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Engaging Employees Under the “New” Normal

The global COVID-19 pandemic has redefined the way we live and work. For many of us, we traded regular commutes to the office for remote work setups, replaced face-to-face meetings with a steady stream of conference calls and virtual interactions. During these unprecedented times, It’s critical employees continue to feel connected and engaged. Outside of immediate families, coworkers are often the central injection of daily human interaction. Like all organizations, Pembridge is attempting to navigate this challenge of maintaining employee connection while incorporating social distancing guidelines. Though there is no right set of tactics, I wanted to share a few initiatives we tried over the past few months.

Continue to Communicate

Communication is vital to employees feeling informed, less isolated and may lead to valuable feedback. Provide consistent updates to staff to leave them feeling aware of the Brokerage plans.  For instance, organize bi-weekly office-wide meetings where Principals provide high-level information. Solicit questions in advance or use the last quarter of the meeting as a question and answer period.

Amid the uncertainty, not every meeting needs to have a business objective. Equally important, consider dedicating time to allow workers to connect, share ideas and provide support. Employees matter. Coworkers are quickly becoming an outlet for people to discuss coronavirus-related fears and stress. You know your employees best, but it could involve scheduling daily check-ins with direct reports, weekly team huddles, or merely modifying existing meetings to include opportunities to touch base with one another.

Become More Virtually Social

Now’s the time to try new initiatives. As a twist to our internal company newsletter, Connections, we started a weekly version entitled Connectons@Home. The idea was to create engaging, interactive competitions, provide employees with opportunities to socialize virtually with each other, and distribute vital resources to combat self-isolation. Employees have been crucial to the newsletter’s success, as they have also submitted content and feedback to guide the campaign. Over the past eight weeks of implementation, we have seen consistent engagement across the organization, regardless of the employee’s role.

Campaign creation and execution was quite simple. We started a small committee and brainstormed ideas we felt would interest employees. Each week, we emailed staff content on a different topic or game and incentivized participation for the contest with a nominal gift certificate for the winners.  The following week, we announced winners, posted submissions on an internal link and started a new topic.

A few activities we initiated include:

• Virtual potlucks (socialize virtually)
  • Set up a Zoom or Skype video call at lunch and invite coworkers to eat lunch together virtually. Get staff to submit recipes or pictures of their meal and share with the office.
• Ways to keep kids entertained (Employee submissions combined with professional resources)
  • Using reputable sites, e.g. Parenting Today, curate simple activities for kids and families to do together. Also, ask employees to submit theirs. Compile them into a list to share with the office.  
• Work from home spaces, outfits, and new “coworker” challenges (separate competitions)
  • Encourage employees to take pictures of their work from home spaces, daily attire, or their new “coworkers,” e.g. pets, children, partners, siblings, etc. and submit via email. The most creative submission wins a prize. Feel to share with the employees.
• Staying healthy and exercising while in isolation (employee submissions combined with professional resources)
  • Share tips on staying active and eating healthy while in isolation. Many websites have already begun posting useful content.  
  • Invite staff to share their home-based exercises and snacks; compile all the submissions into an ultimate workout.

Despite the lessening of restrictions and gradual reopening, we are still far from a full recovery. It remains an unsettling period for everyone, and it’s vital we empathize with others. We must be resilient; we are all in this together and undergoing similar challenges and feelings. Only through supporting each other can we succeed.

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