Working From Home: Engagement in 2021

Not to be a Debbie Downer, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise that leaving 2020 behind doesn’t mean 2021 is going to be sunshine and roses. Focusing on the positive, let’s take what we’ve learned last year and revisit what worked to better value and care for our employees. #NewYearNewOutlook

Check-in on your employees: We’ve seen how working from home creates barriers for casual conversation that would happen during the course of a day in the office. Be intentional about calling up your employees just to ask how they’re doing, let them know you care and encourage them to do the same with each other to help increase coworker bonds and subsequently employee engagement.

Get creative with employee benefits: There’s a good chance with most of your workforce working from home you’ve seen a decrease in the company’s overhead costs. Using this money saved you could allow employees to get lunch delivered and have a “team lunch” via video meeting or send employees small tokens of appreciation in the mail. Get creative with ways to make employees feel valued and appreciated while they are isolated at home.

Give your employees permission to stop: Many employees have struggled with blurring the lines between work and home, working longer hours when there are not clearly defined stopping points like getting in the car to go home. However it makes sense for your business and employees, remind your employees their mental health is important and give them permission to put down their work and sign offline -- the work will be there in the morning

Knowing that 2021 might not mean much change for employees working from home, check in on your employees, get creative with how you make them feel valued and remind them it’s okay, important even, to maintain a good work/life balance. What are other ideas you have to increase employee engagement and make employees feel valued while working from home?