Engaged Employees are the heart of any successful business. Especially at this time of pandemic, it is even more important to keep in the touch with their emotional as well as mental state. With most of the organizations working remotely, there have to be a huge gap in the communication between Colleagues, and Physical and Emotional disconnect with the outside world. That disconnect along with the increasing stress level over situation can leads to depression. But as challenging as social distancing can be, employee engagement does not have to be bound within the office walls. Technology has made it easy to connect with team members, no matter where they’re located.
Here are few of the ways Organizations can focus on Employee Engagement:-
Frequent Productive Check-ins from Managers
This includes daily one on one check – ins by Managers or team meetings for creating a productive and positive work environment. These frequent check – ins often gives way to team goal setting and give employees the opportunity to receive constant feedback. It helps in boosting team-productivity, which, in turn, keeps employees engaged – giving them a sense of purpose and achievement in reaching goals.
Maintained communication between management and employees allows issues and concerns to be voiced, allowing time to more easily anticipate or resolve them.
Virtual Team Building Activities
Virtual Team Building activities are great for keeping employees engaged, connected, and socially connected while social distancing.

Few Ideas for such activities –
- Work out Sessions: This will kill two birds with one stone. You can have a great team bonding session with such workout programs as well as get some much needed exercise to break the inactiveness of your daily schedule.
- Productivity Sessions: Great way to enhance the skills and keeping them engaged. It can be department wise or something like Time Management session for everyone.
- Virtual Lunches: We know it would not be same as having lunch in office, but it would still provide the sense of togetherness that a lunch party provides. You can also order meals for each other… wouldn’t that be an interesting experience!
Online Induction Programs
Employee Engagement cannot be complete without induction programs. New employees need a solid, consistent virtual employee induction program to help them settle into new roles during a period of uncertainty and confusion.
For most new joiners, including graduates, interns and apprentices; it is harder than ever to integrate into a new workplace in the current climate. The rise of COVID-19 has caused a massive shift away from the ordinary workplace, with most of the firms turning to work from home schedule.
Basic Remote Induction Program Checklist :
- Home Desk Setup (depending on the profile, this should be implemented even before induction).
- A Brief about your Organization (History, Vision , Values. Company Culture, Structure, Product/Services, Strategy & Future Goals etc.).
- Documentation or Company Formalities.
- A Brief Message or session with CEO or Company Director, it helps in normalizing the situation and works wonders for creating a positive mindset for New Employee.
- Meet & Greet / Icebreaker activities with Existing Employees (or at least team members).
- Health & Safety Precautions & Rights (eg. POSH trainings, Covid & normal safety protocols etc.).
And last but not the least, be observant to your Employee’s reaction to the induction program. Make sure you are not overflowing them with redundant information. Always try to make the program crisp and clear for the maximum output.
Irrespective of whether your employees are working from their homes or the workplace, it is important to prioritize the positive employment relationship between both parties.
Employee Engagement during COVID-19 may be challenging, but it is an investment worth making. Employees will greatly value their employers taking the time to remove as many hurdles as possible and work with them in partnership to navigate the challenges in this difficult situation.