Right work culture & employee engagement post-pandemic

It is no secret that the worldwide pandemic had a huge impact on the way organizations work. With remote work, virtual meetings and employee health as the buzzwords of the last two years, the modern workplace has seen massive changes in a short amount of time.

In the midst of the challenges that the modern corporate world faced, employee engagement and work culture are lining up to be among the most important aspects of the workplace going forward. With corporate professionals focusing on their holistic health and well-being, “work fulfilment” is also one of the most important goals for the employee of today and tomorrow.

In this post, we aim to show the importance of work culture when fostering a productive and efficient workforce, and how HR professionals and leaders can go about implementing a better working environment for employee engagement and organizational growth in the future.

Reasons why a strong organizational culture is crucial

• Higher employee engagement and team productivity - A work environment with a strong organizational culture is fostered through clear purpose and well-communicated expectations. This encourages team members to stay engaged with their roles and responsibilities at work. When employees are provided with the resources they need to become better, there is a marked rise in the team's productivity & performance.
• Higher employee retention - Team members who feel valued and respected at an organization are more likely to stay at the company. High employee fulfilment leads to lower attrition, which can help organizations save time and money in the onboarding process.
• Efficient onboarding - Following protocols such as employee orientation, training, and performance enhancement programs can help new team members access the correct resources and better understand their responsibilities within the organization. An effective onboarding process is also a great way for firms to ensure that new joiners better interpret the core values of the organization.
• Healthy work environment - Having a strong work culture that fosters employee unity and promotes better teamwork helps employees work together with defined goals in mind.

Employees who are not engaged with their work often need specific methods and reasons to be inspired. The main focus of employee engagement should be on creating better results by setting clear expectations and providing employees with opportunities to do what they do best.

Work culture as a business strategy

Approaching employee engagement and a good work environment as a business strategy often leads to better results. As per Gallup's latest meta-analysis of the correlation between employee engagement and the profitability of a business, productivity, retention of employees and client perception - highly engaged team members perform much better than non-engaged employees across industries and geographies, often regardless of external economic conditions.

Businesses or workplaces that score highly in employee engagement have nearly 200% higher chances of success versus those workplaces that score low in employee engagement. When compared with workplaces in the bottom quartile of employee engagement, those at the top score highly in the following areas:

• Being present at work - Highly engaged team members tend to be present at work and do more work on a consistent basis. Workplaces with high employee engagement report a 41% decrease in absenteeism and a 17% rise in team productivity. In companies with high levels of attrition, workplaces with high engagement report 24% lower attrition. In companies with low levels of attrition, the results are even more evident, as offices with high engagement report 59% lower attrition.
• Better client outcomes - Highly engaged employees consistently show increased levels of commitment to high-quality results. Such team members also help improve the company's relationship with clients and showcase high organic growth. Offices with high employee engagement report a 10% increase in client ratings and a 20% rise in sales.
• Higher profitability - The results listed above come together to bring companies higher levels of profitability. Employees who feel engaged with their roles are more productive; are more in touch with customer requirements; and are more attentive to business processes, standards and systems. When combined, the behaviour patterns of high-engagement offices result in 21% higher profitability for the organization.

Is it possible to build the right culture?

Employee engagement represents a crucial aspect of attracting and retaining a talented workforce. In the modern workplace, a nourishing and engaging work environment is considered a fundamental requirement. Many team members don't want to "settle" for a company that does not value or prioritize employee engagement. For HR professionals and leaders, this shows that a work culture fostering employee engagement is no longer an optional requirement - it has now become an important aspect of the employee experience.

Developing a culture of high engagement entails much more than simply carrying out an annual "employee survey" without following up on the results with managers and the employees themselves. It needs HR leaders to look closely at crucial engagement strategies and align them with employee development strategies.

Organizations with high employee engagement share a few philosophies and best practices. Some of these are listed below.

• These companies understand that creating an engagement-first culture starts at the top of the company.
• Leaders in these organizations prioritize employee engagement as a strategic advantage among their peers.
• Leaders in such companies have an open and consistent communication policy.
• These companies understand the importance of using the relevant metrics and of hiring and developing the capabilities of great team leaders.
• Such companies have well-planned and holistic development programs for managers and leaders, and they emphasise the growth of individuals and team members as a whole. Better employee engagement is a crucial aspect of their talent development strategy, not just an annual "by-the-numbers" routine activity.

In closing

While building the right work culture is often a difficult task, it is worth the effort due to the sheer number of benefits it brings. Employee engagement and organizational productivity aside, it also fosters greater levels of trust and cooperation between employees across the organization. It is a well-known adage that nothing that is worth having comes easy, and this rings true for employee engagement and creating a great work culture as well.

Schedule a demo to learn how your organisation can get the best employee health and well-being experience with ekincare's commitment to quality.