Building organizational unity can be tricky these days, as many companies are embracing work from home arrangements and satellite office setups. Non-office-based workers are at a clear disadvantage, as their physical absence from the office means they miss out on integral workplace social interactions that are necessary to build relationships and strengthen teamwork.
Managers should pay attention to the overall office environment to ensure that remote staff are frequently included in office activities. Here are some tips that you should consider:
1. Balance structured team time with free time
Hybrid teams will still need to have structured time working simultaneously — that is, there must be periods when all team members are online and completing tasks together. This structured time is important for teams that collaborate frequently, as it ensures common tasks are completed on schedule.
But employing a strictly structured schedule can also be detrimental to productivity, especially in hybrid workplaces. Most teams will do well with some flexibility alongside their mandatory team time so that they can also work on non-team tasks. Furthermore, giving employees some freedom over their time will help them cope with stress, especially stress associated with long periods of videoconferencing and the like.
2. Establish a positive company culture
A strong, positive company culture will have a resounding impact on your employees, even if some of them are working from home. For instance, if your company has a cheery, all-hands-on-deck kind of atmosphere in the office, you can count that this attitude will carry over to non-office-based workers. Inversely, if your office has an every-man-for-himself environment, you should expect your non-office-based workers to feel alienated and unwelcome.
3. Focus on company values
Company values are your business’ north star, which will help guide you and your team towards your goals and cultivate an environment of productivity and belonging even if everyone is split across different locations.
Company values also deeply influence your company culture, so these go hand in hand. For instance, if your organization values conservation and sustainability, you will see that in how your office-based employees manage resources and minimize waste. And that attitude will trickle down to your remote workers.
4. Uphold and improve communication
Communication is always essential no matter the office format, but it is an absolute lifeblood for businesses that have satellite workers. Businesses that have poor communication infrastructure and habits tend to work in disarray and have lower levels of productivity. This is because without proper communication, workers are not on the same page with tasks and goals.
5. Treat non-office workers as equals
Hybrid workplace relationships can be tricky because your staff who see one another in the office every day will tend to develop stronger bonds than the ones working remotely. There is always a danger of making remote workers feel excluded, and this can hurt team morale and unity.
Managers ought to treat non-office-based staff the same way they treat in-office staff. This will help foster a meritocratic workplace environment which will help draw out the best out of all employees. Also, it will reveal to your executives how to push all members of the organization to produce at their peak levels.
6. Emphasize purpose
Lastly, emphasize to all your staff that their individual roles and responsibilities are all vital to the company’s overall success. Without their individual presence, the whole organization will experience difficulties or even failure. So it’s always good to remind all your staff that each of them is integral to the company’s future.
There’s no better way to encourage organizational unity than by providing your workers with all the tools and support they need to collaborate and communicate effectively. Get powerful IT solutions with outsourceIT. Contact us today to learn more about our services.
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