Industry Research: The Importance of HR Technology in a Hybrid Workforce

The hybrid workforce is shifting the way work gets done. Today’s blended workforce entails a hybrid model of on-site, as well as remote work employees, rather than a team that works strictly in the office. This model will likely remain the new normal long after the pandemic, as a large number of employees prefer to work from home, at least partially. Though many struggled to grow more productive when first making the change, 63% of employees now say they’re more productive while working from home (WFH) than at the office.
 

To excel as a hybrid workforce, organizations must ensure they have the right technology in place to streamline workflow processes and enhance productivity across their teams.

Why Does Technology Play a Critical Role in the New Workforce?

We’ve all heard of (and possibly even experienced) “pandemic fatigue” or “Zoom fatigue.” But the types of technological solutions chosen, and our strategies for using them, can have a major impact on our ability to perform at our best. From a leader’s standpoint, the right technology can enhance our ability to manage teams, track progress, and facilitate thoughtful collaboration, among other benefits. From the employee’s perspective, collaboration, performance improvement, and staying connected become easier with tools that allow for seamless integration of in-house and remote staff.

These tools can also help avoid the creation of “cliques,” between office workers, and those who primarily work remotely. By fostering clear, consistent communication between in-house and remote employees, this type of technology can help everyone feel like part of one team. 

What Type of Technology Does the Hybrid Workforce Demand?

Let’s examine the most critical pieces of technology needed to accommodate a hybrid workforce. Consider which ones may fill the most pressing needs in your organization today. If you don’t yet have these solutions in place, consider implementing them in the near future to strengthen engagement, communication, and individual development.

Performance Management Solutions

The right tools can help you stay informed regarding employee performance and potential improvements. More specifically, features that help assess progress toward goals and the ability to connect with colleagues one-on-one are essential to a hybrid team.

Monitoring Progress Toward Goals and OKRs

The right tech solutions can help employees and their managers evaluate their progress toward goals as well as objectives and key results (OKRs). By helping to break down goals into key, actionable steps to be tracked and measured, employees can progress toward their desired outcomes. This offers particular value for a hybrid workforce by helping individuals and teams stay focused, even when they’re not surrounded by their colleagues.

Checking in with Employees about Their Development

One-on-one video calls with managers play an essential role in helping employees on hybrid teams stay on track. Managers should hold virtual check-ins with their direct reports at least once weekly. Consider using software that helps managers prepare for, manage, and document these check-ins. These types of solutions can provide a record of check-ins, so managers can review them down the road to gauge employees’ progress. This can prove particularly helpful in a hybrid workforce by making sure managers are seeing the full scope of employee efforts and development. You could also use a tool that allows you to send employees a brief questionnaire prior to your check-ins to ascertain what they want to discuss as well as the challenges they’re experiencing.  

Ways to Stay Connected as a Team

Technology also plays a key role in keeping the entire team connected. Teams working remotely can easily begin to feel disengaged if they have fewer opportunities for the social interactions that naturally occur in the office. However, technology can help. From tools that foster collaboration to those that give employees insights into their own performance, the following solutions will greatly boost your team’s creativity and productivity.

Holding Dynamic Team Meetings

Be wary of too many team meetings—most employees in a hybrid workforce are going to one more meeting each day than they were when they worked full-time from an office. Instead, improve your necessary meetings with tools like virtual whiteboards, which allow you to take notes that all group members can see. These collaborative tools can add new dimensions to virtual meetings that make it easier to stay focused and on task. 

Make sure each participant is fully integrated and engaged in group discussions, no matter where they’re working that day. In conference rooms, set up video conferencing capabilities that allow at-home participants to see the whole room. 

Immersive technologies will become an increasingly popular option for team and one-on-one meetings in the years to come! In fact, the technology needed to meet in a virtual 3D workspace already exists, and similar solutions will soon become widespread.

Sharing Feedback with Colleagues

Colleagues on hybrid teams may struggle to understand how their peers view their contributions.  Software can allow them to share feedback in real-time. Hybrid teams will feel much more connected and gain the insights needed to improve their performance with the use of such tools. Help employees exchange more in-depth feedback covering longer timeframes through 360-degree feedback tools. These types of tools give employees input from a wide range of perspectives, allowing feedback from peers who work closely with them, colleagues in other divisions of the company, management, direct reports, and sometimes, even clients.

Collaborating as a Team 

If collaboration tools were popular before the pandemic, now, they’re indispensable. These project management solutions can help your team stick to workflows, which can present a challenge in hybrid workforces where people don’t work hand-in-hand within the same space. These tools allow everyone to see exactly what stage a project has reached, avoiding the confusion, and saving time. Platforms that integrate the ability to message or speak with coworkers streamline work-related communication. 

Collaborative tools can also foster remote brainstorming sessions that achieve results. Remote brainstorming solutions don’t necessarily require employees to all participate in one session at the same time. Instead, they can add ideas at their convenience via a platform that shows all the ideas contributed by the group, which can allow for a wider range of ideas. The group can then convene to discuss and expand upon the best options.

Means of Assessing Engagement

Many managers struggle with determining remote employees’ level of engagement in their work. Technological solutions can help you keep your finger on the pulse of employee engagement, even from a distance. 

Soliciting Input from Employees 

Try sending your staff periodic opinion surveys asking how they feel about their work and what could be improved to increase job satisfaction. Seeking employee input and responding to it can substantially improve workplace culture on a hybrid team.

Asking for Input from Peers

Through 360 surveys, you can find out how an employee’s peers perceive their level of engagement. Do they fully show up for work each day, or has their energy level diminished? This feedback can help you address any issues as early on as possible.

Want to deepen your knowledge of how to manage your hybrid workforce? Download our ebook on essential performance management solutions for today’s HR!

Primalogik offers a cloud-based performance management solution. It helps organizations boost engagement and provide employees with continuous feedback. Its key features include 360-degree feedback, performance reviews, goal tracking, and engagement surveys. Visit Primalogik to learn how to successfully assess and foster ongoing employee performance and development.