The back to school season is again upon us. Many adults are still working from home or in hybrid work environments, while kids are heading back to the classrooms. Let the drama and the fun begin! Or, better yet, let’s find some ways to make it better this year!
Hybrid work has been prevalent for the past few years and has introduced the remote work challenge. However, many companies still need to establish policies that enhance collaboration and productivity for teams working remotely.
The hybrid working environment is no longer a post-pandemic experiment. On average, office attendance is 30 percent lower than before 2020 with most remote-capable workers going into the office just 3.5 days per week. Even though most companies have had a few years to work out their hybrid plans, many still struggle to balance remote and in-office teams.
The pandemic made remote and hybrid work environments more popular than ever before. However, the location of your team isn’t the only thing that changed in the past few years. Remote and hybrid work has sent ripple effects through the workplace, impacting productivity, employee needs, and how these collaborate. As a leader, you will need to adapt to these changes.
Strong communication is one of the main drivers of success in a business. In the hybrid workplace, effective communication is especially crucial. With team members scattered across cities, states, and time zones, while others are in the office, it can be hard to keep everyone on the same page.
Before the onset of COVID-19, 60 percent of remote-capable employees worked in the office each day according to a survey by Gallup. When the pandemic ended last year, teams have transitioned to a hybrid environment.
Summer is a time for enjoying long days and relaxing vacations. Even the most productive offices slow down during the summer as employees and clients alike take time off from work and instead, enjoy extra hours with family and friends. However, now that the days are getting shorter and kids are returning to school, it’s time to refocus. Doing so when working in a hybrid environment, however, can be challenging. Use these steps to refresh your work routine so you can stay productive as you ease into fall.
When we were kids in school, summer was an exciting time, used to relax and take a break from the studies. This mentality often sticks with us into adulthood, sometimes leading to lower performance rates at work. During the warmest months of the year, the productivity slump can get as annoying as the heat outside.
If you’ve experienced what Stanford University researchers call Zoom fatigue, rest assured, it’s not just in your imagination. The fact is, some virtual meetings cause exhaustion and contribute to burnout. However, they won’t be phased out anytime soon. So, it’s up to you to understand why this happens and how to mitigate it in order to stay healthy and productive.
Love is in the air. February is the month of love and our work environments stand no chance in trying to escape Cupid’s arrows 😉 Yet, at work, love means different things than in our every-day life. A collaborative culture, efficient communication, psychological safety, teamwork—all these make for a better life at the workplace.
