The way we define the “workplace” has changed significantly in the last few years. Commonplace terms like “collaboration”, “communication” and “presence” have all adopted new meanings, as employees move outside of the traditional office, into a more digitized professional landscape.

It makes sense to assume then, that the definition of “productivity” would change too. Business leaders can no longer measure the productivity of their team members just by monitoring the amount of time they spend in the office, or the number of tasks they check off their to-do list each day.

Similarly, enabling productivity isn’t just about creating the right physical environment for work anymore. To deliver their best work, today’s staff members don’t just need the right desk or office space, they need to be able to leverage convenient, user-friendly tools, capable of helping them to overcome the challenges and hurdles of an increasingly complex workflow.

Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the concept of hybrid productivity, what it means, how it’s enabled, and how it’s likely to continue transforming in the years ahead.

Hybrid Productivity Meaning

Hybrid productivity is essentially a measurement of the effectiveness, performance, and overall success of a hybrid team. A productive workforce is one capable of leveraging the tools and resources at their disposal, to deliver the most value to a business.

When hybrid and remote work were still relatively new concepts, many business leaders assumed a distributed workforce would automatically lead to issues with productivity and performance. However, the evidence has consistently shown that the hybrid model can actually deliver significant increases in productivity, across a range of different industries.

Hybrid workplace models mix remote and in-office work, to ensure every team member has access to the environment and resources they need to achieve their goals.

According to Gartner, the hybrid model ensures that where and when work is done is defined by the framework most likely to benefit both the employee and the business. As a result, in organizations where employees work a traditional 40-hour week in the office, around 36% of employees are often defined as high performers. Alternatively, when teams switch to the hybrid model, around 55% of staff members achieve that high-performer status.

The Pillars of Hybrid Productivity

Increased autonomy to choose the ideal schedule and work location for each project, fewer interruptions, and reduced commuting times all contribute to a more naturally productive workflow in the hybrid landscape. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean switching to a hybrid workplace will make every business more productive.

For hybrid teams to thrive, they need to be supported by the right tools, or pillars of productivity. First and foremost, I’m a big believer in the impact that Unified Communications (UC) technologies are having on the hybrid work landscape. The rise of UC tools, and solutions for communication delivered through a cloud environment has essentially paved the way for a future where hybrid work is possible. Without UCaaS and similar platforms, we’d all be tethered to a traditional office space.

However, even with these solutions available, the right strategy is essential. Companies need to examine their people, processes, and technology, to find the right balance for their hybrid team. Specifically, organizations need to ensure they have access to:

  • The right UC Stack: Unified communication platforms come in a variety of styles and forms. Some focus on empowering teams with video communication tools, other concentrate on the value of messaging and asynchronous communication. Some solutions even need to be customized according to the needs of the business. That’s why platforms like Microsoft Teams, RingCentral MVP, and Cisco Webex are inherently flexible.
  • Management solutions: The hybrid model naturally gives employees more autonomy, but there’s still a need for effective management in the modern workplace. Managers still need to be able to ensure their remote and on-site workers have access to the right tools, are following the most efficient schedules, and are achieving consistent results. WFM and WFO tools are becoming increasingly common in the UC stack for this reason.
  • Solutions for inclusion: Preserving company culture and maintaining high levels of engagement can be particularly challenging in a hybrid environment. Companies need to find ways of combatting issues of employee isolation and disconnection. Vendors like Microsoft are tackling this issue with solutions like the Viva platform, designed to bring staff members together and improve bonds between distributed workers.

Additionally, the pillars of hybrid productivity need to be implemented in a way that ensures employees can rapidly and easily adopt new tools, adjust to changes in workflows, and consistently improve their performance, without compromising on security, or compliance.

How Tech Innovators are Investing in Hybrid Productivity

Since hybrid work is rapidly becoming the new norm, many technology vendors, particularly those in the UC and SaaS landscapes, are investing in ways to enhance hybrid productivity. In the last couple of years, UC tools have begun to introduce various new features specifically designed to boost productivity. Collaboration features in UC stacks are now commonplace, and workforce engagement tools are becoming an everyday part of the UC landscape.

At the same time, vendors are quickly beginning to embrace new and disruptive technologies, to tackle the common issues many business leaders face with preserving hybrid productivity. For instance, 30% of US workers worry about the impact remote work will have on company culture, and distributed teams are already suffering from feelings of isolation and exclusion.

As a result, UC vendors have begun looking for ways to recreate a sense of presence in the digital environment, with immersive collaboration tools. Meta is introducing metaverse environments where team members can come together in virtual reality. Microsoft has integrated the Teams ecosystem with its Mesh ecosystem for extended reality, and now allows users to create their own digital avatars for the virtual world. Countless software vendors have even begun working with businesses to produce digital twins of offices, opening the door to a new era of metawork.

Companies are also beginning to think more carefully about how they can empower and engage the full workforce, not just people connected to a computer screen. Mobile applications and tools specially designed for frontline workers are becoming increasingly common in the UC stack. These solutions could be further enhanced by the introduction of virtual, augmented, and mixed reality.

Even artificial intelligence stands to play a significant role in the development of hybrid productivity. Generative AI solutions are quickly emerging in a host of UC platforms, designed to help automate workflows, reduce repetitive tasks, and provide employees with access to enhanced virtual assistants. Research from Goldman Sachs even found generative AI could launch a productivity boom in the workplace that increases GDP by 7% in the next decade.

The Evolution of Hybrid Productivity

Hybrid work isn’t going anywhere, but the challenges companies face in ensuring and preserving ongoing productivity in a flexible environment may soon start to diminish. UC vendors and technology innovators across the globe are recognizing the unique challenges that today’s distributed workers face, and they’re coming up with ever-more exciting solutions.

As immersive collaboration, generative AI, and enhanced UCaaS experiences continue to evolve, there’s a good chance we’ll see a significant evolution in the productivity of the hybrid team.



from UC Today https://ift.tt/2wLaHtj