Get your week started off with inclusive and effective collaboration

Mondays are all about collaboration and hitting the ground running, bringing people together to execute for the week ahead. Don’t let different schedules and locations get in the way of bringing people together.

Success in hybrid work means rethinking collaboration

All successful organizations have a few common attributes, one of which is that they all find ways to collaborate successfully. With hybrid working, this became even more apparent. A recent McKinsey study showed that companies that invested in communication and collaboration in the first year of the pandemic were more likely to see performance gains and increased employee job satisfaction.

Jabra’s Hybrid Ways of Working 2021 Global Report largely supports McKinsey’s findings that effective collaboration can lead to success in hybrid work. In fact, 81% of global knowledge workers said that a hybrid work model will allow for more intentional use of time and spaces in order to ultimately be more productive. Similarly, 81% agreed that organizations who embrace a hybrid model will have a competitive edge in the future.

There are still challenges to overcome

With hybrid working, it’s rare that an entire team will ever be working in the same place at any one time. This means we will still largely rely on virtual environments to bridge the gap between physical and remote meeting participants. While most organizations have made major progress in virtual collaboration, 48% of employees still feel their voice often goes unheard on synchronous video calls. 

During the initial stages of the pandemic, many of us relied on our headset to stay connected with our colleagues. And in the hybrid future, we will still need personal audio devices to collaborate effectively, particularly when we’re working from a third place such as a café or airport. But now, 51% of employees find themselves getting frustrated or burnt out by their remote work toolset. In fact, 74% of remote workers — and 83% of those aged 18-24 — agree that changes or additions are needed to the tools they use in order to address the challenges of remote work.

Technology is the answer

A Jabra study found that 84% of global knowledge workers believe collaboration technologies will create a more equal and inclusive workforce. As we settle into a more permanent hybrid working arrangement, group collaboration technologies such as the Jabra Speak 750 will be the primary avenue for achieving this equitable collaboration experience. Moving forward, it’s essential that managers and IT decision-makers work together to create inclusive virtual collaboration environments where everybody has the equal opportunity to hear and be heard.