The pandemic has been hard on businesses and employees across the globe. Yet, as the world recovers from COVID-19 and things slowly get back to normal, organizations are facing a new set of challenges. Just like coming up with remote work solutions was paramount during the peak of the pandemic, creating better workplaces is essential to maintaining employee engagement and boosting morale in the workplace right now. If you’re struggling to keep people motivated as they come back to in-person work, here are some helpful strategies you could implement.
1. Promote Togetherness
After almost two years without in-person, face-to-face interactions with coworkers, employees may struggle to adapt to on-site work. Even with hybrid back-to-the-office schemes in place, managers need to find a way to encourage teamwork and improve conflict-solving strategies.
2. Encourage Teamwork
Implementing team-building exercises could be a good way to get things going and help employees relax. Some great ideas are conducting recreational activities like:
- Board games
- Office debates
- Corporate retreats (as long as they’re COVID-regulation compliant)
- Office trivia
- Community service
- Business simulations
Taking employees’ minds off of their day-to-day duties so they can bond with each other could increase productivity and spark inspiration. It could also help team members remember they’re all in the same boat together.
3. Display Employee Recognition Through Rewards
Acknowledging people’s hard work is an excellent way of connecting with them and keeping morale high. A pat on the back now and then never hurt anyone, and now more than ever could significantly impact productivity and boost engagement. Implementing a reward system could start with simple actions like setting up a newsletter with employee appreciation posts. Companies could take this initiative one step further and set up a point-based system to give good workers actual prizes.
4. Measure Motivation With a Survey
Making the workforce feel seen is a vital element in keeping motivation high. When in doubt, asking the right questions will definitely give employers and managers a heads up on how workers are feeling. Having first-hand information on what’s on people’s minds as they go back to work after the pandemic could help identify and solve some critical issues. For example, learning if workers feel anxious or isolated in the new normal could help employers implement certain actions to improve the situation.
5. Set Realistic, Short-Term Goals
It’s normal for people to feel overwhelmed as they go back to the office. Even if their responsibilities don’t necessarily increase with the transition, changing environments could be enough of a reason to make an employee anxious. By helping employees take things one step at a time, employers could ease some of that tension. Setting small goals that can cause fast wins could positively impact morale.
Final Thoughts
Keeping employee motivation in the new normal could be somewhat challenging. But implementing the right strategy is essential to achieving good results as everybody comes back to work. Employees are the fuel that sparks business performance, so keeping them healthy and calm so they can focus on their work must be a top priority right now.
If you’re ready to take the next step to improve your company culture and boost employee motivation, Benefit One is in your corner. We specialize in providing employee recognition solutions to reduce turnover and increase productivity. Contact us today and see how our software can help your workforce thrive.
