Employee Engagement Management in the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

The COVID-19 outbreak resulted in protracted lockdowns, causing businesses to recon- sider keeping their operations running smoothly without interruption. Employee engagement has played a critical role in achieving this. This research aimed to see what strategies business organi- zations use to keep their employees significantly engaged during the pandemic. A systematic re- view of empirical studies conducted between 2020 and 2022 is synthesized. The review revealed that offering mental relief care and resilience were the most preferred approaches to enhance em- ployee engagement. Competency building, demonstrating employee empathy, and directing expec- tations helped in job engagement. The review offers insight and implications for organizations and policymakers on strategizing engagement policies and maintaining the well-being of their employ- ees in tough times. Finally, the review established a call for future research agenda.