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In the business world, we’ve long understood that there’s a positive link between employee engagement and a sense of wellbeing. However, a recent Gallup study indicates that levels of employee engagement and wellbeing among remote workers actually diverged during the pandemic. Gallup’s report, The Wellbeing-Engagement Paradox of 2020, finds that remote workers had higher levels of engagement than their onsite colleagues, but also experienced higher levels of stress and anxiety, causing a decrease in life satisfaction.
With hybrid workplaces becoming the norm in 2021, here are 5 tips to help you cultivate engagement while promoting health and wellbeing for all employees, whether they’re working remotely or onsite.
- Establish a baseline: If you haven’t already done so, now’s a good time to conduct a pulse survey to measure employee wellbeing, understand needs and identify problems. Follow up with small group sessions to get more details on key areas of concern. Use the data collected to help target solutions for issues raised.
- Define what healthy engagement looks like: Highly engaged employees are passionate about their work, committed to the company’s goals and objectives, exceedingly productive and motivated. They consistently go above and beyond — often working long hours, taking on extra responsibilities, willing to sacrifice personal time to get the job done. While these characteristics might seem like an employer’s wish list, it’s easy to see how they could be detrimental to an individual’s wellbeing. This may be especially true for remote workers who, if working from home, may simply keep working. Make sure your organization is clear on what healthy engagement looks like.
- Support and train leaders to walk the talk: We all know how easy it is to offer lip service to work-life balance, then push those sentiments aside in the face of a critical deadline, budget constraints or a high-profile deliverable. Provide leaders with the knowledge and tools to inspire productivity and performance without driving hard-working, dedicated employees into the ground. Teach them how to set reasonable expectations — for team members and for themselves — regarding hours and workload.
- Hold wellbeing check-ins: Because highly engaged employees don’t typically complain about being tired or doing too much, it’s up to managers to promote healthy work-life boundaries. Hold one-on-one check-ins that encourage more candid, authentic conversations about how employees are really feeling. Your HR team can help coach leaders on how to conduct these conversations and how to recognize warning signs that may indicate burnout.
- Provide education on wellness resources: Make sure employees are aware of all the resources available to support their health and wellbeing. Think beyond just healthcare-related plans/programs and services — be sure to market resources for child and elder care, financial planning, legal consultation, and anything else that supports your employees’ quality of life.
A communications strategy that supports openness, transparency and respect for employee dignity will help you address post-merger culture issues and encourage employees to align with and support your new organization.
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