This is a guest post from Shandel McAuliffe, Head of Content at Cezanne HR.

A lot of businesses probably haven’t had much time to review their employee engagement strategy since the start of the pandemic. Between keeping employees and customers safe and informed, and trying to maintain at least a minimum level of productivity, engagement might have slipped by the wayside. But with an end to COVID-19 restrictions on the horizon for the UK (albeit slightly further away than was hoped), and recruitment on the rise, business leaders and HR should check their employee engagement plans are still fit for purpose. 2021’s workforce’s needs have shifted, and employers need to keep up.

In order to engage with your employees, you need to have a finger on the pulse of what’s important to them right now. If you continue to push out old engagement initiatives that don’t show an understanding that the world of work has dramatically changed over the last year, then you’re likely to actively disengage your workforce by being seen as out of touch.

Cezanne HR recently looked at how employee attitudes about the benefits employers offer have changed. Unsurprisingly, what employees want now compared to what they wanted in 2018 has shifted, and the changes reflect new priorities no doubt brought on by the pandemic.

Social benefits have fallen out of favour with employees; healthcare and insurance have maintained a top spot, and enhanced leave has shot from 8^th to 1^st place for 2021. So, if your employee engagement strategy focussed on staff socials, like mid- and end-of-year parties, you might want to rethink making this a priority, especially if a lot of budget is spent on these events that could otherwise go towards a great healthcare and insurance plan for your employees.

Employers should also see 2021 as a good time to check their engagement strategy reflects the needs of all of their workforce.

Cezanne HR’s benefits comparison showed that in 2021 men and people over 54+ years held healthcare as the top benefit, while women and people aged 18-24 selected enhanced leave as their number one choice. We already know that diversity is good for business – and it’s fair to assume that having an engagement and benefits strategy that meets the needs of a diverse group of people is essential if businesses want to retain a diverse talent pool.

Career and succession planning is also a vital part of employee engagement. As stated in What are your career and succession plans? Don’t lose talent post lockdown: ‘If your employees felt that changing jobs during the pandemic wasn’t wise, this might change as lockdown eases; people may well move away from job security in a dead-end role for the appeal of new, more challenging opportunities.’ This is supported by the benefits comparison discussed above that showed career development rise in importance from 7^th to 3^rd place from 2018 to 2021.

Taking an informed approach to employee engagement is the best way for employers to create and deliver a plan that will truly meet the needs of their employees. And there’s a plethora of data available in the market right now about what people want from their employer, especially around hybrid working. Cezanne HR’s benefits comparison is a great place to start to sense check your benefits, to think about whether they are the right ones for your workforce in 2021.

This is a guest post from Shandel McAuliffe, Head of Content at Cezanne HR.

About Shandel

Shandel McAuliffe is the Head of Content at Cezanne HR. Prior to moving to the UK, Shandel worked as a freelance writer and copy editor, assisting SMEs with their content needs. She joined Cezanne HR in 2019 to lead content and thought leadership. She has a strong understanding of the HR, recruitment and learning markets, and a keen interest in leadership, wellbeing and DEI.