Employees are the foundations of any organization. The success (or failure) majorly depends on what role the employees play in the organisation. Although many organizations do keep their employees at the core, there are still a few which fail to keep their employees engaged for a larger period. Employee engagement has always been a tricky area for organizations, with HR folks trying their level best. From team outings to gifts and care packages, everything is tried and tested. But still something seems amiss. The pandemic has brought a major shift in the work scenario and organizations are faced with a new set of challenges for keeping the employees engaged virtually. The Zumba lessons, quizzes, gift hampers and lucky draws only seemed to work in the beginning. But then it lost its charm and employee participation level went down. Why did this happen? Why weren’t the employees engaging in the many activities organized by the company? Was it because of the pandemic burnout or because working from home changed the meaning of employee engagement? The answer to this lies in the meaning of Employee Engagement. What exactly is employee engagement? Before telling you what it is, let’s note what it is not. Employee engagement is NOT an HR thing, though people responsible for it are mostly from that domain. It is also not just the team outings & lunches, gifts, awards, etc. It is much more than that. Employee engagement, as a matter of fact, is a set of multiple experiences which employees feel on a daily basis. Most of it took a back seat due to the remote working module. Employee engagement is a combination of the recognition at the workplace, the feedback exchanged, the watercooler networking sessions, the physical and mental well-being, the aligned goals and purpose and much more. It’s the professional as well as the emotional connection an employee feels with the organization which encourages them to give their best. It’s not the gifts and lunches that engages them. Employees want to be heard and recognized and feel valued. Small deeds can act as enough motivation to make the employee an asset rather than a liability. So, are you & your employees engaged at the workplace? Time to ponder!
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