For employees and employers alike, the last 18 months have been some of the most challenging and testing times of our work and home lives.
We have witnessed monumental changes not only in our daily work, but in how we prioritise and perceive life and work.
New research by Workbuzz and Inspiring Workplaces on the “State of Employee Engagement” has revealed a divide has opened between office-based and frontline workers. This research shows engagement has gone up over the 18 months with remote/office based workers, and dramatically decreased with frontline workers.
Does this surprise you? Does it align with your experience?
Inspiring Workplaces state: “The pandemic threw many of us into the completely new world of remote working and home schooling, whilst other key workers valiantly carried on keeping their countries going – at times with a lack of PPE and very real concerns about their health. With colleagues isolating, many have had to shoulder extra responsibilities and have been close to burnout. It is therefore not surprising that there are significant differences in employee engagement levels, depending on the nature of an organisation and how it has operated during the pandemic.”
Today a brand new ebook has been published to lift the lid and uncover recommendations and tips from Inspiring Workplaces’ Top 101 Influencers.
I’m proud to be on that list and have shared advice through this new publication. You can download the whole book via the Inspiring Workplaces website.
Steven Frost, CEO and Founder of WorkBuzz says: “The difference is so stark, we’ve called it “The great employee engagement divide”. The pandemic threw many of us into the completely new world of remote working and home schooling, whilst other key workers valiantly carried on keeping their countries going – at times with a lack of PPE and very real concerns about their health. With colleagues isolating, many have had to shoulder extra responsibilities and have been close to burnout.
“It is therefore not surprising there are significant differences in employee engagement levels, depending on the nature of an organisation and how it has operated during the pandemic.”
Following this survey, WorkBuzz and Inspiring Workplaces asked their Top 101 influencers: How can we shrink the divide between frontline and office-based workers and help engage frontline workers better?
Contributors include: Helen Bissett, Founder, Managing Director H&H Agency, Bruce Bolger President Enterprise Engagement Alliance, Jill Christensen Author, Speaker Jill Christensen International, David Ducheyne Founder Otolith, Chris Dyer Speaker, Author PeopleG2, Lewis Gerrad Partner, People Science & Employee Experience Solutions Mercer, Misty Oratokhai Chief Administrative Officer Events DC and Advita Patel, CommsRebel and Co-Founder A Leader Like Me.
In my chapter of the ebook, I talked about the importance of seeing organisations as a sum of their parts.
Here’s an extract:
“Workers may be highly engaged at a local level; they may love their role, their team and location. The larger picture and organisation may not resonate with them as much.
There are various ways to reduce divides. My advice to any business leader or professional who is looking to engage their people is:
• Make sure you are listening constantly to employees’ voices
• Use your internal communication channels to share their stories
• Commit to act on feedback you hear
• Use internal communication to join the dots of your organisation. How can you help frontline workers see the impact their work has and how it directly relates to your organisation’s purpose?
You can download the whole book via the Inspiring Workplaces website.
It is full of practical advice and simple next steps to help you and your organisation close the gap.
Learn more about internal communication with All Things IC
Do you want to increase your internal communication skills, knowledge and confidence? We offer a range of options to support IC professionals.
Choose from 1-2-1 conversations, in-person Monthly Masterclasses and Online Masterclasses. If the in-person course you’d like to book is full, please contact us. You can also pay via invoice.
We can also host your team for a half or whole day session at The All Things IC Hub in West London, and create a bespoke agenda to suit your requirements. See our team training options.
Upcoming in-person courses include:
- Effective internal communication, 17 November 2021 – for new IC pros, with up to three years’ experience.
Want to learn more about internal communication via online courses?
See the dedicated website to access all my latest Online Masterclasses. They are packed with bespoke text lessons, videos, workbooks and quizzes to help you learn about the wonderful world of IC at your own pace.
They are pre-recorded, which means you access the content at the time you choose.
A brand new course, How to review and plan your 2021-2022 internal comms went live this week. You can enrol and start learning today, to set yourself up for success in the next 12 months and beyond.
Choose from:
- NEW: How to review and plan your 2021-2022 internal comms – set yourself up for success and confidently plan 2022.
- The internal communicator’s guide to hybrid working – to help you prepare for different ways of working.
- How to be an internal communicator – ideal if you’re new to the world of IC or have up to three years’ experience.
- How to be a Comms Consultant – Exploration – this is for you if you’re thinking about going freelance.
- Introduction to internal communication channels – get up to speed quickly.
- How to create a 90 day plan – to set you up for success in your new Internal Comms role
- How to be a strategic internal communicator – just launched.
Thank you for stopping by,
Rachel.
Post author: Rachel Miller
First published on the All Things IC blog 22 October 2021.
