How to Improve The Employee Experience by Supporting Hybrid Teams

COVID-19 has permanently disrupted “business as usual,” and for many companies, a hybrid model will be the best approach moving forward. By offering a hybrid workplace, organizations will not only save money, but they’ll also be providing what people innately want—freedom of choice when it comes to where, when, and how they work. To support this new way of working, companies should first and foremost ensure that workers have access to the spaces and technology tools that they need.?

However, when we think about how organizations can navigate through the pandemic and ensure they are set up for success on the other side, we have to also focus on how to improve the employee experience. Leaders who want to transform the employee experience to keep their hybrid teams engaged and help their business stay competitive will focus on the following three aspects of work:?

1. Supporting well-being?

Companies need to put well-being at the top of their employee experience agenda, especially for remote workers whose professional and personal lives have become increasingly intertwined. For many people, the shift to remote work has led to feelings of isolation, depression, and other mental health issues. Over 40% of Americans report a mental health issue related to the pandemic, and some CEOs are publicly sharing their own struggles during this difficult time.

Fortunately, businesses are taking action: 89% plan to enhance their well-being program to focus on their workforce's emotional and mental health. One way to achieve this is through deeper and more intentional connection and collaboration. Workers want to feel like they belong to an organization, to a purpose, and to a community—even if it’s from a distance. It starts with leaders who not only lead with authenticity, empathy, and human connection but who tend to their own well-being so they can best manage their teams.?

2. Building community?

We all know what ‘community’ means in our personal lives, but what does it look like at work? The truth is that community isn’t easy to define or measure. It’s what grows inside a company when you break down silos and empower people to work together. It’s what happens when a frontline employee in a retail store feels connected to your mission in exactly the same way as a knowledge worker at HQ.

While community can be hard to quantify, its impact isn’t. One leading indicator of community is an increase in leadership trust. In a global study by Workplace Intelligence and The Workforce Institute at UKG, we found that nearly two-thirds (64% ) of employees said trust has a direct impact on their sense of belonging at work. Yet, 1 in 4 U.S. workers say they don’t feel like they belong at their company.?

As many leaders know, belonging is inextricably linked to diversity and inclusion . Because in order to form a workplace community where people feel like they belong, you have to be inclusive of everyone’s unique perspectives—across generations, genders, ethnicities, and more. You also need to ensure that your workforce is well-represented across these dimensions. And focusing on D&I isn’t just the right thing to do—it can cultivate ideas and innovation, and boost trust and brand consideration among customers. Recent Deloitte research found that 79% of consumers recall purpose-driven organizations' brands responding to COVID-19 by helping their customers, workforces, and communities .

3. Efficient communications?

The ability to quickly get the right information to the right people is essential, especially for hybrid workforces. Amidst the pandemic, workers have also wanted the ability to ask questions and provide feedback to leadership. With this in mind, more than 84% of companies said they have strengthened their communications protocol to better react and respond to employees during the pandemic. They have accomplished this by investing in efficient two-way communications, focusing on building community, and putting people first.?

For workers in all roles and environments, timely, honest, and consistent communication has the potential to build the most valuable asset at work: trust ! When trust is high, employees are more productive, engaged, and satisfied in their jobs, which translates to higher retention and better financial results. In fact, organizations with effective change and communication programs are 3.5 times more likely to outperform their peers.?

Building connectedness with the right technology?

Many companies have long leveraged technology to boost communication and bring workers closer together. However, the pandemic has accelerated the use of collaboration and communication tools, for example, Workplace from Facebook .?During a recent event , Catherine Simmons, Senior Manager of Internal Social Media and Channel Strategy for Delta Airlines, shared how her company has used Workplace to create a more cohesive workplace community.

Not only does Workplace provide a place where employees can engage with team members, but it also has allowed Delta’s leadership to communicate more effectively during the pandemic, Simmons said. For example, following the George Floyd protest, Delta hosted their first 'Let's Talk About It' townhall on Workplace. “It was really impactful and meaningful,” Simmons says. “The fact that Workplace enabled people from all different parts of the world to come together and have a conversation was amazing.”

“We’ve really let the platform speak for itself,” she adds. “It’s hard for people to ignore the value when they see that we can so easily mobilize and talk to our incredibly diverse workforce that is all over the world.” Her advice to companies looking to use Workplace by Facebook to build community? “Let go of the need for all of your communications to be polished and professional,” she suggests. “In today’s world, people are craving real, authentic communication.”

Working together to build a better workplace

We are currently defining a “new normal” that embraces hybrid workforces, and leaders need to adapt if they want to remain relevant moving forward. From HR to IT to Communications to Brand & Marketing, departments across the organization must become accountable for creating and maintaining an employee experience where people can thrive—no matter their location.?

Employees also have a key role to play in supporting their workplace community, building deeper connections across the business, and ensuring that everyone is aligned with the organization. By bringing people together and using the strategies I’ve outline above, companies can adapt to change in real-time during the coming months and come out more successful on the other side. Because when we support our workers and our workers support each other, together we can overcome our greatest challenges.

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