Rich Westman, CEO and founder of Kaido – the leading platform for building remote team culture – explores how employers can create meaningful connections specifically in a hybrid world, rather than simply trying to make in-person interactions digital.
While some businesses had trialled hybrid and remote working pre-pandemic, the last 18 months has accelerated the shift towards hybrid as the ‘norm’, with staff in the office between two and four days a week. However, despite the popularity of hybrid work, many are struggling to cope with the new challenges this brings.
One of the biggest obstacles to emerge has been the “two-track” approach to work, with the Bank of England warning last month that women who work from home could see their careers stall as divides appear between those in the office and those at home. This has come from the fact that while businesses have put a hybrid approach in place, they still view the office as the norm and it is this outdated mindset that will ultimately lead to those who cannot come into the office losing out.
A poll of workers conducted by the Royal Society for Public Health (RSPH) found that two-thirds (67 per cent) of workers who shifted from the office to home during the pandemic felt less connected to their colleagues, as serendipitous interactions were replaced by video calls and chat apps. Employees also repeatedly named camaraderie as the element of office life they miss most. The Lunch Break Bonding survey, conducted by Just Eat for Business, discovered that in larger organisations with teams of 300+, 93 per cent of employees would be happier with more frequent socialising opportunities and team events, and 62 per cent of workers polled expressed the most important outcome would be to create a friendlier work atmosphere.
This growing sense of disconnect that has emerged in the hybrid workforce has left teams crying out for meaningful shared experiences, looking for a culture that facilitates meaningful connections and relationships. Rather than simply using online platforms to recreate “watercooler” moments, employers need to consider how they can create meaningful connections specifically in a hybrid world, rather than simply trying to make in-person interactions digital, for example, Friday beers over Zoom.
Managers now face two distinct challenges: reconnecting their teams after a long – and transformative – absence and navigating a new wave of working practices. Having healthy, engaged, and connected employees can lead to improved productivity, increased job satisfaction and staff retention for businesses. Managers can deal with emerging divides by setting clear expectations and establishing regular communication routines (such as daily check-ins and weekly meetings). It is also worth doing a quick litmus test to see whether it is remote-friendly and considering how the team interacts and accesses information to set out clear guidelines for the team to ensure everyone is in the loop. For example, if a whole team update is needed, make sure everyone is on the video call, even if some are in the office together to avoid those at home being left out of conversations off-camera.
A fresh, fun team building event can also help reboot that essential buzz, especially one that gets both office and remote workers talking, moving, and contributing to a common goal. Rather than standalone activities that deliver fleeting results, use the experience to boost positive behaviours – such as supportiveness and shared accountability – that help your hybrid team thrive in the long term. At Kaido, we’ve seen the impact of this, with over 60 per cent of workers saying they feel more connected after completing one of our team-building challenges.
In the digisphere of work, the ‘new normal’ is an ever-evolving, unpredictable state. Although hybrid working has been welcomed and allows for a more comfortable work/home life balance, the challenge remains for businesses to create a sense of belonging in the digital world, where the familiar camaraderie of the office can be replicated to eradicate the isolation felt by employees working from home.