“In the midst of chaos, there is also opportunity” – Sun Tzu
The Covid Pandemic brought major disruptions in the way businesses carried out their operations. Organizations handled this metamorphosis by adopting new ways of working which allowed employees to work from remote locations through a hybrid working model. Now that the business leaders want their employees to return back to their workplace, they are facing some amount of resistance from their workforce which could put businesses at risk on account of lower productivity and rise in turnover. Let’s look at some of the ways by which a leadership team can mitigate these challenges through enhanced employee engagement and collaboration.
It’s imperative to engage and connect deeply with employees by fostering positive workplace culture through employee newsletters. Understanding employee concerns and resolving any unfounded fears and anxieties about returning back to work would go a long way in instilling faith and confidence amongst the workforce. Use employee communication apps to establish and deepen connections with team members. Leverage on RSVP alerts to send notifications about important meetings and gatherings. Reward and recognize performers for their achievements and celebrate special occasions like birthdays, anniversaries with animations.
The leadership team needs to play a key role in managing change and handle this critical phase of transition tactfully. Conduct Online surveys to identify any challenges faced by employees. This would help in keeping a tab on employee sentiments and understand their mindsets and behaviors. Reinforce faith and restore employee confidence by driving key leadership messages through digital signage. Drive key messages about change through multi channel messaging and assess employee understanding of changes with quizzes and online questionnaires. Make use of remote collaboration tools like video conferencing and zoom to strengthen communication capabilities across the teams.
Another important concern which needs to be addressed is to ensure employee safety standards. Ensure that the employees who are required to return back to work are vaccinated to de-risk the workplace environment. Leaders can make use of technology driven contact tracing to check the spread of virus and ensure that the staff members are protected from any infection. Maintain social distancing norms and avoid people getting too close to one another in the office premises by prioritizing health and safety. Re-evaluate physical space and amend workflows by deploying sensors and wearable devices.
Conclusion
We at Newlineinfo Corp put our employees first and care for their wellbeing. We have a robust action plan and are committed to provide all the support and assistance required by our workforce while returning back to work.
