Working from home can be tough — especially if your team is hybrid and most of your colleagues are in the office together. Between the communication gaps and lack of social interaction, there are a lot remote work challenges to overcome. But implementing a fully unified cloud communications platform can make all the difference.
How? Well, let’s walk through the most common challenges of remote workers on hybrid teams and look at the ways each one can be mitigated with a cloud communications platform.
Challenges for remote workers on hybrid teams
Communication gaps
When you’re at the office, it’s easy to walk over to your coworkers’ desk and initiate an impromptu meeting. But what happens when all your office-based coworkers are having these encounters without you? Sure, maybe you’re staying connected through a chatting platform, but you can’t guarantee that information isn’t falling through the cracks. If you’re not involved in the face-to-face meetings, decisions are being made without you and it’s very possible that you’re missing out on critical information.
Fully integrated cloud collaboration tools like Webex or Microsoft Teams can minimize this gap. You can organize chatting and meeting spaces around groups, projects or departments as needed. All important documents and conversations can be shared here, so that no one is left out. Plus, it’s as simple as the click of a button to start an audio or video call with a remote team member. Inclusion is not only expected; it’s seamless.
Decreased visibility
Many remote employees worry that a lack of face time with their manager or leadership team will make it more difficult to get recognized for good work. What if the lack of visibility prevents them from growth opportunities or passed over for promotions?
The good news is that digital collaboration platforms can make it easier to get in front of colleagues, clients and your boss. Send chats, share files, make a call or hop on a video conference. Just because you’re not in the office doesn’t mean you’re a silent participant. It’s easier than ever to turn in from home.
Growing isolation
In order to be fully productive, most employees need frequent, meaningful interactions with their team members to stay engaged. Missing out on team building activities and standup meetings can deteriorate motivation and lead to procrastination.
Integrated cloud communication tools can make you feel like you’re in the room, even when you’re miles apart. There’s no excuse for being lonely when you can stay active in chats, make impromptu phone calls, view presence indicators and host meetings in your dedicated virtual “room.”
Lacking professionalism
While many of us have been forced to overcome this fear during the pandemic, some remote workers worry about a lack of professionalism on their part now that their coworkers are heading back into the office. When everyone was working remotely, barking dogs and screaming children became an acceptable interruption. But will that still be the case when most employees are wearing pants again?
Luckily, many virtual collaboration tools have features that can help. Whether it’s background noise cancellation or virtual backgrounds, you can silence the distractions, hide the messy bed and maintain the same level of professionalism you’d have in the office.
Supporting remote workers with the right tools
There’s a big difference between working on a fully remote team and being the only remote employee on a hybrid team. While flexible working models give organizations greater access to talent, they have to have the digital infrastructure in place to support them.
Hybrid may be the new frontier, but it’s not going to last long without a cloud-based platform that gives everyone equal access to communication and collaboration. Regardless of where you’re at in your hybrid journey, TelNet Worldwide has solutions that can make this transition seamless for you and your teams. Just reach out to get started.
