“Hey, it has been three weeks since you joined! How is it going? How does it feel getting virtually onboarded, and interacting with all of us over video calls remotely?”
“I don’t know buddy. It’s Kind of a new sensation. Some days I feel like I am contributing a lot and am satisfied with my work but on some days I feel so disengaged. I am constantly worried that because I haven’t really gelled with you guys in person, I am at a disadvantage. I don’t even know if my performance is up to the mark!
Most new joinees who were onboarded this time around have similar stories to share. With work going remote, this disengagement is not only a recurring theme among the new hires but is also a feeling shared by existing employees of many organisations.
In Zig Ziglar’s words. “Every employee have three primary needs i.e job related to their interest, rewards and recognition from their peers and seniors for job well done, and being part of decision making activity going on in the company.” For any employee to outperform themselves, a sense of belonging and a true alignment of one’s work to the organisation’s mission is a basic requirement. And the function of HR is to enable this alignment along with ensuring employee wellbeing.
Here are 4 reasons why employee well being should be central to all HR endeavours:
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Enhanced Efficiency
If employees are the engines of your organization, then ensuring their health will go a long way in getting the mileage required out of them for the business to succeed. Happy employees lead to better alignment with work and hence increased productivity. Study shows that there is a direct correlation between happy employees and increased efficiency. Where employees are happier, they produced better products and led to better innovations.
Reduce Employee Absenteeism
By creating appropriate wellness programs, organisations have seen a slump in the number of sick leaves and the financial losses that stem out of them. Ensuring that your employees are doing well, will ensure lesser absenteeism.
Reduced Attrition
It goes without saying that if employees are satisfied with their job, they wouldn’t want to leave you and go. Driving fitness programs, nutrition awareness and overall mental wellbeing will prevent employee burnout, hence leaving them with time to push their boundaries and excel at work. It will also save you lakhs of rupees on hiring and training new employees.
Improved Brand Image
Managing millennials is perhaps one of the top most priorities for HRs today. And one way to that is by building the employer brand. Organisations are going the extra mile to ensure they are recognised as employee friendly to hire and retain the best talent. In fact, technology, data, and insights are being leveraged by organisations to design and implement their wellness programs better.
How can a HCM Software Build Better Employee Engagement?
Amidst the pandemic and with work giong remote, an intelligent HR Tech is no doubt the HR’s new best friend. According to Josh Bersin,COVID-19 may be the best thing that happened to employee engagement. A Willis Towers Watson research says that 90% of companies believe their culture has improved, 83% believe their employee experience is better, and 84% believe employee engagement has gone up.
But what is really at the heart of transforming employee experience? It is empathy.
Empathy has emerged as a core skill that organisations must embrace for effective leadership, better employee engagement and productive organisations. In times of crisis, such as the one this year has thrown us all into, it becomes increasingly important for businesses to enable a culture of empathy because employees are more disengaged than ever.
However, in the absence of physical interactions now, HRs can no longer rely on off-site parties, fun events in the office and annual retreats. Enter – An intuitive, flexible and innovative HR Tech that can drive employee engagement and keep them motivated. Here are some ways in which you can enhance employee experience using an HCM software.
Take Full Advantage of Your Internal Social Network
Some HCM Software offer platforms for org social networking so that employees can engage in general banter, meaningful conversations, fun polls and organise virtual events. In pandemic time, this platform can double up as the substitute for those water-cooler catch-ups and lunch table talks!
Creating a Continuous Feedback Process
Nowadays people don’t follow yearly appraisals for rewarding and recognising their employees. Companies.are now moving towards a more forward-thinking system: Continuous Feedback. With the workforce going remote, it is necessary to have a continuous performance management system in place. It is a more prompt approach to arrest attrition, improve performance and spike engagement.
Help You Employees Push Their Boundaries
Whether your organisation follows the MBO method or the OKR model or any other type of performance management system, your HCM software should give you the flexibility to choose whichever model suits your organisation the best. Because a well rounded performance management system will ensure employees are aligned with the org goals and there are regular reviews for course correction if needed. This will help the employees feel more tethered to the business even while working remotely.
Keep a Tab on Your Employees’ Well Being
These are times when the most optimistic of people are experiencing levels of distress like never before. Thus, it becomes important for organisations to keep their ears close to the ground and sense the sentiments of their employees. Periodic mental wellness surveys, daily check-ins, regular questionnaires on physical well being etc. are now possible to conduct with the help of an advanced HR Tech.
Enable Virtual Pats on the Back
Especially for millennials, a job is more than just collecting a paycheck at the end of the month. People of this generation sleep better at night knowing that they have contributed significantly to their organisation and their work is recognised. Having a robust R&R program goes a long way in ensuring high employee satisfaction and engagement. You can create custom reward programs in your HR Tech and offer redeemable points by integrating with a coupon/voucher vendor to keep the employees motivated.
Empower Employees With Continuous Learning
Another very critical and emerging trend that is seen post pandemic is the need to reskill and upskill to stay ahead of the curve. With remote work being the new normal, organisations are focusing heavily on learning and continuous growth. Platforms that provide LMS tools are becoming popular and your HR Tech should have the agility to integrate with them and offer a seamless experience to your employees as they access these platforms. As a key enabler of culture in your organisation, you need tools that empower you to engage, enable and encourage your workforce to excel. And a well rounded HCM software should do just that!
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