We were all in the same work environment, our desks were next to each other, and we were close enough to touch each other. We were chatting in the elevator, in the cafeteria, at the service bus and during coffee breaks, talking about both work and personal issues. Despite this, it was a great challenge for us to align with the same emotions and focus precisely and consistently on the same goal. The demand for hybrid and flexible work, which began during the pandemic period, has gradually increased.
So how will it be possible to keep people together now?
How will employee engagement, which is one of the most important problems of HR managers, be ensured in the remote working environment?
Don’t ignore the advantages
87% of employees demand their future work arrangements to be flexible and at least half remote. Meeting these demands will make them feel good, and feeling good is the key point of human management at this point. In addition, there are also findings that remote working increases employee productivity all over the world. Several studies conducted in the first months of 2022 show that working remotely from home is better than working in an office environment. Remote work increases productivity by 77 percent, according to an analysis by ConnectSolutions. Nearly 40 percent of employees have this idea. Experts think a well-managed hybrid workplace can be a magnet that brings people together and helps us work better than ever.
Here are the points to consider:
• To make the right decision about who and how often to work from the office, to ensure fairness,
• To take measures to ensure that corporate culture and cooperational environment are not damaged.
Who, where, how?
Currently, many companies are exploring how to strike a balance between white-collar workers who can work from anywhere and those who need to be on the front lines in hospitals, stores and public transport. In an environment where three people are in the office, the issue of how equality will be achieved for the fourth person who is connected from home becomes an important issue. Will virtual view be enough when it’s so important for employees to be visible? All of these increase the responsibility of managers regarding employee engagement.
Habits and behaviours need to change in many issues.
Rules are written in real time
There are very few companies worldwide that have long experienced the hybrid working model and have managed to create their tactics in the process. In a way, the rules of the business are being written again and right now.
Each management team should create its own strategy within the framework of its field of activity and corporate culture.
But there are some immutable truths, let’s take a look at them.
– Upgrade managers: More than 70 percent of learning and development culture investments are related to employees. Adapting perfectly to the hybrid model is possible by increasing managerial competencies. Now is the time to train management teams. Quality listening, empathy, inclusiveness, awareness of equality and diversity, employee engagement building and coaching skills are the first things that come to mind.
– Do not control, create a collaborative environment: Increasing the dose of micro-management by obsessing over details such as when the remote employees wake up, how long they work, or when they take a break will only lead to loss of productivity and loss of employees. Focus on effective project management, define tasks and responsibilities, and let everyone be their own leader.
– Do not hinder learning and development: According to a study, employees who are given the opportunity for learning and development have 2.9 times higher engagement rates than others. Learning and development opportunities are recognized as the most important driving force for a “perfect work culture”.
– Create jobs to connect with: Working together is more than just working together. People who willingly pursue the same goal are more likely to cooperate and have stronger relationships. Volunteering has great opportunities to create this. Support volunteering, create volunteering leaders, and even pay extra for it.
– Take the pulse of employees in real time: You’re wrong, it’s not advertising phrase ☺ Yes, Moodivation does exactly that, but the point is to ignite a culture of feedback and continuously learn how employees feel. Instead of standard annual engagement surveys, it gives you an advantage to listen to employees, conduct polls, analyse engagement in real time, and turn employee engagement into a constantly up-to-date topic.