Enhancing Engagement in a Hybrid Workforce

The workplace has changed and so too must the learning experience, argues Joseph Toma, CEO, virtual meeting and event platform, Jugo. Engagement is crucial if the hybrid workforce is to remain motivated and ready to skill up.

We’ve all comfortably settled into a digital first world. Virtual meetings and hybrid work are here to stay. According to data released by the Office for National Statistics, between September 2022 and January 2023, 16% of the workforce worked solely from home, while almost three in ten (28%) were hybrid workers who split their time between home and the office. While many assumed that remote working would be a temporary measure throughout the pandemic, it’s clear that demand is still high. 

Yet despite hybrid work becoming a mainstay, organisations are still faced with a big challenge. How can we create meaningful connections and boost engagement in virtual meetings and events? From weekly internal meetings to regular learning and development initiatives, audience engagement is particularly important when the environment is online; it’s all too easy to get distracted and even easier to disengage. We’ve all been there.

Employee engagement is the bedrock of education and development. Getting it right in the virtual world requires an awareness of the barriers, thought-provoking course topics and – importantly – the right technology to stimulate engagement with learning.

Innovation in the hybrid workforce

In an era defined by digitisation, businesses now are presented with unique opportunities to boost productivity and employee engagement. For example, by providing innovative technologies and resources for learning – such as cloud-based video streaming applications or interactive collaboration platforms – organisations can ensure employees are always motivated and willing to learn. The days of shipping reams of paper to employees to digest should be far behind us.

According to Udemy, six in ten (61%) employees say that promoting learning opportunities within the workforce is the best way to stave off boredom. Taking a novel, tech-first approach offers the best way for businesses to break away from boredom and promote a culture of learning en-masse. In turn, this can foster engagement and ramp up productivity. Closing the tech gap and providing innovative tools to teams, ensures that employees feel purpose-driven, and aligned to their organisations.

Adopting technology will not only enable facilitators to deliver courses in a more engaging manner but increase collaboration between employees. With immersive technology platforms like Jugo, for instance, everyone can be seen and heard, with chat functions, launch poll questions and even live audience Q&A with speakers on stage. Creating a collaborative platform for employees to share their ideas can be essential to keeping work interesting. When we put our new ideas and creativity into action, complacency takes a backseat and boredom is kicked to the curb.

At many businesses, the pandemic accelerated the digital transformation drive. With headquarters closing, immersive platforms provided a middle ground for training, moving from in-person training to a virtual environment. Due to popular employee demand, we’re still using these platforms today, with a significant reduction in business travel to in-person trainings for employees. By placing many course opportunities at their fingertips and making them accessible from anywhere, a greater percentage of employees are taking a keen interest in their learning and development.

Unlocking the potential of innovative technologies

The UK – like many other countries around the world – is facing down the barrel of a severe digital skills shortage. In many sectors, the pace of technological change is far outstripping education, causing many firms to play catch up.

At present, few jobs are successfully recruiting staff from university with the right skills for the profession. According to the Department of Education, just under half (46%) of small businesses in the technology sector rank a lack of staff with the right skills and problems with hiring as their top two concerns for 2023. Additionally, almost 80% of businesses report having to invest in upskilling their workforce on the job.

This is a problem which must be addressed urgently. Technology can not only increase engagement with learning but open the possibility of immersive opportunities that extend far beyond stagnant pre-recorded videos and dull quizzes. The future will be defined by collaborative platforms which enable skill sharing and live demonstrations or live engagement platforms, where conversation can flow back and forth between participants.

In the age of hybrid work, creating meaningful connections and engagement in the virtual classroom is crucial. Innovative technologies are key, helping to ramp up accessibility, increase a sense of belonging and boosting employee engagement and productivity. By investing in the right platforms, organisations can benefit from a supercharged learning environment.