Anna Dahlfors is the Global Head of Human Resources at digital production company Vizrt. She believes that hybrid workforces do not work as well as they could. What is the solution and how can HR make it happen?
Employees are a major factor in the success of any business. The success of a business depends on the talent and effort of the employees. Yet many employers still struggle to find, motivate and support the employees they need.
One of the challenges of hybrid work is engaging the workforce. Even though hybrid work became the norm five years ago due to the pandemic, many businesses have yet to master the art of engaging and effective communications with blended workforces. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that many businesses have employees based in different time zones, and across multiple offices.
Digital technologies have brought about rapid changes to the traditional workplace. They enable flexible and hybrid work arrangements, which are blended with highly-skilled workforces that attract the best talent on international markets. Despite all of these advances, many employees still feel distant from their employers and co-workers. This is a serious problem, as the sense of engagement and connection is vital to employee motivation and productivity.
In the age of hybrid working, businesses face a number of challenges. One of them is how to maintain effective internal communication and engage employees.
Facetime is important.
Many companies have embraced hybrid work, and overlooked the importance of face-toface interaction between employees and with their colleagues. With distributed workforces and different schedules, employees are less likely to get face-to-face time. Employees are then pushed into the background, or even worse – disconnected with their employer and wider organisation. It is why trends such as “quiet quit” have been on the rise.
A recent study has revealed that almost seven out of 10 employees believe the quality of communication they receive from their employer affects how they feel as an employee. This is a very important finding for hybrid companies who rely too heavily on instant messaging and email tools such as Microsoft Teams. It’s not always the best way to manage a hybrid workforce.
It is not easy to physically bring everyone together in a global organization. Logistically, it’s not feasible. However, it can be expensive and not very sustainable. It doesn’t mean that you can’t replicate the same valuable “facetime” in other ways. Video calls and other video-based communication are important for connecting employees. Businesses often overlook this. We all know how frustrating it is to join a conference call and find that other participants have their cameras turned off.
A study also found that 49% agree that their employees’ motivation is positively impacted by good video communication. Two-thirds of employees feel that video-based business updates, such as Town Halls, Webinars and other methods, help them feel more aligned to their company’s latest updates and vision. Face-to-face video communications, in whatever form they take, are a great alternative to in-person communication. However, businesses don’t do enough to make them effective.
Quality, not quantity
It’s not just nice to have, it’s essential that hybrid or remote workers feel more connected and engaged. Four out of ten employees report that poor attempts to connect with staff through video would cause them to consider leaving their jobs.
Businesses can easily find ways to engage their employees with the technology available today. Employees are also aware of this. Their expectations are now higher than ever – given the technology innovations available today – and they feel little sympathy for businesses that do not provide the kind of connection they desire. In general, 48% of employees believe that a video is used to promote effective hybrid working if it includes entertainment.
A strange shift is occurring in the workplace, as news and sports content with high production values are becoming more prevalent. Employees are now expecting to be entertained when they interact with corporate video broadcasts in the workplace. It’s the same for social media videos, where high-quality production values and TikToks make poor corporate videos seem even worse. According to the survey, 48% said that entertainment was important. 34% of respondents stated that virtual reality could help employees feel entertained and engaged by their employer’s communication.
It’s obvious that the companies don’t deliver what their colleagues expect. If these companies continue to deliver the minimum, their talented employees will soon vote with their feet.
Cultural shift
The same change is needed in the way businesses view valuable facetime spent with employees. The fact that hybrid work will be around for a long time means that it is unlikely we’ll ever see everyone in the same office face-to-face five days a weeks.
Now is the time to assess how businesses can replicate the ‘in person’ experiences of all company gatherings and Town halls. They should invest in new tools and techniques to connect with their employees more meaningfully and to provide them with what they deserve.
