Employee engagement: 5 keys to engaging teams in times of crisis

At the start of the school year, employee engagement is a key issue for companies. At the end of lockdown, more than a quarter of employees said they felt a decrease in their professional motivation and nearly half of them showed signs of psychological distress [1]. Major economic crisis, teleworking, partial unemployment, so many factors that have reduced a commitment that has already been weakened for a number of years [2]. In this article, discover 5 keys to creating a work environment that promotes kindness, meaning and performance.

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#1 Giving meaning to boost employee engagement in times of crisis

First of all, it is important to emphasize that a crisis cannot be managed like a failure. If the failure is temporary, identified and stops once the problem is fixed, the crisis is of an indefinite duration, the problems are multiple and difficult to identify.One of the keys for leaders who seek to (re) engage their teams during the crisis is to give sense.Giving meaning is first of all explaining courageously:

• Sharing the course chosen, the scenarios envisaged
• Decide quickly in a period of uncertainty and share these decisions with the teams
• Explain the reality of the situation and the changes needed to overcome the crisis.
• Accept yourself and as a team to pivot, to test, to go back if things did not work out.

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Also to be read: 4 keys to developing courage

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‍Giving meaning also means knowing how to track denial reactions:

• Ensure that everyone is well aware of the symptoms of the crisis and the impact of the crisis on the company's activity.
• Sharing the fact that solutions exist and that each employee has a role to play in managing the crisis.

In times of crisis, engagement issues generally occur when teams don't feel concerned about the situation. Either because of a lack of clarity or because of a desire to hide reality from ourselves.

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#2 Open regular dialogues to strengthen team engagement in times of crisis.

First, before opening a dialogue, it is essential to reconnect with yourself:

• What am I learning about myself during this crisis?
• What qualities do I demonstrate on a daily basis?
• What (unsuspected) resources will I develop?
• What are the difficulties encountered and how do I learn from them?

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Open regular dialogues:

As a team, around “being”: what was difficult, easy. How much effort did I have to make to stay connected with the team? What emotions did I go through? As a team always, around “doing”: what we did well, what we had more difficulty achieving, etc...

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#3 Co-building new rites as a team

Integrate a new workspace

DISTANCE + PRESENCE = THE NEW SITUATION. It is important to fully integrate this new situation to maintain team cohesion and manage individuals fairly.

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Explain the new rules of team operation to maintain: fairness, respect and efficiency

• What are the hours?
• What days do people work remote/in the office?
• How to establish the rules for teleworking?
• How do you conduct effective remote meetings?
• What is negotiable and what is not?

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Also to be read:

“Teleworking: 4 keys to effectively manage it”

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Disciplining remote/in-person meetings

Since videoconference meetings do not always promote authentic sharing, the challenge is to know how to keep everyone engaged.

• Limit meetings to those that are strictly necessary
• Consider people at a distance very carefully
• Ensuring the availability of all
• Practice “icebreakers” and “inclusions”
• Giving everyone a voice

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Ritualize informal times:

• Set aside time for the exchange of regular practices
• Organize outside visits (customers, service providers...) if possible!
• Maintain regular informal communication (sharing photos, good news, information...)
• Set up “Tea Time”, “Breakfast Time”, etc...

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#4 Cultivate positive energy

The recipe for commitment? Efforts + recognition

• Praise for the efforts
• Recognizing everyone's contributions
• Listen to experiences, feelings, emotions

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Adjust management to each employee

Not everyone experiences this new situation (presence/distance) in the same way. How do you keep everyone on board?

• Verify the needs of each employee
• Re-Validate the contours of responsibility
• Specify adjusted goals
• Contractual monitoring points and methods
• Give regular feedback

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Reconnecting everyone to their motivational levers

• Belong
• To be recognized
• Feeling useful
• Learn
• Quality of the relationship

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Protect the 4 beats to keep a high dose of energy over time:

• Reflection: I take the time to sit down to think about the best strategies to adopt
• Action: I devote my energy to implementing the action plan decided during the reflection period
• Inspiration: I will look for ideas, solutions from other teams, other companies, etc...
• Breathing: I take time for myself, to recharge my batteries through the practice of my passions.

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#5 Co-building the future to engage all teams:

To steer a boat through a storm, it is essential to accept not knowing everything, to seek out everyone's ideas and feedback! Emphasize what is not changing. Individuals need guidance to be reassured in these complicated times. If processes and rituals do not change, it is important to communicate them. Solicit the team to build the future: What do we stop doing? What should we do differently? What to do again?

‍Today more than ever, it is in the interest of companies to listen to the needs felt by their employees in these times of crisis: more recognition, feeling useful, belonging to a group, having quality relationships, etc... Talentis coaches are used to working within companies on these topics related to commitment:

• How to give good feedback, whether it is positive, developmental or reframing?
• How do you develop a culture of trust?
• How to manage conflicts?...

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If these topics speak to you as an HR Manager, we offer you the opportunity to exchange 20-30 minutes with one of our expert consultants. Together you can:

• Take stock of your current challenges in terms of talent development
• Study the most appropriate answers to your problems
• Benchmark best practices

See you very soon!