Focusing on Employee Engagement in a Crisis

However severe the economic downturn, organizations shouldn’t neglect the engagement of their employees, especially when voluntary turnover in the US in 2022 is the highest ever recorded.

Research by The Conference Board on the DNA of Engagement finds there are eight elements of a highly engaging organizational culture. To keep employees engaged during a crisis and afterward into the recovery, organizations should take the following steps:

1. Lead with compassion and make employee safety a top priority. Focusing on health and safety is the right thing to do for both the organization and its employees during a crisis.
2. Engage in storytelling to underscore the link between work and organizational mission. Reminding employees of the vision and values of the organization may be especially important during challenging and stressful times.
3. Recognize that any action taken during the crisis could affect employee morale, employment brand, and company reputation. In a crisis, be sure to trat employees fairly as how employees and other stakeholders perceive this treatment directly affects the corporate reputation and employer brand.
4. Prioritize transparent, timely, and honest dialogues with employees. Leaders should recognize that they play an essential role in reducing employee anxieties during a crisis and that they need to help rebuild morale.
5. Be sensitive to new ways of working. At the outset of COVID-19, many organizations adopted remote working, leading to strong employee preference two years later for flexibility in terms of work location and hours.
6. Consider a continuous listening program. To show employees they have a voice, implement a strategy that aims to gather insights and frequent feedback from the workforce.
7. Provide resources for team leaders. Encourage leaders to check in regularly with employees.
8. Track employee metrics to determine what is working and what should change. While it may not seem top of mind at the moment, organizations can use people analytics during the crisis to provide real-time risk assessments, attain employee feedback and productivity information, and assist in workforce planning related to recent changes.

 For more insights on how to deploy these strategies under adverse economic circumstances see the following article written April 7, 2020, HC Management During COVID-19: Focusing on Employee Engagement in a Crisis, containing tactics and examples that are still applicable today.