Creating a digital workplace in a hybrid world

The recent pandemic has made companies everywhere have a major rethink about how they will run their business. With many workers still not back in offices full time, employers are feeling more comfortable opting for a hybrid – half office/half home approach.

But if you carry on working in this way, it means your digital workplace needs to be top-notch – and with that, communication needs to be excellent. Modern workplaces are seeking ways to improve mental wellbeing and offer flexibility. If employees know they can expect this in a new role, a good work environment is extremely likely.

Investment in decent technology

Better technology would be one of the top answers if you asked most employee what would make their lives at work easier. Implement a new intranet that is bespoke to your company and you’ll quickly benefit from the digital transformation. What if you no longer had to waste countless hours searching for files that should be right under your nose? Afterall, time is money, right?

A modern-day SharePoint intranet like Attollo sits on Office365 and provides the perfect one-stop shop for all staff to store documents and connect from any device, wherever they may be in the world. Bettter still, you can get a customisable intranet and match it up with your company branding. So easy and simple to use, it will be matter of days until all your staff are loving the new system – and no longer waiting for days to book in their annual holiday allowance.

Big up the employee experience   

With staff working separately, a digital workplace is crucial. Staff need to be supported if they’re working from home, as no one wants to feel isolated or lonely without colleagues around them.

Help employees get organised – and see what others are up to by using a system like Trello or you could use your intranet to create a leaderboard and encourage some friendly competition within your teams. Staff could get involved with things like Quickpolls or chat forums, and have the chance to comment on a blog from the CEO.

Encourage an empathic culture

Some staff may need help to cope with the changes. The best way to do this is to implement a reliable and instant communications system. No one has time to hang about waiting for replies to round robin emails when they could use an instant messenger such as Microsoft Teams, to get an instant response, or a video chat.

You could try encouraging inter-departmental relations by improving collaboration between teams.

Encouraging a culture of recognition can also bring a whole new attitude and outlook on the company. Why not celebrate when a staff member does something great? Feature their image on your intranet homepage and let others give the compliments.