial stability, and security. In any case, post-COVID-19, most Employee experience needs are advancing, with 2021 introducing an important chance for organizations to reconsider this imperative part of HR. We will distinguish five Employee experience patterns driven by COVID-19 that all HR chiefs should take forward into 2021.

 

Flexible Work Ethic

Coronavirus has without a doubt expanded the craving for remote/hybrid working. Employees who have a decision in when, where, and how they work to have more elevated levels of fulfillment, advancement, and job performance, which clarifies why almost half of employees will probably work distantly probably a portion of the time after COVID-19. 

Thorough research and social trends have discovered that employees working remotely see more beneficial outcomes on their everyday work are more drawn in, and have a more grounded feeling of well-being than those in non-remote positions with little adaptability do. So unmistakably organizations with flexible and remote working strategies set up will be most competitive with regards to pulling in and holding top talent in the job market.

 

Health and Wellbeing priority

Covid-19 negatively and heavily affected the public’s psychological well-being. Bosses had an all-inclusive obligation of care as the lines between work and home life were obscured, and emotional well-being turned into a need as employees experienced sensations of seldomness, work instability, and adjusting work and childcare obligations. It is reported that over 80% of associations took advanced actions with Employee Assistance Programs and online psychological well-being services and sessions for their employees during the pandemic. 

Focusing on wellbeing and safety in 2021 will keep on being just as significant. Companies should consider employee wellbeing comprehensively, consolidating the vital foundations of engagement, healthy eating, work out, and Employee Assistance Programs.

 

Vast Digital Transformation

Innovation and technology can heavily affect the Employee experience, yet an absence of sufficient work environment technology and systems is a recurring theme many employees have to face. As per a Deloitte report, just 38% of employees said they were fulfilled or exceptionally happy with business-related devices and innovation, which is a significant blow considering the tools available to us. 

During COVID-19, then again, digital transformation plans that once required a long time to execute happened in months and, at times, weeks and even days. 

This pattern has likewise seen HR and IT work in joint association to decide the best sorts of employee technology. The blast of communication channels and joint collaboration software like Slack has demonstrated the case for the more noteworthy implementation of such channels.

 

Key Feedback from Employees

All through COVID-19, businesses put forth a positive attempt to consistently check in with their employees while working in a dispersed work system. One method of doing this was through surveys to measure employee notion and gain much-needed feedback on better approaches for working – to check what worked, what didn’t work, and which work practices could proceed with post-COVID-19. 

As HR leaders see the advantages of continuous manager/employee communication, with most the HR leaders concurring that co-worker and employee criticism and feedback is key for positive results.

 

Data-Driven Approach

Similar to the point above, key indexes and data were behind a considerable amount of decisions being made around the Employee experience, with employees ready to give their honest opinion and feedback on areas that were and weren’t working for them. Similarly, as during COVID-19, bosses will want the capacity to understand and incorporate Employee experience data points, adhering to a few key Employee experience specific result metrics that can be effectively imparted and perceived – at all levels of the association – to pass on how employee side of the business is doing.

Boosting employee engagement in a hybrid workforce with the help of advanced digital tools such as the complete HR management of PeopleSonic is the modern way to go! Such software allows you to work with your employees and focus more on their engagement and productivity whereas the automated functionality does the rest for you. Keeping employees engaged with an online learning curve will not only help the development of related skills but ease their workload, which are all signs of a healthy workspace and engaged employee!

The Essential HR Metrics to track during Covid19

With a dire situation in the Covid-19 pandemic, even the top HR Leaders with strategic minds have their worlds rocked. As such, most professionals have resorted to reactionary thinking, which may help in the short term but detrimental in the long one. However, by observing key analytics and metrics of Covid-19, one can calculate and adjust to scenarios beforehand.

Data sets provide clarity and visibility in the pandemic fog, helping us visualize how our organizations are being impacted. A variety of options are available, one of which is to conduct a weekly survey asking employees about their wellbeing. This allows the Leaders to visualize on the worker’s level and help understand the dynamic with ease.

Further developed clients of HR measurements will be taking a gander at the essential ramifications for ability. For instance, in associations where no matter how you look at it staff compensation reductions have been suggested by the finance department, HR can use measurements to inspect various portions of the labor force, model the possible effect, and concoct conceivably more powerful arrangements. Certain fragments may warrant a higher cut while other, more weak portions might be given more modest compensation cuts. The shrewd utilization of HR information can point the route forward to more practical business activities as well as a re-visitation of success, setting aside cash however protecting the capacity to increase immediately when required. Read on to understand the types of data being requested by industry professionals:

Roles and Positions

An organizational design data is basic for both representative wellbeing and business continuity because it aids in monitoring where workers are and assist HR Leaders with a better understanding of the different variables in their company. As the world slowly progresses to get back to work, this will turn out to be considerably more important, as choices should be made about what jobs can be performed at home versus jobs that require the worker to join the office. For companies with local employees or remote workers worldwide, geographic data on workers is fundamental to monitor the situation with the pandemic in various areas and how government measures in that region control it. With remote workers being an integral part of businesses, managing their wellbeing and gathering data is considerably tougher, Peoplesonic helps bridge the gap by having the entire organization’s HR management under one umbrella making it easier to communicate and reach out to the stay at home employees. By analyzing data from across the different departments, HR Leaders can better understand which employee group possesses the skill level to operate in tandem with other departments without much training.

Budgeting

The usage of HR data and examination in circumstance, planning can play a vital part in budgeting decisions. Whether or not the workforce has expected to build on account of extended revenue for goods and services, or whether it has remained static or declined due to decreasing demand in the pandemic, HR Leaders need precise data about how much money is related to every decision being made, the automatic processing and payroll management with PeopleSonic makes this aspect less hectic. Employee’s pay, benefits, and cost data will play a vital role in those decisions and can easily be monitored with integrated HR software. Any company hoping to make employee reductions requires key data and analytics to rightfully judge which employees are essential going forward. Having data being delivered quickly and efficiently can help in this regard.

Staffing

Business change requires understanding where the organization remains as of now, what it may resemble during progress and what the ideal end state would achieve. HR investigation is a critical part of groundbreaking choices like cutting back the labor force or adding countless new specialists to deal with increased demand. As product and service delivery goes through colossal change – conceivably for an extended period of time – across multiple enterprises, HR Managers ought to inquire as to whether similar numbers of full-time employees are required. Could an expansion in the “gig economy” laborers, for example, workers for hire or specialists do the work without the need to build lasting staffing overheads?

Employee Wellbeing 

Following employee wellbeing and utilizing information to expect non-attendance spikes ought to be the base of any HR analytical work. Moreover, the HR information system (HRIS) ought to be the hub for information about employees, including emergency contact information and wellbeing-related information. Correspondence from HR about accessible help might be valuable for workers who are managing sickness or anguish issues in the wake of the pandemic, and the information gathered from staff studies and one-on-one connections from the manager can be used for personal or humane outreach.

Staff Retention

It might appear to be odd to focus on staff maintenance when reductions and job reconfigurations are normal survival strategies however knowing the workers at the most risk of compulsory turnover can be significant when making future arrangements. The correct information can assist you with figuring out which representatives are most in danger of leaving, and when this may happen. For instance, if past worker leave surveys have shown that an absence of professional development is a vital justification for why workers leave the organization. Maybe staff has not been taking yearly leave since the COVID-19 hit. On the off chance that yearly leave days are down, it could demonstrate workers are wavering nearer to burnout. A hop in representative turnover could be in transit.

Boosting employee engagement and tracking essential HR metrics with the help of advanced digital tools such as the complete HR management of PeopleSonic is the modern way to go! Such software allows you to work with your employees and focus more on their engagement and productivity whereas the automated functionality does the rest for you. Keeping employees engaged with an online learning curve will not only help the development of related skills but ease their workload, which are all signs of a healthy workspace and engaged employee!

Maintaining Employee Engagement in a Hybrid Workforce

With strategic and well-timed lockdowns in countries like New Zealand and Australia, many employers are welcoming employees back to their offices after many months of working from home. Although many restrictions have been lifted and the Covid-19 cases have dropped substantially, many employees still find it risky to join the workforce physically. There is always a potential risk amongst the pandemic, and with many members living with family putting their life on the line is something they would like to avoid. Employers, therefore, have to be considerate in this regard and work around the given scenario.

The hybrid workforce trend isn’t only affected by employee concerns regarding covid-19 but rather the flexibility offered from remote working is also a key factor. Many employees, therefore, prefer to work in this manner and would want to work like this for the foreseeable future.

HR Leaders should be aware of the hybrid model, and the potential challenges it brings along with it especially when considering employee engagement. Work may be completed from any remote area, however, creating an office-like atmosphere to keep all employees in the loop and fully engaged in hybrid discussion is something to be aware of. The HR has to be proactive on the matter to ensure the gap between the office team and remote workers. In this blog, we’ll discuss how to keep the employee engagement levels on a high with the hybrid workforce in mind.

 

  1. Rewards and Recognition:
    Rewarding and appreciating your employees is always a must, however in a time where financial stability is shaky giving out monetary rewards may not be the ideal solution. However, appreciating and recognizing the employee’s efforts should never be taken lightly, especially in a hybrid workforce where a job well done may go unnoticed due to the physical absence of the employee. Appreciating them for their efforts as we do in person should be transferred over to the remote workers as well, giving out titles such as employee of the month or openly congratulating them in team communication channels.

  2. Digital Learning:
    Keeping a constant check on remote workers is key for any HR Leader, keeping them in the loop and given the same respect as the in-house employees. Therefore Learning and Development opportunities shouldn’t be compromised, but rather be accommodated in a manner that doesn’t make the remote workers feel left out. Developing an L&D program that caters to both types of employees in the hybrid workforce will be a key aspect for the HR Leaders. Opting for e-Learning or digital learning modules for the continuity of L&D will prove to be the right choice. e-Learning modules are easily accessible and can be easily set up, providing the best solution to the problem.

  3. Proactive communication:
    During the lockdown, when all employees and other staff members worked remotely a greater emphasis was put on communication with constant updates in communication channels as well as multiple updates daily to keep everyone in the loop. However, with the ease in restrictions and open offices, communication has fallen off from what it was. The hybrid workforce demands the same level of commitment to keep communication effective during these times, with the help of Slack multiple channels can be created to accommodate both sets of employees. Similarly having discussions via video call or conferencing can help bridge the gap between the employees.

  4. Develop managers to adapt to the hybrid workforce:
    Modern problems require modern solutions, and a relatively new hybrid workforce requires newly upskilled managers to cope with this new age of working. The quality of managers during the quickly changing digital era is critical for leaders to support and engage with their teams. Tasks such as goal priority, team meetings, and employee check-ins should be included in this new upskilling of managers to ensure both in-house and remote workers are kept productive and on track. Similarly to managers, HR Leaders should learn more about the pros and cons of a hybrid workforce in order to stay on top of any potential issue that may arise.

  5. Align learning to strategic business priorities:
    After COVID-19, talent will heavily be relied on to help rebuild organizations. Expanding into new markets and territories to meet consumer demands. Therefore, aligning training with the most important business priorities is key. Relevant learning in line with business priorities will help HR Leaders identify which programs check all the boxes. In addition, in a distributed environment, ensuring that all employees work towards the same goal will help the team gel better together, something which has never been more important than in a hybrid workforce environment.

Boosting employee engagement in a hybrid workforce with the help of advanced digital tools such as the complete HR management of PeopleSonic is the modern way to go! Such software allows you to work with your employees and focus more on their engagement and productivity whereas the automated functionality does the rest for you. Keeping employees engaged with an online learning curve will not only help the development of related skills but ease their workload, which are all signs of a healthy workspace and engaged employee!

4 Ways to Engage Your Employees Towards Technology

It is no secret that the advancement of technology in this era has boosted productivity, efficiency, and engagement to new heights. By gradually integrating technology and future advancements into our workflow, our growth in almost every sector has grown exponentially and cut down time consumption drastically. 

With the help of technology at our disposal, communication and management as a whole has been highly productive. Employees are able to attend online meetings, access various tools, digitize their data, and have a seamless connection to their work irrespective of their location. The automation of most tasks has therefore decreased the burden on employees’ shoulders while enabling them to work sufficiently by putting out maximum efficiency which directly allows a business to compete at a greater scale.

With the current pandemic situation around the globe, more emphasis has been put on remote and digital work. Thankfully with the current advancement of technology we are able to compute our workstreams rather efficiently from home. Therefore a business that lacks the available technology or hasn’t transitioned in time may struggle during this period.

Similarly, employees which lack the understanding or are intimidated by this transition may prove to a liability than a worthy asset to an organization, therefore enabling them to open up to the digital world will not only be useful for a company’s growth rather the growth of an individual as well! Here are 4 ways you can gear your employees towards technology.

 

Create an Adaptive environment:

As with the current change in the workplace environment, creating an immersive experience online may be tricky especially if the employee base isn’t tech-savvy or prefers to work without much influence of technology. Therefore building around the emphasis of transitioning to the modern work methodology is key to revitalizing your business during this period.

It is important that leaders and the management not only convey this effectively but create a culture that plants the seed for a progressive and adaptive environment. Being able to switch and adapt to new ways is an essential part of the modern world, as employees are required to be versatile to match the demands set by society.

Therefore creating a base or platform where employees can build their flow towards technology and be less intimidated by its usage should be implemented, technology should be perceived as a tool rather than an option. With decent exposure, the heads will surely turn in favor of technology 

 

Present functional and user-friendly technology:

As mentioned in the previous pointer, opening up and presenting the usefulness of the available technological tools will help employees engage. Showcasing the benefits and total outcomes will provide them with a cushion to work with more freedom as well as ease. Opting to adopt user-friendly software etc will help the employees visually feel focused rather than having software that is clustered with information and analytics, keeping it simple is the definite way to go. Presenting technology that is a hassle to use or provides a broad learning curve will intimidate the users and may even be met with resistance on their part. Employers must therefore be careful to not introduce such technology into the workstream as this will create a feeling of discomfort amongst the employees and later be pinned back at the business.

Introducing new technologies should never be barred, but carefully picking which ones actually serve a purpose and provide the necessary tools for the team should be chosen. This selection process will remove any kinks and streamline the functionality and purpose of using such technology in the office.

 

Smooth Transition:

From an employer’s point of view, pushing their workforce to adopt a new piece of technology is not only a bad moral decision but a terrible business one as well. Putting anyone in an uncomfortable environment will create unease and may stunt their performance, therefore offering a complete course on the new technology being introduced as well as constant support to adapt to something new is the go-to method.

This also carries forward onto how the employees are approached during their training period, as a team consists of different mindsets and abilities providing a single solution to encapsulate each individual is not possible. Providing levels to their training will help distinguish which employees may need more help during the transition whereas others may be capable enough to adapt sooner. Tech-savvy employees may grasp the new technology based on a few online sessions/tutorials, but the same cannot be said for others. Providing a hands-on approach may be the solution in that case.

As a chain is as strong as its weakest link, ironing out the kinks by implementing a smooth transition period during a shift of technology will make the employees feel confident and in return reap a higher performance output for the company.

 

Implement technology in a beneficial manner or with an incentive:

The current economic standards of an average company may not be suited for direct incentives for adopting new technologies, however, incentivizing or providing a monetary reward for their hard work shouldn’t be eradicated completely.

Providing monetary rewards isn’t the only tactic you may use to engage your employees, creating a positive and supportive work culture may just be what you need. Providing a sense of accomplishment with positive feedback and a firm pat on the back shows the employee his work did not go unnoticed and motivates the others to work towards the same achievement. Recognition for similar abilities may seem like a small step but provided with collective appreciation, can bring a vast change. The newly implemented technology will also provide employees the opportunity to enhance their skillset and polish their abilities, which could further develop them into a higher role provided they keep it consistent. Indirectly proving to be a positive and effective method.

Boosting employee engagement with the help of advanced digital tools such as the complete HR management of PeopleSonic is the modern way to go! Such software allows you to work with your employees and focus more on their engagement and productivity whereas the automated functionality does the rest for you. Keeping employees engaged with an online learning curve will not only help the development of related skills but ease their workload, which are all signs of a healthy workspace and engaged employee!

How to raise employee engagement: 5 strategies

There’s nothing more satisfying than a hardworking team working efficiently as a system to get the best results. However, if anyone’s gear let alone multiple ones fail to work, the system is bound to breakdown and hinder the results drastically.

This simple analogy can be placed into the real world, where managers deal with such a debacle with their employees. Everyone wants the best work done in the shortest amount of time to boost performance, yet getting that level of commitment from your employees requires work in itself.

It is no surprise that organizations would suffer a decrease in revenue especially when they aren’t getting the most out of their employees, if not anything at all. Engaged employees who are determined to pull their weight and put in the required effort, form an innovative team with like-minded. Such are the candidates each company strives to hire or look for.

Instead of searching for the select percentage of individuals, forming and adopting new strategies to boost your employee engagement might just be what you need! These pointers will not only help engage your workers but create an environment that allows for healthy and sustained growth for all those involved.

 

Incentives and Salary Slip: When it comes to employees the main put off from work or engagement is primarily due to financial stress. Any individual at any position would disengage from their work if they were underpaid or not appreciated for it. So a simple solution would be for managers to compensate the employees to eradicates such stress and related issues. Keeping bonuses and incentives in play could also take an edge off work and promote some healthy competition to boost workspace engagement. A few factors to maintain the desired engagement are as follows:

– Keep the salary in check with the market or keep it higher. Reviewing such changes regularly is the way to go.

– Optimize transfers and processing, for prompt salary payments without delay.

– As mentioned earlier, introduce bonuses/incentives/commissions where applicable.

– Oversee leave requests in a lenient and immediate manner.

 

Recruitment Choices: As a manager, always aim to hire the right person for the position. If not evaluated effectively this may prove to be dead weight to your company’s goals. Candidate evaluation should be taken on directly by the manager, opting to align the soft and hard skills of the recruitment to the environment your company has in place. Interviews are a key essence of the recruitment process and should be well thought out with the organization’s mentality, environment, and goals in check. As the rise of the digital era continues, shifting this traditional process to a modern one is past due. Here are the benefits you may reap from going digital with the process:

– Organising and scheduling interviews in an automated fashion.

– Assessing the candidate’s cultural fit based on behavioral interviews.

– Narrowing down the target candidate with target pools selected off various regions.

– Focusing more on the interview without the hassle of manual processing.

– Generating reports and analytics to assess the suitability of the candidates and isolate the required ones.

 

Build a relationship with your employees: Now that you’ve potentially hired a new candidate, maintaining his/her expectation as well as engagement is key. During the starting period of a new hire, it is then when an employee is most vulnerable to quit. This may be associated with being undervalued, overwhelmed, underpaid, overworked, or just confused with their position. With some care and motivation, converting new hires into loyal workers is an achievable goal, aside from some motivation and support here’s how you can build a better relationship:

– Constant support and tips/tricks regarding their work. Periodic training sessions will help them engage with the work and themselves much more effectively.

– Detailed brief regarding the job description and requirements.

– Team building sessions or group work to boost engagement amongst employees.

– Casual meetings with managers and supervisors to receive feedback on their progress.

 

 

Motivate workers and develop new skillsets: Employees always seek to increase their repertoire of skills and develop their role in an organization. If such advancements aren’t present or underappreciated it is common for employees to lose interest and ultimately seek other job options. Similarly, much-required feedback from the managers is key for the growth of employees. Appreciating them for their hard work and effort goes a long way, providing critical feedback does a similar service but with a positive and reassuring tone. Other options to increase employee satisfaction levels include:

– Provide training and development material such as workshops, courses, or even access to online tools.

– Help improve their hard and soft skills alike.

– Motivate ambitious employees by helping them transition into a profound management role. This succession planning helps you identify and train people to carry on the company growth, so pass the baton on!

– Value your employees by giving feedback on their work or general character traits to boost their mood and optimize their day. 

 

Healthy work culture/environment: An environment speaks volumes regarding the people that are found in it. If your company looks over such a key aspect you’d want to revise your ambiance better suited to productivity. Stressful work environments prove to be a stress hub which further leads to health issues and burnout in employees. Hurdles you’d want to jump over are:

– Solid work schedules and no flexibility.

– Long working hours with overtime.

– Negativity of all kinds in the workspace. A safe environment will keep everyone at peace of mind.

– Unsupportive and ignorant supervisors. Caring and valuing your employees is necessary for their growth. Listening to their concerns and feedback may help you grow as a manager and work to improve on their potential requests.

Boosting employee engagement with the help of advanced digital tools such as the complete HR management of PeopleSonic is the modern way to go! Such software allows you to work with your employees and focus more on their engagement and productivity whereas the automated functionality does the rest for you. Keeping employees engaged with an online learning curve will not only help the development of related skills but ease their workload, which are all signs of a healthy workspace and engaged employee.

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