As we learn to adjust to the ‘new normal’, more than half the workforce find themselves working from home owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Businesses have recognised some of the benefits of remote working, which include; reduced overheads, less commuting, and constant access to colleagues. But this has come at a cost.

A recent survey by i4cp, has found that overwhelmingly, 96 per cent of businesses feel that productivity has been affected. This can be no surprise, with working from home creating a number of challenges for employees. According to research, this includes; loneliness, staying motivated, home distractions, collaborating and unplugging after work. It sounds familiar, right?

At a time when colleagues feel more detached than ever, it’s no surprise that many are looking for remote working tips and wellbeing guidance for coping. But there’s much that companies can do to help, which in turn will benefit the business. We’ve already outlined the benefits of continuously listening to employee feedback, let’s look at this in more detail.

Why feedback matters?

Whether you’re a multinational organisation or micro-business of two, your workforce is your front line, and your most valuable asset.

In these unprecedented times, being agile is important. Listening to employee feedback is a smart way to understand how customers and employees feel, and to adjust and adapt accordingly.

Where once crisis communication was a one-way street, today businesses understand that two-way communication is essential to any crisis communications plan. 

And where does it all start? Listening of course.

If in doubt, here’s some of the main benefits of engaged listening to your teams:

1. Improves Performance

Employees that feel valued are more likely to be engaged. An engaged workforce is a productive and happy one, as well as more productive.  Furthermore, it can also impact on customer satisfaction scores too. At a time when retaining customer loyalty has never been more important, it’s important to acknowledge the role that employees play in this. See Talivest’s employee engagement software to learn more.

2. Workforce Wellbeing

Owing to the current pandemic, stress and anxiety levels are on the rise. With mental health issues firmly on the agenda, it’s a part of duty of care you can’t afford to ignore. Gathering employee feedback is a helpful way to ascertain existing issues and manage them better. From struggling with a work-life balance, through to working with childcare, there may be a number of working from home issues you can help with.

3. Retain Talent

We know that it costs more to recruit talent than keep it. As such, it makes business sense to do all you can to address colleagues concerns. Improving communication in the workplace is one small but important step. After all, not feeling valued at work is one of the major reasons for people leaving their jobs.

4. Gathering Employee Feedback

Recognising the value of listening to colleague feedback, there’s a few quick wins to implement. First of all, try our free remote working survey. This will allow you to instantly gauge employee morale, and better understand some of the issues your workforce currently face.

Secondly, an employee analytics tool is a smart way of highlighting emerging issues within your workforce. Providing invaluable data, this will equip you manage issues around working from home, as well as other challenges your workforce and customers may face for a competitive advantage.

Summary

Whether you’re a HR Manager or business owner, the importance of feedback in leadership can make the difference to your output, colleagues welfare, and business potential. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to improve communication in the workplace. Download our free HR toolkit, designed to help you navigate the challenges of COVID-19 at work.