Table of Contents

To say that the COVID-19 pandemic changed how the world works would be a massive understatement. From supply chain issues to public health measures to how the global workforce functions, the pandemic shifted nearly every aspect of daily life. 

Now, as we continue to experience the effects of such a massive disruption, organizations are faced with a variety of questions around how they conduct business in this new world of “no normal.” 

Remote work and hybrid work are here to stay, and the data proves it.  

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, only 8% of “remote-capable” employees worked exclusively from home, and only about one-third had a hybrid work arrangement. These “remote-capable” employees are workers who say their current job can be done remotely working from home, at least partly, and represent about half of the full-time U.S. workforce. 

But as the pandemic shifted how the world works, around 70% of remote-capable employees exclusively worked from home in May 2020. As of February 2022, 42% of these remote-capable employees had a hybrid work schedule, and 39% worked from home every day.  

And workers expect this trend of hybrid and remote work to last. According to a Gallup poll, 53% of remote-capable employees expect a hybrid work arrangement to be the long-term plan for their office arrangement, and 24% expect to work completely remotely. 

Workers also want the possibility to work remotely, at least some of the time. Pew research has found that 60% of workers with jobs that can be done remotely wanted to work from home all or most of the time, up from 54% in 2020. 

If your company or organization is one of the many who have realized the benefits (and competitive advantage) of offering hybrid or remote work options, there are several crucial considerations you need to be aware of and address accordingly. 

One challenge presented by the increase in remote work is the need for a common level of digital literacy and fluency, especially with heavily used communications technologies such as Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Zoom. Not all workers have the same level of comfortability using these tools, yet it is extremely important that an organization’s employees are all able to maneuver them in order to communicate most effectively and stay productive. 

Different organizations will have different needs regarding these business tools, so it’s essential for business leaders to make sure that employees are able to effectively and efficiently utilize these technologies. eLearning videos and/or live virtual training, complemented by tailored assessments to gauge knowledge, are two particularly useful methods of making sure that all employees are able to comfortably use an organization’s preferred communications technologies while working remotely. 

Onboarding new team members remotely is another unique conundrum that organizations who offer hybrid and/or remote work face as well. Data shows how crucial a great onboarding experience is for employee retention and productivity. 

• 69% of employees are more likely to stay with a company for three years if they experienced great onboarding. 
• According to Glassdoor, a strong onboarding process can improve productivity by more than 70%. 

Companies must now be able to convey roles and responsibilities, explain expectations, exemplify company culture, encourage socialization, provide support and guidance, create and strengthen internal and external relationships, and provide relevant training, all virtually and from a distance. One effective way to provide a standardized and thorough onboarding experience for remote team members is through a series of custom onboarding videos, designed to provide optimal engagement and convey key messages and information. 

Keeping employees engaged while they work remotely is yet another challenge for organizations and employers. With less face-to-face and in-person interaction, there’s a clear need to ensure that teams stay productive and motivated while working remotely. This may be one of the biggest challenges facing organizations offering remote and hybrid work options, as employee engagement is already difficult enough in an in-person, physical office environment. 

However, by hosting virtual meetings and casual hangouts, encouraging health and wellness, and keeping lines of communication open, organizations can help maintain and strengthen employee engagement, even as team members work from home some or all of the time. Frequent and open communication is key for all these things, and fluency in the aforementioned technologies, along with a proficiency in project management tools such as Slack and Trello, is necessary for optimal employee engagement. 

Our Advice and Approach

When it comes to the future of work, it’s clear that hybrid and remote work models will remain in effect for years to come. Intellezy provides a suite of eLearning, training, and learning and development services that help to encourage and ensure digital literacy and fluency, provide a superb onboarding experience, and keep employees engaged.  

Contact us at info@intellezy.com to start a conversation about how we can help your organization change, learn, and grow as you go remote.