| | May 2021MANAGEHRMAGAZINE.COM9you or some open air. If Employee's don't take the opportunity to take some time out at home to replace these moments of being `workfree' the possibility of burn out is real as the work day can start and end after breakfast is finished and dinner is ready. In addition, the expectations of what is required in a work day, such as availability, presence, work hours, responsiveness etc. can be varied for each Employee; be it manager, subordinate or colleague. Questions such as how to fit work meetings in each other's day (depending on one another's work hours and if working from home) without burdening or impeding on another's personal life becomes more commonplace and requires understanding from all parties for each individual circumstance. Meanwhile certain personalities may find it harder to be heard as a Teams/Zoom call may not provide the forum a meeting in the office provides for an Employee to express themselves confidently. Obviously, there are opportunities where these circumstances allow others to thrive, though even if this is the case it does not mean we should lose our engagement of those that do not.Knowing your Employees is imperative now. Understanding your team/department etc. make-up through personality tests and having a leader who knows how to communicate to each and every one will lead the way to higher engagement. It will provide insight and prospective touchpoints with each Employee, as engagement can no longer be relied upon a broader team or workforce who can see each other daily and have a coffee run or walk or lunch together. Work camaraderie isn't dead, but it's changed drastically from what we have known and the responsibility is with leaders.Further to this, clear and concise communication will always be king and finding ways to increase this to a remote workforce will be necessary to keep Employees engaged and can, even should, be done across various mediums to reach different work demographics. Lastly, companies who continue and pursue a hybrid model need to consider that Employees may not have appropriate working arrangements at home. It is important for Employers to be proactive in ensuring that `hybrid home offices' are set-up appropriately and their proactivity towards this will only support the benefits that they offer to their Employees. Employee Engagement in any setting is led by those that act before it is imperative. COVID-19 has forced Employers into implementing a new normal for their workforce. Those that use this as an opportunity to think outside the box and use it as a platform to build off, will be the ones that will engage, retain, and attract Employees. It is important for Employers to be proactive in ensuring that `hybrid home offices' are set-up appropriately and their proactivity towards this will only support the benefits that they offer to their EmployeesGiovanni A Abelardo
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