As we start heading into the future form of normality; not necessarily what was the norm prior to COVID-19 but the new normal, it will be interesting to see the changes that will remain for organisations, employees and individuals. 2020 has definitely been a year that will remain with us for many years to come; potentially for some, it will be stories that will be told to the future generations!

Talking with a wide variety of businesses in Queensland, it has been interesting to hear the changes / initiatives that have been implemented during the pandemic to help drive engagement, motivation and ultimately retention.

These have ranged from:

• Daily / Weekly catchups with teams
• Regular social events – via technology
• Opportunity to upskill / take on a course
• Hosting regular wellbeing webinars
• Buddy programmes
• Exercise support programs

And so many more. A lot of these initiatives were implemented to help cope with the rapidly changing working environment, help support teams that were working from home and create the opportunity for some form of balance. Many of these have had a positive impact on the people / teams where they have felt included, supported and valued, which in turn has helped to drive productivity and results.

BUT, what happens now that we start getting back to some form of normal – do we keep doing what we have been doing or do we revert back to the ‘old’ ways as we see more people return to the office? Will we keep some or discard most?

In our 2020 Annual Market Trend report, the p2p Post, we identified that approximately 34 % of the companies surveyed found that COVID-19 had had a positive impact on their company culture, as there had been more focus on support, wellbeing and not just on the bottom line.

Has this been your experience too? We would love to hear from you –
1. What initiatives has your organisation implemented during this time?
2. Which would you want to see remain, moving forward?

Information is always valuable – so please comment and share!