The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing organizations and businesses to change how they do operations by rethinking their internal communications and embracing new technologies. In line with these changes, IC and HR teams join forces to still deliver a positive employee experience via better communication strategies, workforce survey and feedback solutions, and more.
How is COVID-19 Disrupting the Employee Experience?
The current pandemic has forced employees to work remotely, which is one of the top culprits behind the disruption of the employee experience. The new way of working, communicating, and collaborating has changed the way companies manage and operate their workforce.
Some factors that affect employee experiences, such as employee development and growth, are put on hold. The pause might cause some employees to be restless or discouraged as they work from home.
A positive work environment, trust in leadership, supportive management, and cross-organization collaboration are the best ways to create better employee experiences. Fortunately, better strategies paired with investing in modern technology can help you create actionable ways to improve employee experiences.
Improving Employee Experience During the Pandemic
- Establish a clear communication strategy. Lack of timely and clear crisis communication impacts how your employees perceive your company’s preparedness. When a crisis happens, however, most organizations focus more on their external communication efforts. As a result, employees feel overlooked — as confirmed by the 30 percent of respondents of a Deloitte Advisory poll.
Employees will also lack a clear understanding of the crisis, which can make them feel scared or frustrated. This negatively influences their employee experience.
- Encourage employees to share their concerns. As a rule of thumb, you never leave employees in the dark, especially during a crisis. If you wish to improve their experience during unprecedented circumstances, define what shapes their experience. To gain a better understanding of their challenges, encourage the team to speak up. You can do this by implementing company-wide surveys designed to gain their insight. Surveys also help you find better ways to support your team and enable them for success.
Also, have an action plan for their concerns. For example, if employees are asking for training on Internet slang and terminologies such as InB4, find ways to provide online training for remote employees.
- Leaders should build trust in the workplace. During this crisis, CEOs and C-level executives must take bigger roles in terms of internal communication. Employees are assured by words of support and encouragement, especially from the ones who lead the company. Leaders need to be honest and authentic in order to build a positive employee experience.
To improve employee experience, encourage employees to join the conversation and engage with content from their leaders.
- Share company updates on time. Is everyone in the company updated on critical information? Employees are used to information to find them. They depend on social media, news apps, and messaging tools to receive the latest updates. They expect their company’s internal communications team to figure out how they can mimic these apps.
Everyone’s adjusting to the new norm caused by the pandemic — your employees included. Simplify their adjustment by offering the support they need. When employees are confident in the support of their company, they’ll enjoy working — even at home.
