When the pandemic first struck, there were apprehensions and concerns about the future of work and employment challenges the corporate sector would face. HR experts thought salaries and continuous employment should be critical to motivating and keeping skilled employees committed to an enterprise. However, the phenomenon of the Great Resignation soon affected Indian employers as around 86% of the Indian workforce wanted to look for a job change in the current financial year.
Another survey showed that 63% of employees in India would quit their jobs rather than be unhappy. Job security is no longer the only requirement for building a motivated and resilient workforce. To ensure a higher level of employee engagement and a motivated pool of workers in the new normal, employers need to consider the following.
Re-calibrate expectations and re-establishing commitment
The pandemic period saw widespread layoffs. As a result of the mounting uncertainty, research found that 50% are worried about an uncertain future due to the Covid-19 pandemic while 36% are suffering from mental health issues.To help professionals cope, organizations must re-establish commitment and carry out positive conversations that suit individuals rather than taking the ‘one size fits all’ approach.
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To help employees emerge from the negativity caused by layoffs and cost-cutting, organizations need to look beyond contracts and reinforce how supportive they are towards their employees. Sensitizing managers toward employee needs is the first step towards effective re-establishment of the work culture.Helping employees adapt to the new normal in the best way that suits their values and preferences can go a long way in building a resilient workforce. Whether it is flexibility in work timings, taking on new challenges, or learning a new skill, there are many ways in which HR can help employees get back in their groove.
The process of goal setting includes the introduction of role-related goals, development goals, and behavioral goals as part of the performance management system in the enterprise. This would eventually lead to alignment between employees and organizations.
Embrace internal mobility
Employees feel motivated and aligned to organizational objectives when provided opportunities. Promoting internally or supporting employees with the necessary training and coaching for new roles, companies have to create a culture that fosters and promotes career mobility as this can have an outsized impact on an employee’s experience.
Empower employees
When employees feel empowered in their workplace, it leads to more robust job performance, job satisfaction, and commitment to the organization, as published in research Harvard Business Review. Fortunately, such empowerment is currently taking shape in India. In EY’s 2022 Work Reimagine Survey, employees in India are feeling more empowered to take control of their careers. This is a direct result of the improved work culture and focus on employee safety and well-being post the pandemic. When employees are given opportunities to grow, with ample training and learning options, employees become active engineers of their learning experience, leading to better performance at work and consistent career growth. Personalized learning paths are, therefore, essential in the current work scenario.
Introducing employee goal-setting
Employee goal-setting could be a catalyst for attaining the organizational objectives and building a resilient workforce. Recent research underlined that employee performance increased by almost 22% when the organizations followed the goal-setting approach and added the same to the performance management systems. The process of goal setting includes the introduction of role-related goals, development goals, and behavioral goals as part of the performance management system in the enterprise. This would eventually lead to alignment between employees and organizations.
The past couple of years has changed the entire landscape of human resource management. Providing benefits such as salary increments, and job security are no longer enough to build a loyal, committed and resilient workforce. HR and business leaders have to re-calibrate and focus on a collaborative approach that will not only focus on organizational success but their employee success by engaging and empowering them.
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