Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 8

18 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 8 GUEST SUBMI SS ION hybrid workforce, enabling leaders to communicate with nuance and allow employees to watch company communications on their own time – which is especially critical as our survey found that 52% of employees prefer to watch/listen to a company announcement or communication instead of reading an email or blog post. In practice, video can help leaders create an easy-to-understand tutorial for installing new material or using a new piece of technology, streamlining and simplifying the training process. Keeping culture alive Even when leaders take steps to ensure thoughtful hybrid communications, culture is a real concern for organizations as they consider the impact of a hybrid workforce on company traditions. When 100% of staff can’t regularly be together in- person, how can organizations build culture and continue the intangible elements that make their organization truly great? It requires thinking outside the box and beyond the standard idea of company culture in the form of holiday parties and happy hours. Here are a couple of ways I’m keeping my team’s culture alive in the hybrid environment: Find ways to virtually capture in-person traditions: Determine how you can make an office-wide event accessible for both remote and in-person workers. For example, this year, consider incorporating a virtual component during your organization’s annual summer outing so both in-person and remote workers can connect and chat for an all- inclusive experience. Create new, all-digital traditions to ensure remote team members don’t miss out: Whether employees are remote or onsite, it’s the perfect time to implement a fully-virtual event, such as an office- wide summer reading assignment or mindfulness challenge. This can further engage those employees who are in the office while enabling a larger participatory experience to those who are remote. As a bonus, it creates a space where remote workers can engage with their in-office colleagues and get to know each other through outside-of-work topics and discussions. I’m looking forward to being back in the office once again with my colleagues. On the other hand, as a marketer and communicator, I recognize the unique challenges that returning to in-person work and reaching a hybrid workforce bring. As we enter into a new “post-pandemic” work environment, it’s important for leadership to carefully consider company communications and devise strategies for ensuring alignment among all workers, whether they’re on-site, working from home or any combination of the two. BIO: Stacy Adams is dedicated to helping companies build better communication and trainings as part of her role at Vyond, a video animation software company that supports businesses in easily creating corporate videos. She is passionate about the power of video storytelling and believes in its unique ability to bolster employee learning and development. www.vyond. com