Employee Engagement and Competitive Advantage during Covid 19 Pandemic in Small to Medium Enterprises, Catering Industry, Harare

The unexpected coming of Covid -19 to the whole world came with shocking effects on business. Zimbabwe as a country was not spared by this pandemic and in particular, Harare’s small to medium catering industry was seriously affected. This research paper focused on the level of engagement of employees in the Small to Medium Enterprises in the catering industry with the intention to find out how engagement can provide leverage for competitiveness. The concept of engagement has an adverse effect on employee performance and the financial position of the organization. The research was based on documentary analysis to gather information on the unfolding events in Harare. The research revealed that employees in the catering industry were disengaged from the effects of Covid -19 which frustrated the work systems and plans. The research findings revealed that employees were disengaged due to the changes in work processes. Much of the disengagement came from job insecurity caused by continued lockdowns and poor income generation by the companies. It was recommended that management must support the engagement process as they are key in facilitating employee productivity and company success. Also, the government must encourage dialogue in managing the political, Socio-Cultural and economic issues to at least avert the problems of disengagement.