Dissertation Assignment

A C A D E M I C P A P E R

Employee engagement practices during COVID-19 lockdown

Nisha Chanana1 | Sangeeta2

1Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Management

Studies, Swami Devi Dyal Group of

Professional Institutions, Panchkula, Haryana,

India

2PCJ School of Management, Maharaja

Agrasen University, Solan, Himachal Pradesh,

India

Correspondence

Nisha Chanana, Swami Devi Dyal Institute of

Management Studies, Swami Devi Dyal Group

of Professional Institutions, Panchkula,

Haryana, India.

Email: [email protected]

In the present business situation during the COVID-19 pandemic, employee engage-

ment has become one of the utmost prominent primacies for human resource man-

agers and practitioners in organizations due to lockdown. The paper is to determine

the engagement of employees by various companies during coronavirus pandemic.

Organizations nowadays are constantly developing innovative and effective means

to engage the employees during this tough time. This paper is a conceptual paper

that is based on various research papers, articles, blogs, online newspapers, and

reports of World Health Organization. During this pandemic situation, organizations

are evolving many engagement activities like online family engagement practices, vir-

tual learning and development, online team building activities, webinars with industry

experts, online conduct weekly alignment sessions, team meet-ups over video con-

ference for lunch, short online game sessions, virtual challenges and competitions,

online courses, appreciation sessions, communication exercises, live sessions for

new-skill training, online counseling sessions, recognition and acknowledgment ses-

sion, webinars dealing with anxiety and stress, providing online guidance for exercise

and meditation, social interactions in a virtual office, classrooms training modules dig-

itally, e-learning modules, and many more creative learning sessions. Work-from-

home regime engagement activities are very fruitful for employees as well as for

organizations. Those organizations doing these kinds of engagement activities for

their employees are learning new skills and developing themselves. Employees are

feeling committed to the organization and stay motivated during this tough time of

COVID-19 pandemic.

1 | INTRODUCTION

1.1 | Employee engagement

Today, the business setup is changing in relation to the global

pandemic of COVID-19. Human resource managers are persis-

tently evolving innovative, creative, and effective ways to

engage the employees in a healthier way during this difficult

time. Employee engagement is a workplace attitude that is

ensuing all adherents of an organization to give of their excel-

lence every day, committed toward their organization's goals

and values. Organizations always remember that employees who

are well engaged in an organization will lead to productivity in

the place of work, and this generates a higher customer

satisfaction and, absolutely, developments in sales and profit in

the company.

The major challenge in theoretical literature is when we discuss

the term “engagement” because there is a lack of a general definition

of employee engagement. (Kahn, 1990) described in his study that

engagement indicates physiological and physical existence of execut-

ing an organizational role. Psychological conditions of meaningfulness,

safety, and availability are the three constructs that help engagement

to develop in an organization. Further study suggests that in engage-

ment, individuals employ and express themselves physically, cogni-

tively, and emotionally in their role performances. The cognitive facet

is associated with beliefs of leaders, employees, and working environ-

ments. The emotional facet means employees positive or negative

attitude toward the organization and the leaders. Physical facet means

Received: 2 August 2020 Revised: 29 August 2020 Accepted: 16 September 2020

DOI: 10.1002/pa.2508

J Public Affairs. 2020;e2508. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/pa © 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd 1 of 8

https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2508

the physical force devoted in order to accomplish an organizational

role. Kahn's model is tested by May, Gilson, and Harter (2004) and the

result showed that meaningfulness, safety, and availability of psycho-

logical condition are positively associated with engagement. Schaufeli,

Martinez, Pinto, Salanova, and Bakker (2002) develop the term job

engagement and explained job engagement as a positive and a work-

related state of mind, and it is considered by strength, dedication, and

absorption. This study explained employee engagement as the individ-

ual's involvement, satisfaction, and enthusiasm for work (Harter,

Schmidt, & Hayes, 2002). This study suggests that engagement is clos-

est to job involvement, well-being, and emotions (May et al., 2004).

Employee engagement comprises two important facets, that is, job

engagement and organization engagement (Saks, 2006). An engaged

employee always does care about their effort, work, and performance,

and employees want to feel that their work, efforts, and performance

could make a difference. Employee engagement is usually understood

as an inner state of mind, that is, physically, emotionally, and mentally,

that binds together the commitment, satisfaction, and work effort in

an employee.

Engaged employees support the organization to attain its mission,

execute its strategy, and generate significant business results.

Employee engagement can be enhanced by different HR practices

comprising job design, recruitment, selection, compensation, training,

and performance management (Vance, 2006). Organizations that sup-

port employee engagement, intelligently manage talent, and commu-

nicate with employees honestly, accurately, and at the right time will

ride the current market turbulence and be successful in the future

(Robison, 2009). Organizations and employees are both dependent on

each other to fulfill their goals and objectives. Employee engagement

should not be a one-time implementation, but it should be integrated

into the culture of the company. Career development prospects,

encouragement, communication, recognition, the flexibility of

employee's hours, fair pay structure, transparent and open work envi-

ronment, and participation in decision-making are the factors contrib-

uting to employee engagement at the workplace (Patro, 2013). To

improve the purpose of effective employee engagement, six C's

parameters are essential, that is, clarity, confidence, convey, connect,

credibility, and career. An engaged employee is attentive about their

work and about the performance of the company, and they always

desire to feel that their determinations and hard work could make a

difference. Engaged employees lead to productivity in the workplace,

and this generates higher customer satisfaction and positive rises in

sales and also profit in the organizations. Confidence and communica-

tion among both employees and organizations are also essential. This

unification between the enterprise and the employee is a necessity as

both are able to best in performance (Sarangi & Nayak, 2016).

Employee engagement is built on belief, reliability, commitment, and

communication between an organization and its adherents. Organiza-

tions can increase engagement by enhancing employee decision-

making, commitment, and transparency from senior leadership.

Employee engagement is the level of enthusiasm and commitment an

employee feels toward his/her job (Chandani, Mehta, Mall, & Khokhar,

2016). Employee engagement is an approach that proliferates the

chances of business achievement, subsidizing to organizational and

individual performance, productivity, and well-being of employees.

1.2 | COVID-19 lockdown

The severe respiratory disease recently appeared in Wuhan (Hubei

province), China. Epidemiological examinations have suggested that

the epidemic was related to a seafood market in Wuhan, China

(Fan et al., 2020). COVID-19 is a pandemic that has already reached

5,934,936 confirmed cases globally, with at least 367,166 deaths as

reported by the World Health Organization (WHO) as of May

31, 2020. In the European region, the total number of confirmed cases

is 2,142,547 and 180,085 deaths reported. In regions of the Americas,

confirmed cases are 2,743,793 and 157,702 deaths confirmed. In

Eastern Mediterranean region, total number of confirmed cases is

505,001 and 12,353 deaths reported. In the Western Pacific region, it

is 181,665 confirmed cases and 7,028 deaths reported. In South-East

Asia region, confirmed cases are 260,579, and deaths are reported as

7,431. African region reported 100,610 confirmed cases and 2,554

deaths. World Health Organization risk assessment report states that

COVID-19 is very high risk at the global level (World Health

Organization, 2020a). Those people who are living with NCDs (non-

communicable diseases) are more susceptible to becoming seriously ill

or dying from COVID-19 (World Health Organization, 2020b).

World Health Organization also provides some recommendations

and advice for the public. According to WHO, maximum persons

infected with the COVID-19 virus will experience mild to moderate

respiratory illness and convalesce without requiring any special treat-

ment. Those people who are old and individuals who have medical

problems like cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and chronic

respiratory disease are more likely to develop severe illness.

According to WHO guidelines, individuals should protect themselves

and others from COVID-19 infection by washing their hands or using

an alcohol-based rub frequently. According to the report of WHO

(World Health Organization, 2020c), the COVID-19 virus spreads pri-

marily through droplets of saliva or discharge from the nose when an

infected person coughs or sneezes. According to the research, there is

no effective vaccine or approved drug treatment against COVID-19

developed. In this situation, most of the countries go for lockdown, so

that spread of COVID-19 will break soon. Several countries have also

closed borders to avoid international travelers from spreading the

virus (Ghosh, Brindisi, Shahabi, Mackenzie, & Andrew, 2020).

According to Business Insider (Kaplan, Frias, & Mefall-Johnsen, 2020),

most of the countries are executing measures to slow the spread of

the COVID-19, from national quarantines to school closures.

Most of the countries are applying some form of restriction to

the public like lockdown, social distancing, and wearing a face mask

when you step out of your home. As per the need of the hour, most

of the organizations started working online and initiated a work-from-

home (WFH) regime. Due to lockdown, most of the organizations pro-

vide the facility to their employees to work from home. But work from

home is difficult for employees as they do not feel the organizational

2 of 8 CHANANA AND SANGEETA

climate at home, as lack of concentration due to frequent invasion of

family members; work–life conflict arise due to this. Even they do not

have proper equipment and tools (computer, mouse, printers, scan-

ners, headphones, webcam, internet connection, and dedicated

workspace—a quiet place to work). Most of the employees feel

stressed due to rising cases of COVID-19 in the world. They are not

sure about their job security and also about their salary. Due to these

problems, employees could not concentrate/focus on their work, so

there is a need for employee engagement. The prime responsibility of

the organization is to take care of their employees' well-being and

engage them properly. Those employees who are engaged well are

giving 100% result. Leaders should provide some motivational talk lec-

tures, boost their morale, and provide security and open environment

so employees can raise their voice if they are having some issues.

Leaders can use multimedia for communication. There should be

transparent policy, so employees do not feel stress about their job

and engage in their job well mannered.

1.3 | Review of literature

Robison (2009) suggested on how to manage in turbulent times and

keep employees focused and engaged in times of change. Some tips

are given by the author like tell employees what organization expects

from them, make sure employees have the right materials and equip-

ment, give employees the opportunity to do what they do best, do

not forget to give recognition, let your employees know you care

about them, and always keep encouraging their development.

Employee engagement can be used as a mediator to develop the atti-

tudes, intention, and behavior of employees to an improved work per-

formance (Andrew & Sofian, 2012; Saks, 2006). Andrew and

Saudah (2012) concluded that employee engagement can be utilized

as a mediator to enhance the behavior, intention, and attitudes of

employees toward a better work performance. Basquille (2013) rec-

ommended that managers should be supported by the executive to

provide development assistance, career support, and recognition.

These factors enhance employee engagement effectively. Patro (2013)

revealed that companies have to provide their employees the freedom

to make their work interesting and forming an environment for having

an engaged work life. Further study suggests that employee engage-

ment should be a continuous process of learning, improvement, and

action. Therefore, organizations today should actively look forward to

fulfilling employee's expectations and generate an impact on the per-

formance of the employee, which directly marks the organization's

performance.

Bedarkar and Pandita (2014) projected an integrated model of

employee engagement. The study result has shown that leadership,

communication, and work–life balance are the key drivers of

employee engagement. Groups, presence perceived, ease of use,

and reputation of Facebook functions are the four factors that sig-

nificantly contribute towards employee engagement (Abd Latib,

Bolong, & Ghazali, 2014). Jalal (2016) study outcomes directed that

employee engagement has a significant positive effect on

organizational commitment and also found employee engagement as

an important determinant of organizational commitment. The finding

of the study suggests that the more employees are engaged in the

workplace, high will be their commitment toward the organization or

institution. Lee et al. (2016) study outcomes suggest that it is a chal-

lenge for HR professionals to keep present employees engaged with

their jobs. Results revealed that workers are moderately engaged,

meaning some may be detached from their current roles or fearful of

losing their jobs. Job satisfaction is a significant driver of work

engagement. Garg, Dar, and Mishra (2017) result revealed that there

is a positive relationship between job satisfaction and work engage-

ment. Further analysis showed that employee job satisfaction leads

to employee engagement. Employee engagement link to financial

performance comprising revenue growth, profit margins, share-

holder return, and operating income is almost three times greater

than organizations with disengaged personnel. It also elaborates that

higher employee engagement level results in lower absenteeism and

job stress and better well-being and health. Further research shows

that employee engagement has an effect on a company's bottom

line and is sturdily linked to business performance (Saks, 2017).

Engagement of employees results in business profits like cost and

time savings if an organization provides a strong corporate culture in

which personnel feel important and supported by the organization.

Management trusts in employees, slightly flatter hierarchies, and

leaders acting as role models increase the level of employee engage-

ment (Sievert & Scholz, 2017). Internal communication satisfaction

and employee engagement both are intercorrelated concept and the

antecedent. Further study suggests asignificant role of internal com-

munication satisfaction in high employee engagement (Verčič &

Voki�c, 2017). Engaged employees have emotional association with

their work as well as their organization. Engaged employees always

trust in the leaders of the organization. Hence, engaged employees

are more dedicated and committed toward their work as well as

organization.

Engaged personnel are always optimistic, keep good interpersonal

rapport with each other, and also show high level of performance in

the organization (Jena, Pradhan, & Panigrahy, 2018). Tiwari and

Lenka (2019) revealed that functional, economic, and psychological

benefits upsurge employees' level of engagement. Results indicate

that internal corporate communication, perceived communication sat-

isfaction, knowledge sharing, continuous learning, and intrapreneur-

ship were positively associated with employee engagement. This

paper found that if organizations invested in their human resources

and building complete human resource management (HRM) system in

their organization, it produces an engaged personnel, and, in return,

organizations improve their performance (Tensay & Singh, 2020).

Employees those dispositional happiness experience at higher level

always practice higher levels of employee engagement (Barreiro &

Treglown, 2020). Employee engagement is critical for an organization

to retain their valued employees. It is very essential for an organiza-

tion to do effective utilization of human resources in an organization.

Without employee engagement, an organization cannot survive for a

lengthy period.

CHANANA AND SANGEETA 3 of 8

1.4 | Rationale of the study

The maximum of the nations is in lockdown due to the COVID-19

pandemic. In this difficult situation, work-from-home regime is

implemented by most of the organizations. But work-from-home

regime is challenging for employees as well as for organizations during

this difficult situation. Due to this problem, companies need to engage

their employees in refined ways with the help of various employee

engagement practices. This paper is to determine the various creative

and innovative ways of employee engagement, so that employees can

easily do work from home and stay committed, satisfied, and moti-

vated during this pandemic situation.

1.5 | Objective of the study

To determine the employee engagement practices during COVID-19

lockdown.

1.6 | Research methodology

This paper is a conceptual paper based on secondary data. Conceptual

articles get organized manifold varying streams of content to provide

some new understanding (Chermack & Passmore, 2005). The data col-

lected derived from secondary research carried out by various

researchers and groups. In the course of investigation, most data pre-

sent in research papers, articles, blogs, and online newspapers pro-

vided insights into the concepts and practices of employee

engagement related to COVID-19 and tough times. COVID-19 data

are collected from the reports of World Health Organization. A

methodical and wide literature review was conducted related to

employee engagement literatures. The integrative literature review is

a unique form of research that creates new understanding and knowl-

edge about the topic reviewed (Torraco, 2005). Literature reviews

purpose is to précis the present form of literature linked to certain

phenomenon (Chermack & Passmore, 2005). Employee engagement is

very essential for all the organizations during this COVID-19 pan-

demic situation. In a lockdown, employee engagement practices keep

them motivated, committed, satisfied, and contented in this

tough time.

1.7 | Employee engagement is important during tough times

According to the American Management Association, engagement

levels can be improved, even throughout the tough periods, if compa-

nies take care and make the right decisions at the right time.

According to the study, higher engagement levels are linked to

improved productivity and a healthier bottom line. In good times or

bad, worker engagement should be a top priority of organizations

(Vickers, 2019). According to The Guardian, employee engagement

helps to increase strong positive attitudes among people toward their

work and their organization in difficult times. Organizational commit-

ment, job satisfaction, and organizational citizenship are the factors

that play a major role to make up employee engagement. According

to the newspaper, when employee engagement is high, organizations

do better. To enhance employee engagement in difficult times, organi-

zations should make more efforts toward the employees so that

employees feel that their organization is genuinely interested in them

(Robertson, 2012). According to Groove Management Blog

(Formato, 2014), leadership needs to be more visible in tough times

than at any other time. If organizations want their employees be

engaged, then leaders should take responsibility and motivate them to

achieve your future promise. Effective communication plan influences

the employees to engage in their work and accomplish their objectives

in difficult times. According to the blog, employee engagement is so

critical in difficult times and only leadership can do wonders through

employee engagement via an effective communication plan. Person-

nel wants to get their message through multiple channels, and the

best practice is to release the information via multimedia. Deal,

Stawiski, and Gentry (2010) revealed that during the tough time, addi-

tional benefit packages and fair and comparable pay structures should

be given to their employees to keep them engaged and motivated.

Organizations also provide employees all the tools and resources so

that they can accomplish their job effectively. To keep engagement

high among employees, managers should provide effective feedback

and direction to their subordinates from time to time. Masson (2009)

suggested that leaders should effectively communicate to employees

toward their career growth, so that employees trust that development

processes are fair and equitable. Supervisors should be transparent

and to help employees identify their developmental needs and also

enhance their skills during tough times. DVV media HR group limited

(2018) article states some actionable tips for employee engagement

during tough times. The most important is strengthening employee

engagement. Others tips are: leaders have the responsibility for being

role models during tough times, integrate employee feedback into

your company culture, communicate clearly and consistently, support

your managers, and keep motivation high with rewards and

recognition.

Jones and Kober (2019) explained some strategies related to how

to achieve superior employee engagement in difficult times and higher

business results. These strategies are:

1. Stay centered on your core values—it encourages employee

engagement in difficult times.

2. Explicitly support your employee—so they remain motivated dur-

ing tough times.

3. Solicit employee feedback—ask employees to freely share informa-

tion, both frustrations and ideas for developments in a produc-

tive way.

4. Communicate upfront with employees—leaders should communi-

cate openly and honestly, so employees perform more effectively.

5. Commit to your employee's employment—so employees should be

committed to your organization.

4 of 8 CHANANA AND SANGEETA

Matkin (2016) mentioned that vision should be clear and concise

and should be properly communicated to the employees, so they can

get direction during tough times. In an organization, there should be

open-door policies; this kind of platform gives employees a voice.

Organizations should be fully transparent with their employees; this

kind of transparency builds trust among the employees toward the

organization during difficult times. Article published in Nature

(Fan et al., 2020) stated five tips to help support employees working

from home. These are:

1. Create a healthy workspace—encourage workers to create a

healthy workspace at home. Encourage employees to work ergo-

nomically from home as best they can and review their work-at-

home setup.

2. Maintain a routine—encourage employees to stick to a routine

and to maintain boundaries between their “work” time and

“home” time.

3. Do not forget to be social—communication with colleagues is a

great stress reliever. An organization should set up a session for

fun activities that would normally take place in the office.

4. Encourage well-being practices—organizations should care about

their employee's well-being; it can help reduce absenteeism, boost

engagement, and performance.

5. Invest in technology—communication tools such as instant mes-

saging and video and voice calling platforms can help to keep

teams connected. It is important to invest in a recognition platform

that allows employees to send and receive recognition.

1.8 | Employee engagement practices during the COVID-19 lockdown

As organizations develop various engagement practices to implement

full-time remote work policies due to COVID-19, here are some prac-

tices to keep your employees engaged in their jobs work-from-home

regime.

According to Sarkar (2020), in employee engagement, new dimen-

sion included by the organizations is family engagement, to keep

employees' kids engaged for a few hours while their parents work

from home during COVID-19 lockdown. Organizations that are doing

these practices are Genpact, Accenture, Deloitte, AMD, and Hinduja

Global Solutions. Talukar (2020) article suggested five tips for practic-

ing employee engagement during the COVID-19 pandemic. These

are: build a much stronger communication regime with your remote

teams, do not forget to cheer them up with instant appreciation,

loosen up and ensure flexibility, create a virtual community with all

your employees, and host online team building activities.

Goswami (2020) article is about engaging downtime employees during

the lockdown period. Manufacturing companies, like CEAT, SAR, and

Aditya Birla are elevating the downtime of employees. Through learn-

ing and development, companies keep the workforce engaged during

the lockdown. Some companies provide TED Talks, webinars with

industry experts, books, e-learning, and self-developed contents to

their employees. Some companies also motivate their employees dur-

ing the pandemic time and try to assuage their fears to ensure they

stay positive. CEAT hired fitness trainers to keep the downtime

employees and their families motivated through podcasts and live

calls. Dutta (2020) article explains about the digital learning programs

to upgrade the skills of employees during the lockdown. By develop-

ing learning opportunities, providing various resources for incessant

professional growth, and keeping employees engaged during this

tough period, organizations can empower digital personnel ready for

the future. Singh (2020a) mentioned that organizations must focus on

employee engagement during COVID-19 outbreak. According to the

article, when employees have significant work and organizations con-

tinuously provide growth opportunities to them, then they feel moti-

vated and committed toward their organization. Engaging remote

employees generate a culture of openness in which employees can

get new ideas. Engagement programs raise employees' inquisitiveness

and help in bringing out the inventive and creative side of the work-

force. So, it becomes necessary for companies to take effective

employee engagement measures during tough times.

Goyal, Trivedi, Nandwani, Changulani, and Lokhandwala (2020)

suggested and explained various ways to increase employee engage-

ment during the lockdown. These are: conduct weekly alignment ses-

sion, team meet-ups, entire team gathers over video conference for

lunch, short online game session, virtual challenges and competitions,

5 min of informal talk, shared content such as TED Talks, books,

online courses, brainstorming focus, aha, apology and appreciation

session, communication exercise, ditch a task, map of alignment, and

emphasize results over timelines. Singh (2020b) discussed the various

issues of employees they are facing during this tough time. This article

suggested that businesses must understand the stress levels of per-

sonnel during this difficult time; there should be an open environment

and proper communication channels where personnel can come for-

ward to discuss the issues they are dealing with. Most of the busi-

nesses are organizing contests, challenges, and hackathons for their

workforces. Companies are regularly examining the well-being of

employees and offering solutions that support a healthy work–life bal-

ance. During this time, companies focus on the learning and develop-

ment of their employees. Most of the organizations are introducing

webinars and live sessions for new-skill training to online counseling

sessions helping employees to stay safe and healthy at home.

Anand (2020) revealed that lockdown has caused huge disruption in

the world as billions of people are self-isolating in homes. This article

suggested four tips for better employee engagement during the lock-

down. Build solid communication channels like messaging platforms,

video conferencing, and email. Appreciation, recognition, and

acknowledgment of employees are necessary during this tough time.

Employees will need to take time off to make meals, play with their

kids, and perform household chores, so keep things flexible. Busi-

nesses should plan meetings in the virtual world with their employees.

Nair (2020) explored that many employee engagement programs

are run by Capgemini during this difficult time. Capgemini introduces

structured employee engagement programs like constant communica-

tion with employees through video messages from the company's

CHANANA AND SANGEETA 5 of 8

leadership, creating and maintaining social networks in virtual commu-

nities, creating a sense of belonging, arranged counseling service for

employees, conducting webinars dealing with anxiety and stress, shar-

ing best practices of maintaining health and hygiene and also provide

guidance for exercise and Meditation. Bhardwaj (2020) discussed the

steps taken by Cars24 to ensure maximum employee engagement and

raise a sense of belongingness with the company. Various activities

are conducted by the Cars24 including challenges like sharing a pic-

ture with your pet, a selfie with the family, fun awards, and “Know

Your Leaders” where the employees were quizzed about their general

knowledge of the leaders, mental fitness and meditations online clas-

ses, a hidden talent show, virtual karaoke challenge, a virtual campfire

challenge, fostering team spirit, video calls, and various online group

challenges to boost employee morale and engagement.

Brunswick group (Metts, 2020) mentioned that companies need

to develop employee engagement and communication plans to keep

morale high and help their people stay connected with each other.

Communications to employees should be regular and frequent, allow

weekly all-employee video conferences or conference calls, remind

colleagues to take extra precautions on potential data breaches and

other cyber-security issues, and encourage employees to share work–

from-home experience and tips—what do they find challenging and

how to stay focused and productive. Fallon (2020) elaborates the

team engagement during coronavirus pandemic. Article explains some

ways to keep employees engaged like keep people updated through

transparent communication, prepare powerful presentations, and get

everyone on video. Leaders lead by example with a good remote work

setup, avoid micromanaging, maintain friendly social interactions in

the virtual office, and get employee feedback on how they are feeling.

Hasan (2020) explained the various ways companies are serving

employees in response to COVID-19. Amway is on-going with the

increments, promotions, and recognition as per previous plans. The

company has planned virtual engagement programs like external

webinars to learn new skills and also announced employee's medical-

claim plans that will cover treatment costs for COVID-19. Hindustan

Coca Cola Beverages has launched a virtual employee engagement

program that seeks to involve employee's colleagues and their family

members online for their physical and mental wellness. McDonald's

India has adopted many of its classrooms training modules digitally

and introduced e-learning modules, quizzes, master classes by man-

agers, and many more creative learning sessions, which employees

can access on their phone while in quarantine at home. ITC Hotels

has rolled a number of e-learning courses targeted at specific roles

and levels through primary channels of E-learning to provide an

opportunity for self-learning which can be accentuated through any-

time app-based hosting. Clix Capital is also hosting live e-sessions on

its learning platform.

Various companies are doing employee engagement practices in a

very innovative and creative manner to keep their employees satisfied

and committed toward the organization. It is very essential to do

employee engagement practices during this difficult time of the

pandemic.

2 | CONCLUSION

Engaging employees has become very essential in today's pandemic

situation due to COVID-19. Thinking of seizing the top position

devoid of the support of your employees would surely be a dream in

this current situation of lockdown. Organizations know very well that

engaged employees are the key to success in this tough time. That is

why businesses must look forward to keeping their employees satis-

fied and motivated through the engagement of employees during

pandemic circumstances. Under the current situation, establishing

employee engagement measures with the help of technology is

essential for the growth of the organizations. Many companies nowa-

days are developing numerous employee engagement practices like

virtual team meet-ups, virtual learning and development, conducting

weekly alignment online session, webinars with industry experts, and

also webinars for anxiety and stress, online team building activities,

online family engagement practices, brainstorming, apology, and

appreciation online session, shared content such as TED Talks, online

books, online courses, live sessions for new-skill training, online com-

munication exercise, online sharing best practices of maintaining

health and hygiene, digital classrooms training modules, e-learning

modules, online guidance for exercise and meditation, online recogni-

tion and acknowledgment of employees, online employee feedback,

short online game session, virtual challenges and competitions,

5 minutes of informal talk, entire team gathers over video conference

for lunch, online counseling sessions, and social interactions in the

virtual office. These kinds of engagement practices boost the

morale of the employees and employees feel motivated and commit-

ted towards the organization in this pandemic situation due to

coronavirus.

2.1 | Further implications

All the organizations should adopt innovative and creative employee

engagement practices during this tough time of pandemic COVID-

19 to keep employees motivated, stimulated, committed, satisfied,

and blissful in this tough time. Work-from-home regime is nowadays

very essential; it would be successful only with the help of online

practices. Organizations should be implementing an online practice

approach to stay in the competition during this difficult time. Virtual

relations should be crucial for companies to enhance the engage-

ment of employees. Engaged employees always achieve objectives

very smoothly. Management also look into how to engage

employees in order to be able to encourage a positive organization

culture. Organizations also need to be able to recognize the

various facets that motivate and derive employee engagement in

organizations.

ORCID

Nisha Chanana https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0305-2650

Sangeeta https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2192-4862

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AUTHOR BIOGRAPHIES

Dr. Nisha Chanana is an Assistant Professor (Head of the Depart-

ment) of Swami Devi Dyal Institute of Management Studies,

Swami Devi Dyal Group of Professional Institutions, affiliated to

Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra, Haryana. She received her

Ph.D. from the University School of Management, Kurukshetra

University, Kurukshetra in 2015. Her current research interests

include Organizational Behaviour, Recent HR practices, Organiza-

tional Change and Development, Training and Development, and

Strategic HRM.

Dr. Sangeeta is an Assistant Professor of Management at Maha-

raja Agrasen University, Baddi- Himachal Pradesh. She received

her Ph.D. from the University School of Management,

Kurukshetra University, Kurukshetra in 2016. Her current

research interests include Stock market volatility, Banking, Gen-

eral Economics and HR practices.

How to cite this article: Chanana N, Sangeeta. Employee

engagement practices during COVID-19 lockdown. J Public

Affairs. 2020;e2508. https://doi.org/10.1002/pa.2508

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