Remote work is increasingly becoming a part of everyone’s lives.
Prior to the pandemic, many employees were already looking for ways to telework at least part time. Since the pandemic, this has only accelerated, and technology companies have fast tracked software improvements to allow this possibility for many industries. Employees appreciate the flexibility and efficiency of working from home, but many employers struggle with employee engagement and motivation in an environment where everyone is so physically distanced. As the employment landscape continues to shift, employers are leaning on their talent management technology to facilitate employee engagement initiatives. Below are 7 ideas for using your Cornerstone Galaxy or Cornerstone Saba system to improve employee engagement and motivation.
1. Have employees conduct remote “spotlights”
Virtual meeting tools allow businesses to efficiently share content with clients, but these tools can also be used to bind a business internally. Have your team members connect virtually to talk about their work life from home, discuss what a typical day looks like and share pictures from their hometown or local coffee shop. Connecting on a personal level can go a long way towards forming a cohesive work unit. An idea for conducting these spotlights is to have remote workers spend five minutes of a company check in call to present about their remote work life. These spotlights can be recorded and housed on an HR welcome page or as an announcement within your learning management system.
2. Implement a mentor program
Most companies already encourage or require employees to meet with their managers regularly. Creating a mentor program is an additional step that can increase employee satisfaction and engagement. Ideally, an employee’s mentor would be someone who understands the work he or she does and potentially someone who has been in the employee’s position recently (e.g., within the last three years). Establishing a mentor program is an effective way to cultivate and reinforce company culture and values, social awareness and knowledge sharing. If you use a system like Cornerstone OnDemand already, conversations between mentors and mentees could even be tracked within your system using the Check In functionality.
3. Regularly update your employees about company goals and performance
Your employees want to be “in the know” more than ever before. It is important to communicate early and often to inform employees of company performance and ongoing strategy initiatives. Transparency with employees about both company and individual performance allows employees to visualize the impacts that they make to the organization. An idea for this is to share sales charts or leaderboards during company calls and highlight them through announcement banners or notifications from your Cornerstone system.
4. Survey employees regularly
Seeking feedback from employees is a great way to encourage transparency within your company and boost employee engagement and motivation. If you understand the things that are impacting workforce efficiency or morale, you can more easily address those needs to improve productivity. Conduct quarterly roundtables and ask employees to split into smaller groups and discuss potential workplace improvements, training initiatives, etc. People will reinforce each other’s ideas and propose new ideas that may have not been previously considered. After the roundtables, ask them to elect a representative to share their group’s ideas. Use your learning management system to set up the roundtables as virtual classes or adhoc meetings and share the ideas with management using the social capabilities of your LMS.
5. Acknowledge and recognize employee performance and initiatives
It is important for your employees to know that they are valued and appreciated within your organization. Motivate your employees by recognizing their achievements and professional development, in both private and public communications. Rewards and/or badges can be granted to employees for their strong performance using your LMS.
6. Communicate!
No one likes to be the last to know something, and this is especially true in the current milieu, where people expect instant, real-time data. Communicating with your employees about your business, including new projects, marketing updates, and resources will encourage your employees to engage with and commit to your organization. Having a forum for employee collaboration, such as the Groups functionality in Cornerstone Saba or Communities in Cornerstone, is a great way to encourage communication across varying business units. You can even set up group membership rules depending on your specific business segmentation and needs.
7. Encourage volunteer initiatives
According to the Corporation for National and Community Service, there are positive mental and physical health impacts for people who engage in community service. This is a great reason to encourage volunteer initiatives within your organization. Allowing employees to work a comp day where they get work credit for volunteering is a great way to increase employee engagement and motivation. You can also hold company outings where your company travels as a group to a volunteer organization. Make sure to recognize those folks on your next company call as well as through internal communications or announcements!
