Two-way communication to cultivate an inclusive workplace in a hybrid model

 The world of work has changed beyond our imagination in the last two years. Flexibility, physical and mental well-being, and employee experience and engagement are among the top trends that have started reshaping the career trajectory of an employee.

According to Qualtrics report, what drives people to be engaged has also changed significantly in a post-pandemic world.

“There have been significant changes in employee experience management in the last few years. But the Covid-19 pandemic accelerated that change,” says Steve Bennetts, Head of Growth & Strategy - Employee Experience Solutions, Qualtrics.

He highlights that it has become critical to know your employees. “It is evident that knowing employees’ needs and communicating with them must be ensured. Having effective communication with your employee develops a sense of engagement and belongingness among them.”

Empathy and its importance

Leading with empathy positively impacts the business outcome says Bennetts. He suggests creating connections with the people through listening. “An empathetic communication with employees helps managers track their performance, improve engagements and employees’ participation,” adds Bennetts.

How to create engagement between employee and employer

Highlighting the importance of engagement between the employee and employer, Bennetts emphasises that employers must be clear to their employees about what the future looks like, work culture, and the work model. Creating psychological contact also works well to ensure engagement between employee and employer.

To improve employee experience, Bennetts adds that managers should bring employees’ ideas anonymously to the meeting room and take a call based on voting to finalise one for the whole team to work on. “This way managers will be able to establish a better team connection and subsequently improve the employee experience.”

An inclusive work environment in hybrid mode

Creating an inclusive work environment within the workplace in hybrid mode is no less than an important investment. Managers should have trusted and open dialogue and improving team connection and collaboration are vital for creating an inclusive work environment while working in hybrid mode.

Besides listening and taking up the information, Bennetts says managers to adapt and change as per the feedback. The adoption of ideas suggested by employees helps create a sense of belonging and employees feel valued and appreciated,” explains Bennetts.

Both inclusion and well-being are the most discussed topics in a post-pandemic world, a people-friendly approach under the banner of inclusion and well-being helps organisations to retain and attract talent.

Employer’s expectation

Covid-19 altered the way organisations used to work. There have been phenomenal changes at the leadership level to ensure a people-friendly environment. In the new normal employers expect their employees to help them understand a conducive environment by voicing their thoughts, feelings, and concerns.

“They are trying to understand what is the best model to come forward. They reach out to their employees to get feedback on a particular model. “Employees must convey their thoughts and expectation from the workplace to their leaders.” Also, he cautions organisations as well to connect with people on the scale.  Pay heed to employees’ advice and act with empathy to speed up the business.