Empowering Employees In The Post-Pandemic Era

How businesses can engage and empower employees amidst changing expectations

When the outbreak of the Covid-19 crisis began triggering lockdowns and stay-at-home orders last winter, the precise course of the pandemic remained uncertain, but one thing was already clear: Whatever its trajectory, the pandemic would have far-reaching and long-lasting consequences for how we lived, shopped, socialized, and worked.

More than one year on, Covid-19’s effect on the workplace is coming into sharper relief. It extends well beyond issues surrounding remote and hybrid work. After a deeply challenging year, employees place an even greater premium on employer initiatives to promote their overall wellbeing. That’s why it will be crucial for company leaders to demonstrate strong, creative, and visionary leadership that will empower and engage their employees in the post-pandemic era.

As they navigate the world of work’s new normal, organizations must place a symbiotic relationship between employers and employees at the heart of their operations. After all, a vibrant, productive, and harmonious company culture is only possible if employers effectively engage their employees.

The most successful leaders will find innovative ways of pre-emptively addressing workforce challenges, adapting to changing employee needs, and equipping employees with tangible benefits that reward their engagement in the workplace.

To be sure, leadership in the workplace has always required robust engagement, but the pandemic has magnified its importance. It has also led employers and employees to see engagement in a new light. Amid the past year’s public health and economic crises, millions of people wised up to what they truly value – including their physical health, mental wellbeing, and employment and financial security.

While the shift to remote work offered many employees greater flexibility in their daily lives – leading many organizations and their workforces to embrace at least partially remote work models as part of their new normal – the blurring of lines between home and work hasn’t come without its challenges. Many employees felt more overworked and burnt out than ever before. How, then, should employers respond?

Although different organizations will follow different work models moving forward – with some embracing hybrid work, others bringing employees back into the office five days a week, and others still allowing indefinite remote work – all companies will need to prioritize adaptability and some degree of flexibility.

Regardless of which paths they choose, it’s essential for companies to facilitate the “Eureka moments” that are hallmarks of a productive and well-functioning corporate culture. Small talk between meetings or over coffee breaks often inspires bold ideas and innovative initiatives. Even if employees continue working from home at least part-time, employers should think about how they can generate more of these moments – whether it’s through virtual office hours, regular in-person get-togethers, or some other pathway. The bottom line: Employers need to make themselves accessible even from afar.

Meanwhile, to truly empower their most vital assets – their employees – companies must embrace wellbeing as one of their core responsibilities. The outdated notion that an employer’s only responsibility toward their workers is to ensure that the job gets done belongs in the dustbin of business history. Today’s employees want so much more from their workplaces – not least because long months of lockdown made them realize just how much time they were devoting to their jobs.

In the current labor market, employees are increasingly choosing their employer, rather than vice versa, and that’s likely to continue to be the case in the face of a potential post-pandemic “talent drain.” Among the criteria job-seekers will look for: The extent to which the employer promotes their wellbeing, whether through opportunities to boost physical fitness (including gym memberships, gamified rewards programs that incentivize healthy activities, and the like), or counseling services to improve their emotional and behavioral health.

Mental, physical, and financial wellbeing are interlinked and interdependent – and employees want their workplaces to take substantive steps to reflect that. This means that employees are less enthused by transitory perks – massages, happy hours, and company retreats, for example – and now want their employers’ resources to be devoted to benefits that offer lasting value, helping them lead happier and healthier lives.