The pandemic has two effects on businesses. First is the ceasing of operations. Second, shifting to remote work and communication. Businesses that were able to stay on track had to make work setup changes. Now, remote operations present a new challenge: employee engagement. Organizations know that engaged employees are the key to success in this challenging time. While employees are grateful not to be part of the laid-off statistics, companies still have to engage employees. How? By providing career growth during the COVID-19 crisis.
How can companies foster employees’ career growth during the pandemic?
Offer support.
Remote workers have their own workspace and experiences during work hours. These are beyond the companies’ control. Yet, companies can help employees thrive by offering support and regular feedback sessions. The employees’ mental health is crucial for them to do their tasks well.
In such a time as this, organizations must recognize and address employees’ anxiety and uncertainty. Some organizations provide online counseling specifically geared in the work setting during the COVID crisis. This can also help employees have an emotional outlet.
Schedule regular feedback sessions.
All the transactions and deliverables are being submitted and processed online. Sometimes, it can be difficult for an employee to track where one’s career is going. Companies must provide an employees’ track. This way, they can have something to look forward to. Companies must make their employees aware of their performance and the next phase in their work.
Companies must conduct training for managers. How to render more meaningful feedback and develop individual strengths is vital.
Managers act on behalf of the company and must be coaches instead of bosses. According to research, 30% of workers strongly agree that their feedback helps them accomplish better work. This way, workers can know what to improve and work on to proceed to the next level.
Provide training to encourage continuous learning.
Many organizations have successfully implemented online learning. There are a lot of self-paced courses made available and accessible to employees. This is beneficial for the company due to reduced training costs as the courses can be reused and revamped. Both the company and employees can also track the progress in a self-paced course. The courses include assessments and required outputs for some.
Online courses for specific skills and knowledge give good returns. Aside from that, companies must also provide management training. This can help aspiring managers, newly appointed ones, and seasoned managers. Such training can improve their communication skills, people management, more profound understanding of a manager’s role, enhanced management change, and better decision-making. Choosing the right management program is essential to help people strengthen their skills and address their weaknesses.
Assign stretch assignments.
If the management is aware of employees’ career goals, they can also assign stretch assignments. Provide projects that are beyond the job description that can lead to higher performance levels. This way, they can be more engaged, develop new skills, handle more challenging projects, and be honed for higher positions. One of the main reasons for leaving one’s job is the lack of opportunities to grow. Thus, assigning stretch assignments encourage engagement and retention. There must be open communication within the organization.
Provide opportunities to network.
The network of your employees can also bring new opportunities or contracts to the company. Hence, encouraging them to attend different networking events—though done online—can still have great returns. This way, employees gain fresh insights. Different perspectives gained can also pave the way to new methods and plans. This helps the company move forward.
Contact a consulting company.
Find companies that offer consultancy services. They can help develop a strategy to stay at the top of your game and maintain employee engagement. According to the Prudential report, 26% of workers have plans of a career change after COVID. 80% are doing so because of their career advancement. Consulting an outside agency can point out what the company is missing and direct it to the right track.
A recent survey confirmed that 38% of employees say they feel stuck in their careers since the pandemic began. To save the company bucks for hiring costs, always consider providing ways for employees’ growth. Start with offering support, giving regular feedback sessions, and training for continuous learning.
It is also important to assign stretch assignments and give networking opportunities. Contact a consulting agency for a more fitting approach. Millions of employees plan to have a career shift after the pandemic. Employees’ career growth is the key to preventing it.