This is the biggest problem that will result from hybrid work

According to Gartner’s® “Redesigning Work for the Hybrid World: Opportunities for Knowledge Workers,” published June 21, 2021, “75% of hybrid or remote knowledge workers say their expectations for working flexibly have increased. And if an organization were to go back to a fully on-site arrangement, it would risk losing up to 39% of its workforce.” There’s no doubt that the future of work is hybrid, but as workforces remain not fully in-office, hybrid, or remote, many are relying on stopgap solutions to weather what seems like an eternal transition. While it’s well-intentioned, this is just setting up many organizations for a future where a never-ending stream of changing practices results in frustrating and costly communication gaps.

Thankfully, you can reduce losses in productivity by recognizing that the baseline for hybrid collaboration isn’t the in-office method. This line of thinking will just create more of those pesky silos you’re trying to move away from. Instead, hybrid collaboration requires an entirely new way of communicating — one that places team-wide inclusion front and center in any meeting structure.

Now, this isn’t a one-size-fits all method for hybrid working. Each organization and team will have a bespoke way to make sure collaboration thrives. What is a blanket-need for everyone, though, is a tool that doesn’t create more problems than it solves.

Often, the right tool:

• Allows asynchronous and synchronous collaboration
• Fits seamlessly into a remote workflow
• Can be easily used by multiple teams with varying expertise levels across the organization

More often than not, this is a visual collaboration tool. They take all the goodness of allowing team members their turn at the whiteboard, with a splash of add-ons that evolve the experience and catalyze the best ideas.