Introduction
Business communication is actually the life line of all businesses across the globe. Even more so with the current mixed environment where ‘working from home’ became the new normal.
To understand this more clearly suppose it is Wednesday afternoon, and Clair, a project manager is facilitating a brainstorming session. She is in the office typing an idea on a virtual whiteboard, while the rest of the members of the team are unable to see a blurred video conference screen. Then one of them said, “Can someone read that?” On the other hand, Alex who is at his home, trying to share some ideas but unable to because of a poor network connection. At the end of the session, there seems to be a difference in the room’s energy making participants at the remote site feel disconnected. Thus, while flexibility quite often appears to be rather advantageous, an effective handling of a situation that requires ensuring compliance of people is apparently a nightmare. However, the study done with the aim of establishing the opinions of the employees, finds that only 42% support the use of hybrid communication while 58% of the employees opine that it has made communication worse than before.
But do not worry, here you will learn how different methods can assist everybody to keep in touch even with distance.This blog is focused on providing information about the use of strategic communication in a hybrid workforce and other topics related to it as well as practices that can be effective in addressing problems of the hybrid workforce.
Understanding the Issues of Communication Experience in Hybrid Teams
Such a working environment, where some employees are remote workers and some are working from the office can be compared to handling a mix of cooperation, flexibility, and interpersonal communication. Some will be sure to fly high but others will come crashing down. It is quite funny that many employees attest to having the worst relationships with their colleagues with whom they share the hybrid working model, as opposed to the office going employees. In most cases it begins with the difference in terms of locations or environments.
Consider this: Amy, an example, a designer, remotely employed, does not get to see an idea being generated from an impromptu discussion at the water cooler between two employees. Apparently, such a brief conversation leads to an idea when the next product is to be developed for the market to embrace, making Amy feel she is missing out on things.
And it is not only the lack of the opportunities to chat; time zones are one more insidious enemy. Let us say you have been called for an early morning meeting at 3:00 A.M in the morning holding a cup of coffee in your hand and when you get there you realize that those updates being made were not needed in your project. Yes, it is really very annoying, isn’t it? In addition, there are all these notifications and one meeting after another where individuals spend lots of time staring at each other’s faces and constant emails. This may explain why it becomes easier to be intimidated by the multiplicity of messages.
That leads to my question: How might we ensure remote employees feel as valued as their office counterparts? Which are the tools that allow for interactivity, but not necessarily generate frustration? Being flexible while having consistency in how to engage with remote and in-office workers is not something for which one has to attempt but rather the foundation most hybrid communication efforts are made on. Things go perfectly seamless when people are valued irrespective of what company they work for.
The Role of Effective Communication in Hybrid Team
It may, therefore, be said that effective communication is the primary and the most crucial success factor of a productive hybrid team that enables even the two fellows who work remotely and an office worker to work while being several thousand miles apart.
It is transparency that opens a door where people can work and have in mind that nobody is ever blind to what the group desires or performs. Once communication is smooth, the performance increases as the employees work on their assignments with minimal interferences such as those arising from any misunderstandings.
Teamwork is another factor that helps in effective communication. This is a good feeling when many people belonging to the group based in different sites at times in different regions of the world are all willing to contribute ideas, opportunities and solve issues and create value together. It is not only the communications; it is all about coming up with a constructive environment where the employees will feel like they are working for the enhanced good of the company.
Communication Plan to Improve Work Performance in the Modern Hybrid Environment
Because of work from home and remote working, the dynamics of teams have changed. But it also has created new ways of working. Communication in fact is much more involved than mere transmission of the right message and most importantly it creates relationships, and feelings of acceptance. Now let us look at how one can optimize learning communication in hybrid teams.
- A clear mode of communication
Let us just consider the case of having experience of searching for an important message in the middle of the conversation just to find some update to the project that is, most likely, lost in the majority of emails, let alone the situation when such messages are flowing through Microsoft Teams. It’s annoying, right? There is a fix though; you can make use of certain applications streamlining the features instead: for instance, communication apps like Microsoft Teams, Slack; for file sharing or GoogleDrive and so on.
For example, Ashton in the marketing team will not be required to open one application then switch to another just to get the next working detail. With this, they do not spend several days trying to search for data because in just a click; they are able to get any information that they want.
Curious to learn about best practices for hybrid work? Check out Auzmor’s blog.
- Establish Communication Norms
Suppose you are in a meeting where the video signals were permanently off or disconnected, half of the employees had their mics on creating constant background noise while the other half might feel completely ignored or not seen at all. That is an absolute mess! There should be formulated norms or self-serve checklists on how communication should be conducted such that everybody does not go around in circles or get lost. This guides one on how to respond to emails (for example, it is acceptable to take 24 hours to respond), what to do and what not to do during a virtual meeting, for instance staying silent once you are not speaking, and so on. This leads to very little misunderstanding and hence fosters a healthy work culture since all will respect the viewpoint of others.
- Wise Use of Asynchronous Communication
Some people do not stick to the standard 9 to 5, working during the day and sleeping at night, nor do they get their best work done at the same time. Thus, asynchronous communication can be viewed as an enabler for a hybrid workforce. Instead of waiting for their response, learn to give feedback or even further directions via email or through the project management tool used in the project. Something to note, this is how employees team up globally without implying work pressure on each other since everyone is working in his or her spare time. But how about urgent issues? The only time that one should use the flags or notifications should be whenever you feel that any update/message is very important and however do not wish them to feel that he or she is always under pressure.
Looking for other ways to fully harness your hybrid communications? Check this out at Forbes.
- Balance Formal and Informal Interactions
Hybrid teams need both, formal and informal discussion. We could conduct a quick quiz on any subject in the morning or breaks or even have casual meetings to discuss what a member did over the weekend. Because it helps develop trust and a good working relationship with others. This is highly important in teamwork and even when working.
For those hybrid employee training ideas that could be creative: do make sure you check out Auzmor’s approach to hybrid environment training for employees.
- Maximize the Possibility for Using the Collaboration Tools
It is very important therefore that every undertaking selects the right tools. The other good interactivities that support communication with other members of the group in a real-time mode include Microsoft Teams, Zoom, and Lucidspark. For those organizations that are a little more tight on the budget there is Trello as well as Slack which is also quite effective. Such platforms enable the blended work, which means that the feeling of working together cannot be interfered with by distance.
- Learn How To Conduct Engaging Virtual Meetings
Here we must be real, video conferencing is one of the foundations of hybrid communication, but it is an energy drainer. It is very important to encourage the actual involvement of everyone, as it doesn’t matter if they are at home or at work. To avoid this make sure one of the moderators is impartial so that one team does not have a chance to influence the other. The recording option is very essential in case when a person is not able to attend a meeting and wants to know what was discussed in the meeting.
Requests for participants to enable their cameras should be the norm, because this makes the communication process much better. But everyone should be allowed to make that decision for himself/ herself, which consequently means that there are individuals who do not like doing video calls, and they should not be compelled. While some may not turn their cameras on, but those who do help build rapport during such meetings. This implies that overall experience for all the employees will be positive and the more openness there is in building rapport, the more positive the outcome will be.
- Address Frequently Encountered Communication Barriers
There are always issues in hybrid teams for instance, timing differences, fatigued communication and isolation. That is why one of the most effective strategies for combating these problems is to create psychological safety so that a team member can share ideas freely.
In order to try and combat the problem of fatigue: Meetings should be kept as short as possible, and in-between there should be a break. Further to this, to overcome challenges of time zones you might consider changing the time of the meetings or extending the frequency of creating asynchronous updates.
- Culture of Recognition
Rewarding motivates employee performance because every employee would like to be rewarded for having made achievements. I said to myself it’s very important to have time and revel in the achievements that have been made, however big or small they may be. Recognition can be in the form of a simple message on slack or employees get a virtual conference/award again making them feel important. A good number of employees who work from home frequently complain of loneliness and feeling unvalued, therefore, special efforts need to be made to ensure that they are appreciated.
To find out more about hybrid learning visit Auzmor’s blog on hybrid learning and see how to develop a strong organizational culture.
- Team Cohesion
In a hybrid environment, the relationships may turn out to be purely operational if not well managed. It is recommended to carry out team building sessions, departmental collaborations or formation of associations based on interest online. This is even more so where members of the team have bonded well together and feel at ease with each other.
They point out that sorts of actions can be essential to bridge the communication divide between different members of a hybrid work team and build greater interpersonal trust with each other. Notice that this is not just about transmission of information; it is about engineering an environment where people are willing and able to contribute, add value and improve things together.
Effective Communication for Hybrid Employees: Top Tools
When employees are allowed to work in a hybrid model, but there are no proper tools for it from the management side, it is all ‘wayward’ like cooking something without a recipe: wild, unorderly, and perfect to forget about the ingredient that is most crucial. Here we explore five powerful and engaging tools that are redefining collaboration for hybrid teams:
- Best for Virtual Meetings: Zoom
Suppose you are requesting all the people attending a meeting who are working remotely and some joining from the office, to brainstorm on a new idea. This is where Zoom comes in handy to help with the video option where one can talk to his/her colleagues on the screen, the breakout session ideal for one on one or a small group and not to mention the record button that records the good ideas that was/is said.
- Most ideal for Sharing Files: Google Drive
Some questions which you could be asked include; ‘Do you have the latest version of that report I gave you around?’ Oh well, with Google Drive we do not require such questions anymore. It is very convenient to share files along with all the other documents whenever working with other users on other projects which will definitely make work very fun and easy.
- Ideal for Project Management: Trello
Have you been planning your next major marketing drive? Unlike conventional project management tools, Trello offers enhanced dashboards and cards that can present the progress of work going in several directions, list of the tasks/to do in a project, and all due dates of a project or a task. It is like having a PA that will never get tired with work or get bored with work.
- Best for Instant Messaging: Slack
It can be used to send quick updates, and even share ideas or just posting a funny meme inside the channel. Slack can really build quite an engaging and effective communication environment. Slack channels are quite useful in excluding certain topics and not losing track when things aren’t very structured.
- Best for Visual Collaboration: Figma
If there is a time when you want your team to ‘set their creativity meters high’ as far as concepts and ideas are concerned, then Figma should be the go-to app. It was initially aimed mainly at the design teams, but has evolved into the ultimate visualization collaboration tool. Whether it is to draft a prototype or process flow, that is whatever your brainstorming, Figma allows you to design and edit from any location simultaneously.
The right tool depends on how your team is organized, how it moves forward to a goal, and how and what it is, at least, in some ways. But out of them, which one should you go for first?
Next Step: Assessing the Communication Practices in a Hybrid Team
Your team is already using the channels in slack, is effectively using zoom and has maybe shifted to using the trello boards. But, you have to decide if, after obtaining great tools and following best practices and implementing them, equals nothing? Here’s how to assess the situation:
- Ask Out for Employee Suggestions: Questioning by way of a personal interview or even a cup of coffee with them – most will give helpful information. Ask your team: What is working? Do they feel clear about getting the project updates on Trello (or any other tool who have recently been introduced in the operations)? How inclusive are they of each other in hybrid operations, regarding meetings?
- Measure Engagement: Think about frequency measurement—how many team members are connected to the device? Do people engage in communicating or is there a communication blackout at the workplace? Applications like Slack or Teams or any other tools have a feature in which you can have the report for usage analytics. This way you can know if the tool is beneficial or not.
- Monitor Productivity Trends: Compare the results before product implementation and after. Is it faster now? Does the decision-making process flow easier? If not, then something has to be revisited on the tools or processes used previously.
- Analyze the results of the Communication Processes: Do people feel they are on the same page? Has lack of communication or project delay decreased or increased in frequency? That is, if your team is actually meeting the assigned tasks and goals within the required time and incident-free, then it should imply that the utilized communication strategies must be effective.
- Always Iterate and Improve: It’s exactly like kneading the dough for a batch of cookies: you have to taste the dough and if there is something missing then you need to mix it in. If you have an employee saying that asynchronized messages that you send are very corporate, add more flare. It is amazing, but sometimes changes can be small and cause huge effects.
And, of course, no one-size-fits-all approach. Measure, optimize. and have a communication culture that works and is also enjoyable. Ready for your next tweak?
Conclusion
Hybrid communication is complex; it is like a symphony where every component must be in perfect synchronization – tools, strategies, and members of a team. Creating an effective framework of communication is not simply connecting the dots, it is about empowering the end user, whether they are working from home or on-site, through the effective use of inclusive and flexible technology.
The takeaway? Hybrid communication will certainly not be the last one around here. It is a matter of practice and, as such, is always developed and in need of feedback and adaptation. Get in touch with your team regularly, welcome diversity, and remember — the only thing that binds your hybrid workforce in one place is communication.
What doesn’t kill one only makes one stronger, as the old saying goes. However, if cultivated, such an environment can provide an effective model for a healthy and collaborative culture. Do you want hybrid communication as their superpower? All tools, strategies, and mindset are available to you. Go ahead, start changing things!
