2021 Baker's Best - 56

TOP EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT SERVICE PROVIDERS
NEW WAYS TO ENGAGE
In the new world of work, three drivers of employee engagement have
emerged: connection, well-being, and feedback.
By Marta Chmielowiczl
The obstacles of the last year and a half tested the
business world in unimaginable ways, reshaping the way
people live, work, and relate to each other-potentially
for the better. According to Qualtrics' 2021 Employee
Experience Trends Report, employee engagement has
actually increased since the pandemic began, from 53%
in November 2019 to 66% in November 2020.
The research shows that one key factor has emerged
as the strongest driver of engagement: a sense of
belonging. And companies are doing well; 73% of
employees feel like they belong at their organizations.
How can HR leaders maintain this momentum and deliver
a positive employee experience as the world adjusts?
Encourage Connection
In the remote work environment, creating opportunities
for connection across the workforce has been a challenge
for all HR leaders. Companies responded by embracing
video, collaboration tools, and virtual team building
events as a way to strengthen culture.
" Here at Epicor, in addition to tools like Microsoft
Teams to drive efficiency and collaboration, we have
increased the use of Yammer to keep people connected
on a personal level in order to foster a tighter global
community, " says Jignasha Amin Grooms, CHRO of the
[56]
BAKER'S BEST 2021 - www.hrotoday.com
organization. " We've encouraged people to share bits
of their personal lives: their pets, their recent hikes,
their favorite hobbies, etc. And we encourage teams to
gather virtually on the platform of their choice. One of
our executives even hosted a virtual Harry Potter 'dinner
mystery party' last month-costumes encouraged! "
But now, as employees begin to return to the office and
a hybrid model becomes more pervasive, leveraging
technology to ensure on-site and remote employees feel
connected will be an even greater priority.
Michael Williams, associate professor of information
systems at the Pepperdine University Graziadio
Business School, says that while the engagement and
collaboration tools organizations choose can be simple,
they need to be driven from the top. " You don't have
to be on the most innovative, new platform-what
matters is an organizational commitment that goes from
the senior leadership to the newest employees. Being
consistent on those collaborative platforms is critical. It's
important to address the social distance that naturally
arises when we are working remotely and get the whole
organization to adopt and utilize these tools in ways that
are consistent with your culture. "
Online lending company BlueVine is maintaining
engagement by adopting video conferencing technology
http://www.hrotoday.com
HRO Today Baker's Best 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of HRO Today Baker's Best 2021
