In any company, good communication is vital. Effective communication promotes trust and builds stronger teams across the company as it helps strengthen relationships. It boosts productivity and can help resolve issues quickly. Having the right communication strategies and policies in a hybrid workplace becomes even more critical and challenging. In-office communication is often synchronous, with many face-to-face interactions in real-time throughout the workday. But in a hybrid workplace, with employees spread out across various workspaces and time zones, much of the communication throughout the day becomes asynchronous, and it’s easy for communications to slip through the cracks. Here are some strategies for maintaining good communications in a hybrid workplace.
Have a communication strategy
In a hybrid workplace, with employees working in different locations and even different time zones, people will not always see your communications at the same time. With asynchronous communication being the norm, an effective communication strategy backed up by policies and processes is essential. Having processes for communication is even more important in a hybrid work environment where communications are not face-to-face and not seen by everyone at the same time. Take time to consider the why, when, where, and how of your most common communications, and then develop processes that enable those communications to happen smoothly and consistently. Crafting a communication strategy backed up by policies that support good communication across the workplace is the first step to ensuring consistent communication that keeps everyone updated and on the same page. Employco can assist you with creating the right communication strategy and implementing the right tools to ensure that everyone stays on the same page.
Utilize different formats for different types of communications
With so many different technologies and tools available to help teams communicate, finding the right ones to support your workforce can be challenging. Certain technologies and communication tools lend themselves better to certain types of communications. Crafting policies and processes that help your employees navigate different types of communications leads to increased productivity and better collaboration. Once your processes are created, it’s just a matter of installing the right tools to implement them.
Your workforce also needs universal access to those processes and documents, so they can find the right document no matter where they are. Maintaining an online portal can help provide easy universal access to employees no matter where they are. It can also help your company maintain compliance by ensuring everyone has access to the documents, processes, and policies they need. The right HR outsourcer can provide you with best practices and the right tools to support your communications.
Document diligently
Now that you have a communication strategy, it’s time to ensure every employee has access to the tools necessary to adhere to that strategy. Workers need access to the processes and policies to know what is expected of them. They also need those documents to be easy to find. Maintaining an online portal can help provide easy universal access to employees no matter where they are. It helps your company maintain compliance by ensuring everyone has access to the documents, processes, and policies they need and eliminates questions about where to find documents. An HR outsourcer, like Employco, can help your business set up the right kind of access to documents to meet the needs of your hybrid workplace, ensuring that everything is in place and easy to find, helping your business maintain effective and compliant communications.
Implementing the right communication strategies helps create a culture of collaboration and transparency in your hybrid office. Having the right processes and tools to support good communication is critical. Employco can help you design and implement the right communication policies and processes to support strong communication. Contact us for help.