Navigating the Shift to Hybrid Work: Tips from the PicCollage Team
The pandemic has led to an increase in remote work, enabling employees to work from anywhere with only a laptop and stable internet connection (and sometimes not even that…). While remote work has its challenges, such as maintaining dynamic collaboration and communication, research from McKinsey & Forbes, clearly shows that remote and hybrid work arrangements can improve efficiency, increase job satisfaction and is here to stay…
Switching from in-person to all online meetings and collaboration was a major challenge for our team. Gone were the days of turning to each others’ desks to share our thoughts and ideas, or ask questions. We couldn’t even gather to celebrate events and achievements together…
To adapt to these changes, we have had to refine our working culture and find ways to facilitate better communication and collaboration online. We’ve learned a lot through our own mistakes and the process of trial and error. Here are 4 tips that have been particularly helpful in getting us through this difficult time.
Establish Clear Communication & Collaboration Channels
We have to make sure that all team members know how to reach one another and use a variety of tools to stay connected. The PicCollage team subscribes to several online services to keep in touch and collaborate in real-time online with each other, such as Google Meet, MixerChat, Slack, Dropbox, Notion, and Figma. In addition, we have onboarding sessions to familiarize everyone with the tools and ensure smooth workflows among team members.
Set a Dedicated Agenda for Project and Team Meetings
PicCollage has weekly team meetings for all members to keep everyone informed about what is happening in the company, what activities are taking place in each department and any team-related announcements. Since the team is comprised of members from diverse backgrounds located in different parts of the world, we always make sure that we record & share the meetings so that everyone can attend at any time no matter whether they are WFH or in-person. Also, our team always prepares meeting notes which are super informative and detailed. In addition to the larger PicCollage team meetings, every project and department also has its own daily, weekly, or bi-monthly sync. We believe that setting aside time for these meetings helps to ensure that everyone is up-to-date and on track.
Be Proactive & Overcommunicate
A core value of ours is “Overcommunicate”, which means we would proactively reach out & keep other members in the loop through rituals (weekly team meetings, project syncs, daily stand-ups, scrums, and more). All these not only help us to create a smoother workflow and ensure that we are focused in the same direction. Sadly, communication has been more challenging since we can’t meet in person with our team members. It takes more effort to type out a message and wait for a response instead of just having a quick chat in person. Overcommunication can be a useful strategy to ensure that everyone has a clear understanding of what’s happening or being discussed, and it can also help to build trust and provide transparency about processes and decisions. So don’t be afraid to send that extra message or jump on a quick video call to keep your team in sync!
Use Video Conferencing & Turn on Your Camera!
Online video conferencing platforms are essential for maintaining face-to-face communication and building stronger relationships with our team. We’ve tried a few different tools and have found that Google Meet, MixerChat, Slack, and Zoom work best for our needs. These platforms help us to stay connected and improve team unity, even when we can’t be together in person.
Fun fact! We find that making an extra effort by turning on our cameras & using facial expressions are actually effective ways to show encouragement & make online meetings more human. By being more present and attentive during our online meetings, we have improved communication and collaboration with our team.
These are the 4 tips that our team practices to have open and effective communication even in hybrid settings. Whether members are working in-person or online, everyone can enjoy efficient communication, strong team inclusivity, and more human interaction no matter where we are.
How about you? Please share with us some tips on how your team adapts to the hybrid culture in the comment thread below!
