Employee Satisfaction In A Hybrid Workplace: A Cloud Contact Centre Guide

When the pandemic struck, it forced many businesses to introduce remote work environments to continue business as usual amid lockdowns and travel bans. 

After years of adapting to remote workplaces and rapid technological advancement, we’ve uncovered a great deal, especially in employee experience (EX). We’ve witnessed unexpected employee benefits from newfound flexibility and discovered digital efficiencies to aid employees in meeting customer expectations. 

Now as restrictions ease and society returns to normal, it isn’t quite the normal we remember. Contact centres have redefined employee experience, management and performance by adopting permanent hybrid work environments and optimising technology for a sustainable future.

What Is A Hybrid Work Model?

A hybrid workplace is a flexible work environment where employees choose to work where they feel most productive. This usually involves a combination of working on-site and from home, but can also be full-time at their preferred location. 

According to Gartner, by 2022, 25% of the global workforce will choose to work from home, and 45% of the workforce will be working from home two to three days per week.

This blend of remote and on-site work has gained traction because of its ability to meet employee demands for flexible working arrangements while also providing them with the opportunity to see managers and co-workers face to face.

Improve Employee Satisfaction In A Hybrid Contact Centre

It’s evident that hybrid work structures are here to stay with more contact centres moving to the cloud. Here’s how you can create a successful hybrid workplace that enhances employee satisfaction in a post-pandemic, digitally-driven world. 

1. Create A Supportive Culture In A Hybrid Work Model

An important consideration is how a hybrid work environment will impact culture.. One of the biggest challenges of the pandemic was maintaining a strong company culture throughout lockdowns, isolation and staff reductions. Many contact centres are reshaping their culture to make employees feel connected, valued and supported in remote environments.

As contact centres implement their return to work strategies, a hybrid approach will offer a smooth transition that will accommodate both preferences of returning to on-site work or staying at home. Physical team interaction will successfully connect people to each other and the company, but contact centres must discover strategies to extend that culture remotely to boost morale and productivity. 

These strategies include:

• Refine your company values and set expectations that align for remote teams.
• Implement effective communication strategies to keep employees engaged and informed.
• Train managers and supervisors to overcome the physical gap between them and their team.
• Support your entire workforce, providing solutions that create equity between in-office and remote employees.
• Enable employees to directly connect with each other over video, phone and chat, which is free from supervision. 

These strategies rely on employees all having the same capabilities and opportunities – remote teams can do anything that in-office workers can, including using chat, phone, meetings, and conference rooms. In some organisations, highly functioning technology was the domain of managers and executives only. Cloud based applications now provide the ability to collaborate in real-time with screen sharing and live annotation, turning any location into an office using virtual backgrounds, and seamlessly moving between different methods of communication. Cloud applications help to create equity between in-office and remote workers. Employees have access to the same capabilities and features, regardless of where they are. Would you like to have that capability but need the right application? Ask us, Great Outcomes can help you with that.

2. Implement Automation & AI Technology To Enhance Hybrid Workplaces

Automating some of the mundane and repetitive tasks that your employees experience daily can alleviate their workload and allow them to focus on fulfilling tasks that increase satisfaction.

Now more than ever, contact centres are leveraging artificial intelligence to increase operational efficiency, boost employee productivity and improve customer experience. By extension, this enhances the bottom line, which is why it’s one of the Top Call Centre Technology Trends In 2022.

3. Effective Measurement of Employee Satisfaction

To create a hybrid workplace that works for both your employees as well as the business, it’s crucial that you measure results to make data-driven decisions. 

As well as providing a safe and transparent environment for open feedback, frequent measurement of employee experience via surveys and one-on-one interviews is key to ensuring your employees stay satisfied and fulfilled in their work. You can use this data to improve future company culture, employee retention and productivity.

Discover effective measurement of employee satisfaction in our blog: Metrics That Change The Whole Picture.

Start Preparing For A Hybrid Working Future

During the pandemic, a common complaint from remote workers was loneliness. On the other hand, employees don’t want to fully return to on-site work due to minimal work-life balance and flexibility. 

A hybrid workplace provides advantages for both employees and businesses, if done right. Employees can enjoy a flexible working schedule while businesses benefit from improved customer experience, an expanded talent pool, reduced sick leave, and increased employee satisfaction. 

At Great Outcomes, we offer industry-leading knowledge and systems to help contact centres navigate this new territory of hybrid work environments. Complete the form below to reach out to us for assistance with how you can implement a hybrid contact centre that will boost employee satisfaction.

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