Employee Engagement in the Hybrid Workplace – Top 5 Challenge

The hybrid workplace has completely revolutionized how businesses function. Who would have ever imagined that a model that was introduced to sustain operations during a global pandemic would become the standard? As organizations continue to come to terms with this paradigm shift, several concerns regarding employee well-being need immediate resolution.

Read on as we delve into the top challenges that impact employee engagement in the hybrid workplace.

Top hybrid workplace engagement challenges

According to a study by Forbes, 28.2% of the global workforce relies on the flexible and convenient hybrid model. Despite the continued adoption of the model, employee engagement continues to be an emerging challenge for businesses. Offering the same set of tools, delivering consistent employee experiences irrespective of location, making spaces user-friendly, and maintaining equal levels of teamwork and productivity across onsite and remote employees doesn’t come easy. Organizations also must allocate resources efficiently, ensure fairness and equity, and maintain a positive workplace culture to build trust and accountability.

That said, let’s look at the top 5 hybrid workplace engagement challenges that organizations face today:

1. Connecting teams seamlessly: Enterprise collaboration was a lot easier when employees worked in the same bay or office building. Any urgent meeting could easily be set up in a conference room. Accidental conversations were often the starting points for key discussions. Employees had the luxury of just walking to their peers and entering a discussion. But with hybrid working, employees aren’t in the same place at the same time. They are dispersed across different locations and time zones and use a mix of devices to carry out their day-to-day tasks. Ensuring collaboration between remote and onsite employees, although key to quality and success, is quite challenging in the hybrid landscape.

2. Reducing inequality between onsite and remote employees: Hybrid working, although the new norm today, isn’t for everyone! While some employees just can’t wrap their heads around the idea of working from home, others who would want to cannot because of their job profiles. At the same time, hybrid workers often feel excluded from conversations and decisions because they aren’t physically present in the room. This often causes them to feel unheard and undervalued, ultimately impacting their productivity levels.

3. Dealing with connectivity issues: Despite the digital era that we live in, connectivity issues continue to plague even the most developed nations. Communication issues caused by an intermittent network can slow down business workflows, leaving employees frustrated. Since any break in conversations can cause them to miss out on important information, it can have several productivity and motivation repercussions.

4. Ensuring inclusivity: In the hybrid work model, offering the same opportunities to onsite and remote workers is a Herculean task. Employees who work from the office get access to a plethora of workforce productivity tools that help them do

their jobs better. On the flip side, those working from home often feel disengaged due to the absence of the right tools. Imagine the plight of remote workers who are forced to sit behind a screen, struggle with poor audio/video quality, and have no access to whiteboards.

5. Reskilling and upskilling remote workers: Hybrid environments also impact employee training and make reskilling and upskilling the remote workforce difficult. While they get access to the latest online training modules and materials, the lack of classroom training impacts their overall well-being. In the absence of face-to-face interactions with trainers and peer-to-peer learning, remote workers tend to feel disengaged and discouraged over time, affecting their motivation and enthusiasm levels.

Overcoming engagement challenges with AV solutions

Hybrid working offers employees the freedom to choose when and where they work. However, despite the flexibility and convenience that the hybrid workplace model offers, employee engagement continues to be a concern for managers. With no sign of organizations going back to traditional office-based 9-5 workdays, there is a pressing need to seek solutions that give both remote and onsite employees the same place at the table.

If you want your hybrid employees to have the same level of focus, commitment, and dedication, you must strike the right balance between onsite and remote workers. Corporate audiovisual solutions can help organizations address these challenges, especially as they expand globally. They can transcend spaces and connect people across multiple locations and devices, empowering hybrid workers as they work towards a common goal.

Modern AV solutions offer extremely versatile capabilities that make remote workers feel as engaged and motivated as their onsite peers. With interactive whiteboard capabilities, high-quality audio/video quality, and intelligent collaboration tools, you can foster high levels of innovation and support the overall well-being of your employees.

The Resurgent Advantage At Resurgent, we offer a diverse range of AV integration solutions that make hybrid working sustainable and successful. With tools spread across unified communications, board and meeting rooms, training and collaboration spaces, and more, we help organizations make an effortless transition to a hybrid work culture. With us as your AV integration partner, you can be sure to connect teams seamlessly, increase impact and inclusivity, and create the right impression at every touchpoint. Explore our range of AV solutions today, or book a free consultation today!