Organizations continue to embrace this hybrid work model. Nowadays, work is not where you go – it’s what you do and how you do it. This shift to hybrid has permanently reshaped expectations of employers and employees. To navigate this changing landscape, informed decision making is needed now more than ever.
Connecting employees with the right information, in the right place, at the right time in this hybrid world – is critical. But it’s not always easy. GDS Group has identified 3 top challenges highlighted on several multi-industry Meet the Boss roundtables with C-suite executives. They include:
- Disparate systems and manual processes
- Legacy mindset
- Siloed teams and data
In a hybrid environment where employees need the right digital tools to collaborate, some organizations are struggling with adoption due to cultural resistance to change. “Not everyone is on the same page when we want to try new things,” shares a senior executive from Northwestern Mutual on a recent Meet the Boss roundtable.
“Some people have this ‘if it’s not broke, don’t fix it’ mentality.” He explains that they are trying to change that mindset, but some people are very old school and don’t want to use technology. “We are trying to meet people halfway.”
However, leading organizations are not slowing down technology adoption anytime soon. Statista reporting that global spending on digital transformation is expected to reach a whopping $2.4 trillion in 2024.
By combining the digital and physical world, the right technology provides employees with the ability to visualize critical information about their work environment and makes completing tasks easier. Most of us are trying to understand how to make remote work better. The past 2 years has changed everything! It has changed the way people look at the physical office and the way they want to work at home.
Who Should be Hybrid?
How do you decide who must return to the office and who can stay at home? I think it’s safe to say that there is no one size fits all. It can be as clear as mud. On a Meet the Boss roundtable discussion with Cisco, a thought leader expresses how important inclusivity and transparency are. “Sometimes It helps to define your personas and their roles – early on. What tools and resources are required for those roles? How do we measure effectiveness of those personas?”
An executive from a chemical and product manufacturer, however, shares a fear from her workforce, “remote workers may have lower performance evaluations and lower bonuses because of less facetime and less interactions around the office.” She explains that people working from home may be working around the clock, but managers may not realize because they are not seen.
Measure for Overall Success
A lot of work happens between meetings. Whether you are working in the office or from home, managers need to look at and measure productivity, messaging, and asynchronous activities. Why? Because you can’t manage what you can’t measure. Most importantly, make sure your remote staff are treated the same as those in the office.
You may be thinking – well how can my remote workforce be more included in calls and make it feel like they are sitting beside us in the office? Online collaboration tools and platforms like Jugo are changing the game with new capabilities. It’s more than just turning on your video and audio. Now, it’s more immersive and easier to collaborate with remote teams. Training still needs to be done! Tell your teams how you would like them to communicate virtually, what tools and features to leverage, and how to command attention on a call.
Like I said before, there is no one size fits all. There is a different solution for every organization – but these are exciting times! Embrace this period of innovation and change because hybrid is not going away anytime soon.
What is the future of hybrid working? Check out this story.
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