10 Things That Will Amplify Employee Loyalty

I always maintain a close connection with employees, which helps me understand issues and discover innovative ideas and solutions from employees. These conversations also opened doors to drive awesome employee experiences by assimilating what employees really care about.

“Seriously, what benefits do employees appreciate more from their organization?”

Well, I realized that they are never the same and vary based on macro circumstances and social trends. Covid-19 has changed people’s lives in many unimagined ways and has altered what people value for themselves.

The pre-COVID era was different, and we, as HR professionals, were very much accustomed to the traditional perspective on attracting candidates and employee well-being. With the entrance of pandemic and work from anywhere in human lives, it’s a whole new ball game now. It has influenced and impacted employees’ choices and expectations for which the organizations need to step up to fulfil the criteria.

The differences I observed made me have in-depth conversations with employees to discover the benefits that they think are important for them.  So, without further ado, let’s jump into the top 10 things that employees care about now in the context of COVID.

Mental Support

Everything comes at a price, so does working from home. Pandemic surfaced anxiety and burnout among employees as they work from home managing family and work simultaneously. Working late and constant availability are taking a toll on them, leading to burnout and emotional exhaustion. Having experienced this, they expect a dedicated forum or platform where mental and employee concerns about Covid-19 can be acknowledged and addressed.

A Safe Workplace

If your organization needs your employees to be physically present at the workplace, then assurance of safety is what employees need from you. It is one of the significant aspects that will make their attention lean towards you. Also, not everyone likes to work remotely and prefer to work at office for being their productive best. It does not mean that they compromise on safety but need rigorous measures from organizations to provide a safe work environment. It can also include initiatives like providing safe commute to and fro, immune-centric food in the cafeteria, and staggered work hours.

Flexibility

Unlike in traditional workspaces, employee’s availability has been a key concern for managers in the new normal. Most of the time, people tend to sacrifice time on their personal chores to appear for work on time. Employees experienced a lack of focus to achieve goals and frustration that eroded their productivity over time. To maintain sanity and keep a balance amid working from home, employees need flexible work hours. According to Buffer’s survey, nearly 32% of the individuals feel having a flexible schedule is the biggest benefit.

Transparency

The fear of being laid off or furloughed among employees has been immensely increased due to the unpredictable times. Covid-19 has magnified the transparency flaws in organizations with a lack of visibility in communicating the employee’s termination reasons. Transparency is what employees need from leadership because they will appreciate it if they see it at management level and more expansive organization areas. Moreover, openness builds trust and enhances the strength of the company culture.

Perks And Rewards

Special perks and rewards will forever hold their place in making employees stick with you. To attain desired outcomes, goals should be realistic and achievable considering the circumstances. When rightly calibrated and set for the given objectives, the results are promising to ramp up your organization’s growth and stature—the better the rewards, the better the employee participation and engagement.

Health Benefits

Another main way to win employee’s hearts is by allocating health allowances and initiatives. Assure your employees with benefits they can derive from your schemes and healthcare partnerships. Not just monetary benefits, but also health and hygiene initiatives such as free consultations with doctors and live yoga sessions tend to boost employee satisfaction and engagement.

Financial Wellness

While people battle with COVID every day, financial instability puts extra stress on employees as they have to meet sudden medical emergencies and other expenses. Getting financial aid from the organization will help ease the stress and shows that the organization puts people first over everything. Employees look up to the organizations that provide financial schemes and resources which help them get smart at financial decisions.

Company Culture

With the workplace being fissioned and distributed into numerous mini offices worldwide, culture keeps them intact. A strong company culture imparts awesome employee experience and brings the right people into the business. While establishing a robust virtual company culture isn’t an overnight task, but with suitable measures and approaches, the sense of culture can be ingrained among your employees. Work from home culture gains even more importance as Bill Gates stated that it is here to stay even post-pandemic.

Better Leave Policies

Global food delivery firm and unicorn, Zomato has recently introduced period leave policy to its female and transgender employees to combat the stigma around it. This bold move drew appraisals from all around and is one step forward in the right direction. Some companies have introduced paid leaves for burnout and other mental health issues to enrich their employee well-being. A progressive leave policy plays a vital role in upping your brand’s presence externally and can attract best talent.

Sustainability

Employees identify themselves and strongly align with businesses committed to creating a positive impact in the socio-ecological environment. Millennials, who constitute a majority of workforce, are more enthusiastic about the environment and social activities. Extending help to communities, donations, and other social services incur a cost but give your business returns in the form of branding, attracting the right talent, and PR.

The Bottomline

“You can take my factories, burn up my buildings, but give 

me my people and I’ll build the business right back again.”

This timeless quote about people by Henry Ford forever stays relevant and divulges that people are an invaluable asset of the organization. It will help if you focus on making your people happy rather than making profits at the cost of their happiness. If your employees are happy, then your business thrives. Also, explore and try these ways to improve employee experience.