Winning back employee engagement

Stéphaine Bernat has always been fascinated by the relationship between employees and their company, and held marketing and communications positions in the international retail sector before turning her attention to the world of SaaS. She is now working on the adoption of on-screen digital communication at Cenareo , exploring another aspect of the dialogue between a brand and its audience, whether internal or external.

Managers and top executives have been asking themselves the same question since the start of the Covid-19 crisis: how do you unite employees with the company? Today, in a context of near-return to normal, the question remains the same. But given the detachment and estrangement of some employees, the urgency of answering it is all the greater.

Returning to the office is not a great success. According to a Harris interactive survey (June 2021), only 57% of French employees felt positive about returning to the office. The feeling was even more lukewarm (53%) for those who teleworked 100% from March 2020 to June 2021.

These responses are not all that surprising, since the practice of telecommuting, imposed since the first confinement, has made it possible to acknowledge certain opportunities such as greater freedom, autonomy and sometimes even more responsibility.

In recent months, telecommuting has taken off in Europe, with more than 44% of employees now teleworking. Moreover, 78% want to be able to continue teleworking after the health crisis, at least on an occasional basis. As a result, numerous "smart office" and"flex desk" projects are being launched, with the aim of optimizing the space allocated to face-to-face work, while creating a human-centered workspace that enables new hybrid collaborative modes.

A new relationship with work

While the transformation of the world of work began several years ago, well before the Covid crisis, the pandemic has undoubtedly played an accelerating role, particularly in the digital transformation needed for companies to weather the crisis.

Employees have to relearn how to work, with new tools that change their habits. The challenge for all employees is to find a rhythm, a balance and new points of reference between working in the office and working remotely.

But it seems that it's no longer just a question of simple rehabilitation. The "great resignation" phenomenon, which started in the US, seems to be spreading worldwide. 55% of working Americans in August 2021 intend to look for a new job in the next 12 months, according to financial services company Bankrate.

Leads and keys

The number 1 issue for companies today is to reduce employee disengagement and even turnover, a bête noire for the whole company! Disengagement is expensive, very expensive, and not just in euros. It generates stress, uncertainty and frustration for all the other employees who remain committed.

The urgent challenge for business leaders is to put people back at the heart of their management strategy, without relying on the physical presence of (all) their employees, at the same time. 

What are some potential leverage points?

1. Maintaining the link and trust ; 
2. Aligning teams around common objectives, uniting people around a meaningful goal; 
3. Mobilize and develop mutual aid between employees to solve problems, share expertise and knowledge, and common interests; 
4. Make everyone's work and success visible; 
5. Manage business performance rather than employee performance at individual level 

The keys? 

1. Totally unified communication between all employees (on-site, mobile, telecommuting) so that everyone has easy access to the information they need and doesn't feel isolated; 
2. Engaging communication based on authenticity and personalization: the company's vision, of course, but also employee highlights, key figures (parity, inclusion, commitment...), the players in collaborative projects... ; 
3. Intuitive digital tools accessible to all to guarantee digital inclusion and simplified business management in hybrid mode.

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