Looking beyond how we communicate in a remote work environment

By Mahak Dutta

Mahak Dutta discusses how communicators can help organizations keep their current and prospective employees engaged while working apart.

Remember the time when we yearned for working from home? Even spending one weekday at home felt like a bliss. Now, rushing to work, struggling with bustling traffic and the tiresome commute seems like a distant memory, doesn’t it?

COVID-19 has changed our means of communication. In a matter of months, the internet has transformed from ‘nice to have’ to ‘must have,’ meetings have moved from boardrooms to Zoom and other digital platforms, in-person communications moved from coffee-runs to Slack and text messaging. Communications and Human Resources teams worldwide struggle with the question: “How to drive engagement in companies during such extraordinary times?”

There are a few common challenges organizations faced throughout the pandemic:

• Operations have been severely affected,
• Cash flow has stopped or lowered considerably,
• Employee culture and engagement declined, and
• Communication constraints came to the forefront.

Robust employee culture and engaged workforce drive productivity. This is why organizations are working around the clock on building their resilience by investing in their employees and boosting employee engagement through consistent communications, internal programs and initiatives. In fact, 81% of Canadian employees and 83% of employers believe that investing in upskilling employees besides daily work routines helps improve job performance.

But what about recruiting? How does an organization go about hiring new employees in the new normal? And how can a prospective employee engage with an organization?

I was about to graduate with a degree in Public Relations, and was looking for job opportunities since early 2020. Friendly coffee chats, informational interviews and job fairs soon transformed into a monotonous affair between my work desk and the bedroom. I originally didn’t have a plan B, but the reality struck me when people refused to even shake hands due to safety concerns.

I still look for that one perfect opportunity (and know I’m not alone). I am not going to write about how I have been managing because you must be doing all the right things too: researching and self-studying, being consistent, networking, finding a mentor, connecting with recruiters and what not! By now, all my fellow job seekers would say: ‘Been there, done that!’

We know what it takes to find the right fit, but the question is ‘How?’ How can you know it is the right fit if you only communicate digitally, you have never met your potential co-workers and never set foot in your potential workplace? Believe me, it is hard.

So how can organizations communicate and engage with employees and potential employees effectively?

1. Showcase your commitment. Create programs and initiatives to drive engagement and build confidence. For example, two-thirds of Canadian employees report that they have turned more confident in their organization’s leadership as they are being provided with upskilling opportunities. Job seekers are looking for organizations that care about their employees and are committed to their success and well-being.
2. Make your employees and potential employees feel included. Companies have been readily talking about diversity and inclusion; this alone is a fundamental indicator of being compassionate to drive fruitful engagement. In other words, if COVID-19 has borne the brunt on people’s lives and lifestyles, it has also positively changed our consciousness. So be inclusive in your recruitment practices and keep those conversations going.
3. Share your insights. Organizations and individual contributors turn to LinkedIn to talk about their employee engagement activities, the status of Canadian job market or tips for better job hunting. Showcasing your insights on social media positions your organization as a thought leader in the eyes of potential employees.

And how can communicators not only support their organization’s efforts, but help their fellow professionals?

1. Help others (in any big or small way)
   It could be giving suggestions, providing constructive feedback, replying to pending messages on LinkedIn, boosting someone’s morale, or simply hearing others out. Empathizing with others is not just a method to generate engagement but to evoke the human connection among all of us.
2. Attend virtual events, converse and network with people, show support for issues that you care about (could be professional, political, environmental, economic or social) and see the transformation. You’d automatically feel more engaged and help others feel engaged too. For instance: I recently co-organized IABC/Toronto’s holiday event where we asked people to share resources/daily practices for keeping engaged during the holiday time. Christmas this year was not the same, but to get personalized suggestions about things to do during holidays made us feel connected even when we were apart.
3. Share what you have been doing at work. Be vocal about the changes your company is integrating to boost engagement with clients and among employees. How has your company culture changed? Has the lunch hour been replaced with something virtual? Are there programs to promote employee physical and mental wellness? Boosting employee morale during this time is critical to an organization’s success down the road, and potential employees notice.

In a profession such as ours, we put our hearts into the work we do. This pandemic has brought everyone together globally, and as communicators we have an opportunity to influence positive changes in organizations and in our professional communities, let’s not miss out on it.