How to make even better connections with colleagues, on the topics that matter most during times of disruption
Changes driven by the Covid-19 pandemic have meant that we can no longer be physically close to our colleagues. At the same time, changes driven by the pandemic mean we need to be ‘closer’ to our colleagues than ever before and demonstrate heartfelt empathy, against the backdrop of the many challenges they face.
We’ve all had to adapt and innovate to stay in touch with one another in recent weeks. Technologies, such as Zoom, MS Teams, GoToMeetings and WebEx have had an important role to play in connecting leaders with the workforce. But they can come up short when it comes creating the foundations for highly targeted and ongoing conversations with individual colleagues, or groups of staff with similar concerns.
So how can you find out what is truly on the mind of your workforce? How can you drill deeper to create meaningful insights? How can you ensure that your key messages are really getting through? I think technology can help here too.
I recently had a hand in developing an App, called Engage, designed to help leaders understand what is really going in specific areas of the business and check the effectiveness of internal communications, 24 / 7 / 365.
Now perhaps it is time to harness the proven features of the Engage App to make a difference in these times of crisis – and contribute to the financial health of the heroes involved in the new frontline, people working in healthcare, through donations to causes that are close to their heart.
Check you are getting through
There is an enormous amount going on in people’s minds right now, so colleagues can be forgiven for not remembering everything that leaders have communicated. But it would be sensible to be able to check. You can easily set up Engage to help you do just that, and even pinpoint which populations get it and which don’t, so you can take corrective action, or showcase success.
The same technique can be applied to get people thinking about how to be as productive as possible whilst working from home. Or you could perhaps get people involved in a more light hearted quiz, maybe even create some inter-departmental rivalry, if that felt appropriate in the current climate.
Monitor the mood of the workforce
Tuning in to the feelings of your workforce, in general or on specific topics, has never been more important than it is today. Engage can be purposed to help you monitor their feelings at specific points and track trends over time – and again you can compare different demographics. You might also want to keep an eye on individuals who appear to be struggling and then make contact one-to-one. Our experience tells us that, via the App, people speak very candidly and many take advantage of the facility to share their thoughts anonymously.
Check out the ‘word on the street’
Even the phrase the ‘word on the street’ sounds outdated in the current climate doesn’t it? Worse still ‘The water cooler or corridor conversation.’ But the concept of tuning in to the trends, in terms of what people are actually talking about, remains important. So Engage can be configured, in moments, to delve deeper into specific topics, either of your choosing or that of your workforce. Armed with up to the minute insights you can pinpoint the challenges and carefully focus your next actions.
Engage to make a difference in times of crisis
Carefully targeting the way the Engage App is deployed can help you make more effective connections with colleagues, on the topics that matter most, to both your organisation and to your people, in these difficult days.
But how can better engaging with your workforce contribute to the financial health of the heroes involved in the new frontline, the people working in healthcare?
That couldn’t be more straightforward. The Engagement Works, the company behind the Engage App, will make a donation, to a healthcare cause of your choosing, of one pound sterling, or its equivalent in your local currency, for every one of your colleagues who engage with you via the App. And they’ll double that if your organisation actually works in the healthcare world or related sectors.
To find out more simply reach out to me at chris.carey@axiomcommunications.com or email Enquiries@theengagementworks.com.
