As hybrid workplace, gig workers and work from home becomes the new
normal for organizations across the globe, engaging employees calls for a strategy
change at all levels – Learning & Development included. The idea is not
just to overload employees with a barrage of competitions, wellness sessions
and surveys, but to upskill them in alignment with the organization’s key
business priorities and performance.
Employee
Engagement has a new definition
Gone are the days of ‘Traditional Days’ and ‘Rangoli Competitions’ being
the star engagement factor at work. Covid has ushered in digital transformation
at an unprecedented rate, changing not just our way of working and engaging
with one another (and our company) but also how we perceive employee
engagement.
Employee Engagement in the New Normal is about experimenting with new
methodologies, leveraging digital tools and technologies, personalizing learning
journeys, sensitizing the frontline managers in nurturing team relationships
and empowering employees to take ownership of their skilling & development
and growth.
Is a
Happy Employee an Engaged Employee?
Even with the very essence of Employee Engagement re-written, HRs still don’t
get the ‘engaged’ employee equation right. For some it’s the level of
happiness, for others, it’s their retention rate. Don’t get me wrong, happiness
is definitely part of the formula for successful employee engagement, but when
considered in a silo, it can skew the engaged employee picture for businesses.
The common thread however between all Engaged Employees is the company’s
investment in workforce learning and skilling, and reward and recognition.
- Learning
and Development (L&D)
As per an eLearning
Industry article, a sense of growth is also a very important element
of employee engagement. L&D can help employees not only have a strong
perception of how a company cares about their personal and professional growth
but also create a sense of common goal. Rapid digital transformation across
functions and teams is also creating new skill gaps that make employees
nervous. L&D plays a big role in closing these gaps with digital learning content delivered
on a Learning
Management System (LMS), ensuring employees feel more confident. Effective
employee engagement programs that target the core of how an employee perceives
and feels about the company will create a better and more long-term pool of
budding leaders.
- Reward
& Recognition (R&R)
Employees who have successfully learned new skills and abilities should
be rewarded and recognized so they are motivated and can encourage others to
follow suit. R&R and Gamification is a
potent combination as it creates a positive habit loop. There is a very famous
proverb “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink”. By leveraging
Reward and Recognition in conjunction to learning, you will not just lead the
horse to water and make it drink, but you will make it so thirsty that it will
crave the water.
Watch me uncover different areas of Employee Engagement from the L&D lens in the webinar “Employee Engagement for the New Normal: The L&D Perspective”.
Takeaways:
- Employee Engagement: Pre, During & Post covid
- The Engaged Employee
- Employee Engagement for the New Normal
