With change come challenges. One of the biggest challenges faced by businesses today is remote work’s impact on workforce engagement, cohesion, and motivation.  

Teams traditionally used to work closely together are now dispersed across the globe, some working exclusively via video calls and online platforms.  

The challenge for businesses now is to keep those remote and hybrid employees engaged with each other and their in-office colleagues.  

When the workforce is properly engaged, employees are happier leading to 81% higher customer satisfaction and 50% lower staff turnover. (Cisco Workforce Experience report, 2020).  

The right tech tools are critical to keeping the workforce happy and engaged and your business profitable.

What are the signs of disconnected communication and workflows?

Technologically speaking, we’re more connected than ever. But for many employees, remote and hybrid work can make them feel less connected to their team and their purpose than ever.

A disconnected and disengaged team is a big red flag for your organisation especially when it comes to productivity, staff retention and customer satisfaction.

Here’s how to spot disconnection in your workplace.

How does disconnection affect your business?

It’s not just inconvenient for your staff and your customers, that lost time and productivity can greatly affect your revenue and your profit.  

There are also potential major impacts on customer loyalty. As Business Wire reported, the number one reason a customer will speak negatively about a brand is poor customer experience.

With customers now able to publicly share their negative experiences quickly across social platforms, every dissatisfied customer is potentially influencing hundreds or even thousands of people.  

And don’t forget about your employees. If they’re having a hard time doing their job effectively, or they’re feeling disconnected from their team, the workplace culture can suffer and they may choose to move on. The cost and time of recruiting someone new is enough to give any budget manager nightmares.

Building engagement in remote and hybrid workforces

Four ways to stay productive when being on video  

Trying to stay connected remotely means that some days, you’re going to be on video calls a lot. Try implementing these as part of your heavy video days:

• Make the most of AI tools to take notes and schedule follow-ups.
• Use collaborative features, such as Cisco Webex with a range of features from meetings, messaging, calling, white boarding, virtually and collaboratively editing documents).
• Use breakout rooms and ‘huddles’ to keep participants focused on their areas of expertise.
• Use gesture recognition features so natural body language is replicated through the screen, making the meeting feel more real.

Seamless tech makes it easier for everyone to engage and get the most out of their video meetings. 

Remote and hybrid work is business as usual

Failing to implement what your people need for effective collaboration is a recipe for disengaged and unmotivated teams. This can lead to a decrease in productivity, lower customer satisfaction rates, and high staff turnover.  

Empower workforce connection with Cisco Collaboration tools.

 

A Gold-certified collaboration expert