Successful in the hybrid workplace
With a mix of office and home-based work, offices have reopened and companies are realizing that working will be a hybrid in the future. Work has shifted from the office to the home - and it will continue to do so. But are employers doing enough to maintain company culture and team development in the new blended workplaces? as part of a study from the company Emeraude, 1,039 new telecommuters were asked how the change in work location affects their relationship with their companies, their colleagues and themselves. We wanted to find out which company tools could strengthen team cohesion and replace the lack of social contact created by the switch to working from home.
For success in the hybrid workplace, employees want closer ties with their work colleagues
Relationships boost productivity and increase satisfaction. Building and maintaining these interpersonal relationships virtually is not easy. But with a dash of creativity and a touch of imagination, it is certainly possible. As we'll explore below, many employees actually report being more productive, happier and more connected while working from home. How do market-leading companies achieve this work nirvana? To thrive in the hybrid work environment and maintain connectivity and collaboration among employees, companies need to try new tactics. The key is to bring real-world interactions into the virtual world, for example, through activities that combine play, fun, socializing and casual bonding. Read on to learn how you can lead your employees to success, foster team engagement, and cultivate company culture while working from home. These are the results of our first Hybrid Workplace Empowerment survey.
Many employees feel more connected than ever before
The conventional wisdom is that employees feel isolated when they're not with their colleagues. The surprising reality? Many employees feel more connected than ever before! Although the pandemic has forced workers to home office - most likely forever - they feel more connected to their colleagues than ever. 55% of respondents said they feel closer to their team since they started working from home, as early as a year ago. Conversely, only 26% said they feel alone or more isolated from their team.
60% of respondents said they feel more connected to their company's mission and culture
Companies spend a fortune building their corporate culture, whether it's structure, design or branding. Despite all of this, we found that, by and large, employees feel more connected than ever when they work from home. 60% of respondents said they feel more connected to their company's mission and culture - a number that speaks volumes about the work companies have been doing to engage their employees since the pandemic began.
Employees want more remote team events
Nearly 62% of workers said their companies have offered virtual team-building events or activities at least once a month since the homeworking pandemic, while 30% of workers have participated in such events once a week. Employees want more. 72% of respondents want these events at least once a month, and 91% of workers want team-building activities at least quarterly. Only 6% of workers said they do not want virtual team-building exercises or events.
70% of workers say they are more productive when they feel comfortable working as part of a team
Employees are more productive when they have good relationships with their colleagues. How to deepen these interpersonal relationships is a key challenge for HR - but more importantly, a critical one for a successful hybrid workplace. More than 70% of workers said they tend to be more productive when they have good relationships at work, compared to only 6% who said they are less productive.
For 66% of employees, their relationship with their colleagues is the most important or one of the most important factors in their decision to stay with or leave a company.
The world's top companies are constantly training new employees and enhancing the skills of existing employees. In some industries, such as healthcare, training is a constant because the tasks require considerable education and experience. For employees, the relationship with their colleagues is one of the top factors and often the most important element in their decision to stay with an employer. Employee retention is difficult when employees don't see their colleagues and friends on a daily basis. Companies that succeed here offer tight schedules for virtual team building activities, thanks to which relationships within.
Working from home isn't for everyone
Employees have had a year to get used to the home office. Still, working from home isn't for everyone. Not surprisingly, they miss some things about working in the office. Most of all, unsurprisingly, they miss their colleagues. Second in our survey is working with those same colleagues. Relationships with colleagues are at the top of most workers' priority lists. It cannot be overstated how much attention companies should pay to building and strengthening these bonds between employees!
- 56% of workers said they miss their relationships with colleagues.
- 48% miss the personal collaboration with colleagues
- 33% miss the feeling of being part of a team
Engage employees and increase their connectedness to each other and the company
After a year of pandemic, companies with thoughtful employee engagement programs are doing well at keeping their employees connected. But they want more! To keep employees happy and win their long-term loyalty, companies should invest in tools that deepen the bond between employees. It's a top priority in the hybrid workplace. The more connected they feel, the less likely they are to leave the company because they don't want to give up the people, missions and values they hold dear.
With the right tools, the culture shift toward more home office succeeds. SION, the Social Intra-organizational Network, makes the exchange between people and their interaction as simple and also as individual as possible - overcoming physical distance and creating cohesion. SION is the one central connection between employees and the company and their colleagues.
Learn more about SION here: https://sion-hub.com/en/features
Source: Emeraude, "Succeeding in the Hybrid Workplace".
Working from home isn't for everyone
Employees have had a year to get used to the home office. Still, working from home isn't for everyone. Not surprisingly, they miss some things about working in the office. Most of all, unsurprisingly, they miss their colleagues. Second in our survey is working with those same colleagues. Relationships with colleagues are at the top of most workers' priority lists. It cannot be overstated how much attention companies should pay to building and strengthening these bonds between employees!
- 56% of workers said they miss their relationships with colleagues.
- 48% miss the personal collaboration with colleagues
- 33% miss the feeling of being part of a team
Engage employees and increase their connectedness to each other and the company
After a year of pandemic, companies with thoughtful employee engagement programs are doing well at keeping their employees connected. But they want more! To keep employees happy and win their long-term loyalty, companies should invest in tools that deepen the bond between employees. It's a top priority in the hybrid workplace. The more connected they feel, the less likely they are to leave the company because they don't want to give up the people, missions and values they hold dear.
With the right tools, the culture shift toward more home office succeeds. SION, the Social Intra-organizational Network, makes the exchange between people and their interaction as simple and also as individual as possible - overcoming physical distance and creating cohesion. SION is the one central connection between employees and the company and their colleagues.
Learn more about SION here: https://sion-hub.com/en/features
Source: Emeraude, "Succeeding in the Hybrid Workplace".
