Your Employees Embraced Hybrid Work. So, Why Didn't Organizational Alignment Improve?

Your Employees Embraced Hybrid Work. So, Why Didn't Organizational Alignment Improve?

The shift from in-office to hybrid work hasn’t always been smooth. Enterprise companies were forced to adopt new ways of working and managing employees. This has led to increased complexity, shifts in perspective, and the need for a new set of tools.

We know that employees have enthusiastically embraced the idea of hybrid work. According to recent research, 'workers are refusing to return to the office and over 40% of managers are not enforcing return-to-office mandates.' 

As a result, leadership is left to deal with issues on multiple fronts. This includes retaining talent, managing workers who may be working at the office, at home, or on the road, and all the while ensuring that workers have sufficient technology to support the new mix. 

As relationships and processes both inside and outside the enterprise become more complex, organizational alignment is now a critical concern. Leaders must anticipate the needs of their teams and ensure that solutions are in place before they become significant problems. 

Remote work brings a new set of challenges to the workplace, such as:

• Communication and collaboration can be harder between remote and in-office employees. 
• Staff working in similar roles but in various locations may not have the same understanding of the organization’s purpose and vision. 
• Misalignment can lead to increased friction, decreased performance, and lower productivity.

HR and internal communication leaders must always remember that successful alignment lies in “creating unity between the company’s ultimate vision of success and the way individual leaders and contributors drive results.”

Done well, alignment weaves the threads between communication, technology, and work processes. This is particularly important for diverse and dispersed hybrid workforces. Without it, companies risk losing the focus and cohesiveness that positively impacts productivity and long-term success. 

So, what's the best strategy? And because problems with alignment are inevitable, what tools can leadership use to mitigate them? To help answer these questions, we produced a white paper called How to Address Misalignment in the Hybrid Workplace. 
Here are some key takeaways …

Hybrid workers often don’t have the correct resources 

We know that hybrid work can offer benefits to both workers and the companies they work for. Improving processes, productivity, and the employee experience are critical elements in this equation.

According to a Gallup survey of hybrid workers, 35% of employees cite a lack of resources as the typical challenge with remote hybrid work, and 32% of employees mention feeling less connected to organizational culture. They are struggling to connect with their organization's mission and purpose.
Here are some of the challenges of hybrid work challenges that can contribute to misalignment:

• Limited access to work resources and equipment
• Less connection to organizational culture
• Fewer opportunities to collaborate with coworkers
• Increased barriers and silos between departments and divisions
• The inability of managers to identify three or more of the company's strategic objectives 

For hybrid workplaces in particular, organizational misalignment comes at the cost of employee engagement, well-being, and retention. That’s why our approach to organizational alignment requires a new perspective and tools. Without effective internal communication channels and resources, it becomes much harder to deliver company strategy in a way that best serves employees.

How to improve alignment in your hybrid team

Organizational alignment is not a new problem, but the landscape has changed in the context of a hybrid work model. Download or whitepaper to learn how to improve alignment in your hybrid team.

Achieving Organizational Alignment Requires Shared Goals

Alignment is all about shared goals and purpose. That means communication is key, across both the macro-organizational level and at the individual employee level. Leadership must articulate company goals and link them to strategic imperatives that make sense for all employees. At the same time, they must provide an overall picture, and a sense of how individual contributions play a crucial role in the company's success.

Implementing better strategies and technologies can be critical to improving internal processes and the employee experience –boosting alignment across the organization. 

A dynamic and versatile employee intranet is critical to achieving this goal. It helps foster rich connections between team members, leadership, and clients. More than simply a digital HQ, it serves as the fabric that links a digital-first, hybrid workforce together by providing communication, connection, purpose, and meaning. 

As a vehicle for enabling productivity and a shared company culture, your intranet helps keep teams stay informed, engaged, and motivated. A LumApps enterprise intranet solution also brings a host of AI-supported features, like our AI-powered Companion, that team members can use to help them get work done. 

How a modern intranet can help improve alignment

LumApps delivers a personalized 360-degree dashboard to each employee that cuts through application sprawl. It provides an intelligent and integrated workspace through the channel and device of their choice. Using nano- and micro-learning capabilities, HR and internal communications teams can better onboard and upskill new and existing team members. They can also use video management technology to deliver messaging that is informative and engaging. 

LumApps provides enterprises with a powerful and versatile intranet platform that encourages connection and productivity. It serves as a key resource in bringing together company vision and worker outcomes by empowering every member of your team. It is a technology enabler that helps foster communication, productivity, and shared goals. 
Delivering a range of powerful tools and capabilities that improve the way work gets done and the experience of work, LumApps offers an integrated ecosystem with a host of versatile and innovative features that personalize the work experience, reduce digital friction, and foster alignment across your organization.

A Gartner Magic Quadrant Leader, LumApps provides an employee engagement platform that improves processes and transforms how your teams interact and connect. Our intranet helps you align your workforce, foster a productive and meaningful work environment, and build a healthy workplace culture.
To find out more about improving organizational alignment, download our white paper How to Address Misalignment in the Hybrid Workplace.
 

How to improve alignment in your hybrid team

Organizational alignment is not a new problem, but the landscape has changed in the context of a hybrid work model. Download or whitepaper to learn how to improve alignment in your hybrid team.