The Biggest Challenges of the Hybrid Workplace Model
The hybrid workplace model has become the predominant office model, especially for knowledge-based industries. And it is clear as employees have pushed back on the return to work initiatives from many companies, that hybrid work is here to stay. It's time to shift the focus to how to make it work best. With employees working part of the time in the office and part of the time remotely, there are challenges. With 87% of employers planning to offer some sort of flexible scheduling, the time is now to get the hybrid workplace strategy right.
The Hybrid Workplace Model
The Communication Gap
We are communicating. Since the pandemic, time in meetings is up nearly 150%, and the number of emails sent has increased by 4o billion. In addition, Zoom reports that the number of daily meeting attendees is up 2900% since December 2019. At least according to the numbers. But everyone has experienced a meeting where the majority of cameras are turned off. And a study by Cisco reports that half of employees stay silent during video meetings. Another 4 out of 25 employees actually admit to sleeping during these remote meetings. These numbers are startling, but in addition, sometimes the technology just doesn't work. Many employees report struggling with connectivity in meetings or not having adequate resources to work effectively in a hybrid model. When establishing or refining your hybrid workplace strategy, consider these communication tips:
Plan how communication will work in your company. With many employees operating primarily remotely, communication needs to be intentional.
A meeting isn’t always an answer. Zoom fatigue anyone? If a phone call or email can be used to address the issue, skip the meeting!
Add visuals to written communication to clarify and keep messages engaging. In a remote world, infographics, and short videos can go a long way in making information more easily understood.
Be aware of your tone. Read the words, "We need to talk." Now emphasize different words and see how it changes the meaning. Now think about how your written communication could be received.
Celebrate success. Many employees report that the only time they hear from their supervisors is when there is an issue. Communicate often to recognize the good too.
The Right People. In the Right Place. At the Right Time. (And on the Right Day!)
Without some level of planning and scheduling, crucial pieces of the puzzle could be missing.
Ok, so chances are not that many things would go wrong. And if it really was a huge project, your team would coordinate their schedules better and make sure that everyone was working together on the last push to the deadline. But the keyword here is coordination. Without some level of planning and scheduling, crucial pieces of the puzzle could be missing. Transparency can help remedy this situation. If you have a completely flexible hybrid schedule, ask employees to be open and honest about when and where they’re working. This isn't to micromanage your team. It is to help everyone know where their teammates are and how they can best be contacted. If your hybrid workplace model has more structure (which 6 out of 10 employees actually want), make sure to communicate big project days in advance to help your team choose the best days to be in the office.
Loss of Connection
“To unleash innovation in this context, leaders must empower employees to collaborate more intentionally,”
says Alexia Cambon, Director, Research, Gartner.
“Our research shows that teams of knowledge workers who collaborate intentionally are nearly three times more likely to achieve high team innovation than teams that do not use an intentional approach.”
So what does intentional collaboration look like, and how can a leader prioritize this in an organization? For a hybrid team these collaborations will occur in the actual office building, completely remotely, or a combination of both. Create collaboration areas throughout your office that are flexible and can accommodate both in-person and remote employees. When inspiration strikes, the team needs to be able to jump in no matter if they are in the same building or in different countries.
Company Culture
Culture doesn't always translate well without the community that comes with it.
Get the point? Pre-pandemic, company culture was experienced and shared most often through in-person interactions. Through lunch with the boss. In client meetings where goals and visions were shared. Through chance interactions and spontaneous conversations with colleagues. Maybe there are onboarding videos that you encourage your team members to watch, and online training modules to complete. But culture doesn't always translate well without the community that comes with it. Experiencing company culture isn't only important because it makes the employee feel like they are part of something bigger. It is actually important to company success. Research by Kotter states, that when company culture is strong, organizations see improvements in revenue growth, retention, stock price, and net income.
Hybrid Culture
Creating a Hybrid Environment
