Communication key in new hybrid working environment

Research has found that 71 per cent of human resource leaders were increasingly focused on employee collaboration in 2021. [Courtesy] 

In the last two years, the Covid-19 pandemic has severely impacted not just the ability of companies to commit to innovation and new initiatives but also work practices for the majority of their staff.

Subsequent lockdowns have led to many people working remotely. Companies have also had to provide employees with the technological and human support they need during these trying times.

In the last two years, a driving need emerged seeing that employee collaboration and innovation remain central to business needs.

At the same time, company workforces – having had to work remotely for vast periods in the last two years – now desire more flexibility when it comes to their working environment and the working hours.

Research has found that 71 per cent of human resource leaders were increasingly focused on employee collaboration in 2021.

This is likely to be a major initiative going forward. On top of these concerns, the last two years gave rise to a massive and deepening skills crisis, which has been dubbed “The Great Resignation”.

The last two years have seen employees leave jobs in droves; The Harvard Business Review reveals that four million Americans left their jobs in July 2021 alone – a trend reflected in statistics across the UK and Europe.

There are many factors contributing to this massive loss of skilled employees from the job market, key among them being lack of support from employers and inflexibility when it comes to their working conditions.

More employees than ever before now desire the right to choose when and where they work, how they work and get more support from employers.

All of this has given rise to the hybrid working environment model.

On the surface, this is a combination of remote and office working, which gives most employees the ability to better collaborate with management on which environment compliments their work styles and aids them to best deliver on key performance indicators (KPI’s).

Adopting the hybrid working environment model will enable companies to save on office space costs as the workforce becomes more nimble and easier to be deployed.

Ultimately, companies must approach the next phase of work carefully and invest in new communication platforms that complement digital and remote working.