How to Engage Employees in a Post-Pandemic World

Employee engagement today means showing up, being committed, and performing to the best of their abilities.


What does employee engagement mean in a post-pandemic world? originally appeared on Quora, the place to gain and share knowledge, empowering people to learn from others and better understand the world.

During the pandemic, the employee/employer relationship changed in a big sort of way. With the rise of the Great Resignation, quick quitting, quiet quitting, and entrepreneurship, it became obvious that the power dynamic had shifted and that large groups of employees had been through enough. We’ve been regrouping ever since.

Employee engagement today means showing up, being committed, and performing to the best of their abilities. It has to do with commitment and loyalty too. I work with many organizations to help them improve employee engagement and retention in this post-pandemic world. Here are some of the methods that I suggest for doing so:

Incorporating flexibility. This flexibility can be in terms of hours/days worked as well as the choice of hybrid/remote work. The truth of the matter is that employees have more work options than ever before. The more flexible your organization can be, the longer your employees are likely to stay and the more engaged they will be as well.

Encouraging job-sharing as possible. Sometimes a full time position is too much for certain individuals. These same employees might be much happier and more productive sharing their position with someone else, giving it their all when they’re on and attending to other areas of their lives when they are off.

Offering unlimited PTO or unpaid leave. Again, this has to do with flexibility. One of the downsides of having a full-time job is that your time off is limited. By offering unlimited PTO or unpaid leave, employees have more flexibility in terms of their schedule.

Providing training on work-life balance and increasing productivity. Employees can get overwhelmed and burned out in today’s hectic environment. You want your team to work smarter, not harder, and have time for the other things that are important to them. Give them the tools they need to achieve that balance.

Offering unusual perks and incentives. When trying to engage and retain employees, modern organizations must get creative with the perks they provide. Perhaps they can pay for their employees’ childcare, parking, dry-cleaning, Netflix subscription or something else that will appeal to them more than their standard benefits.

Showing appreciation. It goes without saying, but I’m going to say it anyhow, employees that feel appreciated are much more engaged and likely to stay. Ensure that you show your employees that appreciation on a regular basis. Your organization will benefit from it.

This question originally appeared on Quora.

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