Business View Magazine | Volume 8, Issue 12

21 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE VOLUME 8, ISSUE 12 and fun tools like the Donut bot that randomly pairs employees up and facilitates conversations. • Learning and taking advantage of the package’s ongoing developments , like the “huddle” feature and direct messaging with outside organizations. • Doubling down on using our few mandatory channels for clear communication on changing policies, amplifying team achievements, and—perhaps most importantly—soliciting feedback. Of course, simply providing tools is never enough; you have to also provide your team with the training to take proper advantage of them, and the safety and opportunity to do so. This is a place where active involvement (and modeling) from your leadership team can make a big difference. 2. Evaluate your tech through the lens of individual experience and equity When it comes to engagement, 42% of employees say their peers have the greatest influence. We have also (fortunately) entered the stage where employees will not stand for what they perceive to be unfair treatment. It’s incumbent on employers to zero in on how employees experience their work on a day-to- day basis and whether they feel connected to their team and heard as an individual. Take a run-of-the-mill department meeting, for instance. Say your new hybrid configuration has half the department in your office and half at home. Do the remote workers have equivalent means to participate in the meeting itself? In the more casual chit-chat that takes place before and after? Can they clearly hear who is speaking and when they can interject? Can they read and add to notes being taken? Do they have the same opportunity to execute on any follow-up items? Unbalanced interactions like this are subtle, but over time will erode connection and leave certain teammates feeling alienated. Identify places where you may be unintentionally creating rifts, and use that pandemic-inspired tech confidence to fix them. Some common areas for improvement are: • A better conference room setup with barrier- breaking tools like the Vibe whiteboard and the Poly Studio soundbar/camera . • A better home office setup with external cameras and speakerphones as needed, a stipend for better internet bandwidth, extra monitors, and so forth. • Standardizing on a document co-authoring solution like SharePoint or Google Docs. • Training your managers to opt for the most inclusive meeting and collaboration formats over what is most convenient. Any new tools you add will require—you guessed it—training! 3. Make sure your digital presence reflects your priorities My final point is one of visibility. If your company is making these great strides to do right by your team, do them and your business a favor by giving talented job seekers enough insight to want to join you. Questions to consider are: • Does our online presence (website, social media) show—not tell—our commitment to our people? • Do our online employee reviews paint an accurate picture? • Do our job descriptions capture our values in a way that an outsider would grasp? Are