Let’s be honest, the past couple of years have absolutely been a rollercoaster, especially for businesses. Businesses across the globe have had to pivot their operating models at speed. However, at the heart of this transition, are the people and teams within companies who have responded to the pace of change and adapted to new market conditions, customer needs and new opportunities. But, this transformation has not been easy, to say the least. Smaller organisations are usually more agile when it comes to adaptation and flexibility, but in a post-pandemic world, we’re all still learning and experimenting.
Technology has been one of the biggest factors when it comes to adapting and responding during such unprecedented times. It’s now safe to say that if your business isn’t accessible online, you’re almost certain to be left behind. Technology is also helping solve the challenge of the employee experience in terms of hybrid working.
What is ‘hybrid working’?
Hybrid working is best described as employees being able to split their time working at home and in the office. Hybrid employees often find that they can manage their time and work differently based on their location. Most importantly, the last two years have taught everyone that life is precious and long gone are the days when we need to be chained to a desk 9-5 pm every weekday. In fact, many business people will now pick the kids up from school and come back and finish off their work, take a longer lunch to attend their personal appointments etc. Hybrid working is the reality of having to work with people who will be physically present and others that aren’t. Due to this new way of working, businesses are now finding it hard to give more remote workers the same experiences like those in the office more often.
Empowering your staff
Hybrid working is the future of the working world, the new normal. A full office or a fully remote team no longer works for most people in business. A hybrid approach to your business works because all work styles are catered for and allow your employees to do their best work in the setting that best suits them at that time. Ultimately, empowering your people with technology is key to helping make your company make the switch to a hybrid workforce.
Although the physical office is a real-world environment for your employees to meet, the past two years have proven that employees can have the autonomy to be productive no matter where they are and some of those people work even better in different environments from time to time.
Applications such as ZOOM and Microsoft Teams can allow you to bring everyone together to connect and work flexibly and productively. Whether you use online applications for staff meetings, break-out sessions or one to one catch ups, these applications are vital to a successful hybrid environment and can help the entire team feel on the same page no matter where they’re working from. So, if you’re looking to create a hybrid team that feels better than a team solely based in the office, technology is key to helping you create such a blossoming workforce.
If you’re looking for assistance with creating a successful hybrid team, contact ActionCOACH today!
