Hybrid work has emerged as the preferred solution for flexible staffing in a host of business landscapes. According to Accenture, 83% of professionals consider hybrid work to be the optimal solution for productivity in the current landscape. 

As team members become increasingly distributed, working from a range of divided environments, the meeting has grown to be one of the most valuable parts of the day-to-day workflow. Studies showed an average of 55% more meetings and calls per week among teams in the Microsoft Teams landscape during 2020. 

While companies like Microsoft are making it easier for hybrid staff to remain aligned and connected in a modern, flexible workspace, there are still steps business leaders need to take to ensure the success of their teams. To survive in this new world, you need to ensure you’re making all of your team members feel equal in your meetings. 

Here are some tips to help. 

  1. Explore the Latest Microsoft Teams Features

Both in Microsoft Teams (the software) and via Microsoft Teams Rooms (Meeting Room hardware), companies have access to a host of tools for enabling and optimizing hybrid meetings. However, even with people spending around 148% more time in Teams since the pandemic, they may not be aware of all the features available to help them connect with their hybrid colleagues. 

Together Mode is one excellent example of the Teams features specifically suited to hybrid work. This ensures employees can place themselves together in a virtual “meeting room” to create a better sense of bonding. You can also use Microsoft Teams Rooms with AI-enabled cameras from Microsoft partners to improve your chances of eye contact, with clever camera stream positioning.

Pay close attention to the latest features emerging from Teams which might improve your meeting quality, such as:

  • AI-powered active speaker tracking, to follow people in the office space
  • Companion mode, so team members can all access content from the same device.
  • Live transcription and translation, to improve clarity in meetings

  1. Give Everyone the Right Audio and Video Devices

Everyone should feel like they’re in the same team when they’re joining a Microsoft Teams meeting. It’s hard to create that synergy when your remote staff are using grainy smartphone cameras, and your in-office employees have access to 4K streaming. 

While it might not be possible to give your remote staff the exact same tools as your in-house employees, you should try to make the experience as similar as possible for both groups. Look into high-quality audio and visual tools for everyone in your workforce. 

Microsoft has a huge range of tools available for hybrid meetings through partners like Poly and Yealink. There are even plug-and-play bars for your remote professionals which combine microphone, audio, and video technology into one plug-and-play solution.

  1. Upgrade the Connectivity

In your workplace, connecting to a Teams meeting should be relatively straightforward. Your staff will likely have access to the highest quality bandwidth and streaming. However, this isn’t always the case in the remote world. Upgrading the connectivity options of your anywhere work team will help them to feel more connected to the rest of the group. 

For instance, you could look into upgrading your staff’s home broadband where necessary and using tools for SD-WAN optimisation to streamline connections to specific cloud-based tools. There’s a Microsoft Teams Network Assessment tool available within the app which you can use to examine connectivity issues. 

While you’re upgrading connectivity, you might want to think about additional connection enhancements too, like giving your teams access to a VPN when they’re working remotely to better-protect their data. 

  1. Enable the Entire Workforce with Third-Party Tools

In an ideal world, a hybrid meeting would feel exactly like an in-person interaction. Microsoft Teams is doing its best to enable this. The Microsoft company even started integrating its services with tools for virtual and augmented reality, to create even deeper connections between staff wherever they are. 

One of the best ways to enable your workforce both in the office, and outside of it, is to ensure they have access to the widest range of productivity-boosting tools. Companies can build their own line-of-business apps through the Microsoft Power Apps platform to strengthen hybrid workflows or leverage native integrations.

You could even look into things like virtual whiteboarding hardware which integrates with the whiteboarding software on Microsoft Teams. Having a shared space to draw and share ideas can make all of your staff members feel like they have more of a voice and more opportunities to engage in a meeting wherever they are. 

  1. Establish Meeting Norms

To create a consistent experience among remote and in-office employees, it’s important for a company to set specific norms and policies. For instance, one first step should be to ensure every meeting that can be handled digitally – is moved online. No meetings should take place exclusively within the office unless absolutely everyone involved with the meeting can be there. 

Building a company culture around the idea that interactions, collaboration, and communication happens in a digital format, will help staff to feel less isolated. Policies should also be implemented to ensure people in a remote environment can still host meetings, take control of the conversations, and share their insights whenever necessary. 

Remote professionals in a hybrid meeting shouldn’t feel like they’re just a “viewer” on the other hand of the meeting screen. The most effective meetings will be the ones where everyone can feel involved and engaged. Tools like Microsoft Viva in Teams should help business leaders to keep track of the engagement levels of their staff during meetings, to determine whether remote workers are fading into the background. 

Create a Flexible, Open Workplace

Microsoft believes the most effective hybrid workplaces are the ones that make room for everyone at the conversational table. This is why there are so many great ways for remote and in-person meeting participants to interact in a Teams meeting, from raising their hand in conversations, to sharing emojis.

As with most things, practice will be necessary to make the Teams landscape feel like the natural hub of hybrid work for your team. As you work on the tips above, make sure you leave the lines of communication open for all staff members. This will ensure your in-office and remote employees will be able to share their thoughts on what really “works” in the hybrid space. 

 

 



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