Employee engagement is a proven indicator of productivity, which is why so many companies have now made it a top organisational KPI. And while employee engagement is difficult under the best of circumstances to get right, it’s especially challenging when people are isolated and not having contact with co-workers.
This is one important reason why more companies have made supporting staff mental health and wellbeing a priority over COVID-19. Employers recognise how significant keeping people well and engaged is toward surviving the crisis. In this issue we look at innovative ways companies, leaders and sectors are rising to both engage workers and support their wellbeing.
In an exclusive interview, Josh Krichefski, Global COO & EMEA CEO of MediaCom shares the specific initiatives which the global media agency attributes to the culture of care it’s created for staff. Agency-wide mental health and wellbeing support has been front and centre of Krichefski’s pioneering leadership strategy since day one, but he explains how his team have made it even more of a priority across the EMEA region through the health pandemic.
Engaging employees means understanding and anticipating where support is needed. Over COVID-19 we know that countless workers have faced financial strain. UK property lettings platform Goodlord got on the front foot by investing in a financial coaching for all employees. Learn in this case study how this progressive investment in staff wellbeing has achieved over a 40% engagement rate.
Make a Difference News wanted to know how many new employers have been investing in supporting staff mental health and wellbeing since the start of COVID-19. Read our survey results which found that not only has there been a 9% cross-sector increase in employer support but that over 53% of workers have engaged in self-care since the crisis took hold.
Some of the UK’s largest retailers (including ASOS, Co-op, John Lewis Partnership, M&S, Next, Sainsbury’s and Tesco) had the foresight to come together pre-COVID introducing sector-specific tools to support mental health and wellbeing of retail workers. Learn how this and other retail industry collaborations are helping workers in one of the sectors most hard hit by the impact of the health pandemic.
Whilst it’s imperative to keep staff engaged as we still face COVID-19, it’s also important to for employers to start thinking ahead. Natalka Antoniuk shares the three core pillars to re-engage employees as we continue to face the crisis, and to keep in mind once we finally return to traditional workplace life.
Echoing Josh Krichefski in his interview, we all need to remember to put on our oxygen masks first to be able to support our colleagues and our loved ones! For this reason, Make a Difference News’ Editor in Chief, Claire Farrow re-caps our top five most impactful self-care articles published in recent months.
We hope you find this week’s issue enjoyable and valuable!
Well wishes,
Heather Kelly
Online Editor, Make a Difference News
