Hybrid work is usually defined as a flexible arrangement that combines remote work and in-office work. You may be thinking that hybrid work doesn’t apply to your company, but if you have multiple locations or if you consider your extended team of third-party vendors, contractors, partners, and solutions providers, “your team” becomes a network of scattered individuals, all serving your customers with the company’s aligned vision and mission. Also, many workplaces today allow people to work flexibly from anywhere as they attend to personal matters or kids’ activities. Meetings have become a hodgepodge of in-person gatherings, conference calls, and video calls. The point is that rarely these days is everyone sitting around a table with a whiteboard in a conference room.
Maintaining effective communication and collaboration in this type of environment can be a challenge, but there are some ways to make teamwork excel in any hybrid workplace:
- Check in regularly.
Sometimes going from meeting to meeting, we feel that we’ve seen someone enough, but one-on-one communication is still important. Catch up with your team on an individual basis. Stay connected, even if through a two-minute chat just to touch base and continue to have the “water cooler” talk. - More video calls.
It’s not necessary to use video for every meeting or every one-on-one, but it can be very helpful to stay connected to your team. It also helps to keep everyone engaged with the meeting and prevents other distractions. - Obtain quality audio headsets.
One of the easiest ways to hijack the agenda or purpose of a meeting is to have audio issues. A good quality headset is worth every penny to make your audio sound crisp and clear to others and reduce background noise. - Become comfortable with communication tools.
Use the various video conferencing tools enough so that it becomes second nature to all your team members. Spending 15 minutes at the beginning of a meeting figuring out a new video conference tool can derail a discussion.
Invest in apps for any work environment.
Whenever possible, choose apps that allow for anytime/anywhere productivity, regardless of device. There are many file-sharing systems, communication tools, and operational apps that allow for high performance regardless of location.
Teamwork is a collective skill that is cultivated and becomes a part of your corporate culture. The connections between your in-house team, your cross-town team, and your partners become the foundation of a successful organization. It’s worth the investment.
RowLogic’s apps and analytics can help your company’s teamwork reach the next level. Our apps are intuitive to use, easy to implement, and can be accessed from anywhere at any time. We view ourselves as a partner to help you become more productive, implement a new app, and fuel a happier team. Find out more about our apps and analytics at rowlogic.com.
Johnny Bertucci
President, RowLogic
jb3@rowlogic.com