Author: Kristina Proffitt

Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do

62% of Black employees have experienced microaggressions because of their race, while 64% of women have experienced them because of their gender. 68% of US workers feel microaggressions in the workplace are a serious problem, and I agree.

In this post, we’ll take a look at what microaggressions in the workplace are, explore some examples, and consider what businesses can—and should—do to mitigate them.

What are microaggressions in the workplace?

Microaggressions in the workplace are subtle forms of discrimination against a marginalized group. This could involve an incident, statement, or action against them because of their gender, race, religion, disability, etc. These slights can be direct or indirect, intentional or unintentional.

As the name implies, they are often seemingly small things that can fly under the radar, but ultimately still negatively affect another person.

As they’re often more subtle, they’re harder to notice—let alone address. Over time, however, they can negatively impact your company culture and employee experience, leading to things like stress and burnout. So then your team can’t perform to its fullest and your business suffers as a result.

Examples of microaggressions in the workplace (and what to do)

Now that we know what microaggressions in the workplace are, let’s explore some common examples, then we’ll go into what you can do.

Micromanaging some employees and not others

Micromanaging is never a good idea, but if you do it with some employees and not others, your comments can become microaggressions in the workplace.

For instance, trying to control a female employee’s to-do list but leaving a male employee to manage his own tasks.

Talking over colleagues

28% of people have been spoken over at work. To be honest, I think this number might be higher, we just don’t always recognize it. Many of us interrupt people when we’re excited. Some of us are also so used to being interrupted we don’t even register that it’s happening—especially if we’re prone to doing it ourselves.

But that doesn’t make it acceptable.

According to the Women Interrupted app, women are interrupted 1.43 times a minute in the US. In the UK, it’s 1.67 times a minute.

Being talked over is so common that someone knitted a color-coded scarf, changing the color she was knitting with every time the gender of a speaker changed in a meeting. There was very little of the color that represented women.

These constant interjections can be a form of microaggressions in the workplace.

Telling someone to “smile more”

Most females have been on the receiving end of “just smile” or “smile more” at some point. 

We’ve all heard, “Smile, it’s not the end of the world” from a random stranger or colleague before, too. How is that supposed to cheer someone up?

You have no idea what’s going on in someone’s life, or why they’re not smiling. No one ever says that to a man, either.

If the same comment is only directed towards people from a certain demographic, it may be a version of microaggressions in the workplace.

Nicknames 

Always, always call someone by the name they prefer, not the name you want to call them. That’s it. It’s that simple.

It’s their name; their identity. They have the right to choose it, not you.

By choosing another name for them, whether well-intentioned or not, you may be causing them pain or stress. It’s a pretty targeted type of microaggressions in the workplace.

Mispronouncing names

Likewise, if you mispronounce someone’s name multiple times after they correct you it’s a sign of disrespect.

Problematic language use

Our language usage says a lot about how we think and feel. It’s a reflection of who we are on a subconscious level.

Making comments then dismissing them as “banter” or using old-fashioned terms that are now offensive can be signs of problematic language usage. As well as signs of microaggressions in the workplace.

Ableism 

Despite being asthmatic, I once had to climb four flights of steep stairs in a Victorian building every day to get to the office. Exercise and cold are two huge triggers for me, and old buildings get cold. Especially in the stairwells, which often don’t have heat.

There was an elevator, but it didn’t work. And there was no rush to fix it. Nor was I able to work from home. Or even from a café nearby.

This is an example of ableism. Ableism can be overt, or it can fall into the category of microaggressions in the workplace. Either way, it put me in a preventable situation that triggered my asthma on a daily basis.

There are lots of other examples, such as not allowing neurodiverse employees to wear headphones to drown out noise, not providing a suitable chair for someone with back issues, or not giving enough space for wheelchair users to move around.

What can employers do?

The two most important things you can do are to encourage communication and education.

Encourage employees to talk to people outside of their team or demographic to get to know others as more than just someone competing for a pay check in the same company, but another human being just trying to pay their bills, too.

Education is also important. It shouldn’t be the responsibility of underrepresented talent to educate their colleagues on what life is like. If they want to, that’s fine. But not everyone does and you shouldn’t expect them to.

Instead, employers should host training sessions that teach people what it’s like and what to look for.

When they know how colleagues feel when they’re on the receiving end of microaggressions in the workplace, and what sort of behavior can be construed as offensive (even if they didn’t think it was) it can work as a wake-up call.

It’s not about shaming anyone or making them feel bad. What was acceptable in the 90s isn’t always now; the world has come a long way. (Anyone else remember the fat shaming of the 2000s?)

It’s about considering how other people feel with our language use and choice of actions, and thinking about how we’d feel if we were in their shoes.

Just because it was acceptable in the past, it doesn’t mean we should still be saying or doing it now. Or not call other people out on it.

Leaders set the precedent

Your leaders set an example. Everything from the language they use to the political figures and/or parties they support sets a precedent about what’s acceptable and what isn’t.

Employees need to feel able to call others out on their microaggressions in the workplace or problematic language. The more comfortable they feel doing this, the more their colleagues can learn and the more welcoming your organization will be to everyone.

If employees feel like they’re going to get in trouble for calling someone out, they’re less likely to do it and your business will attract fewer candidates from underrepresented backgrounds, resulting in less innovation.

Conclusion 

Microaggressions in the workplace may be an inevitable part of life, but we can change that. It requires conscious effort and regular training to ensure we make the world a better place for everyone.

At some point, most of us will be on the receiving end of microaggressions in the workplace, or outside of it. The sooner we can stamp them out, the more welcome everyone will feel at work—and the more work they’ll get done.

How to support underrepresented talent in the workplace

Supporting team members from underrepresented backgrounds isn’t just about preventing microaggressions in the workplace; it’s also about offering opportunities. With a central hub for employee events, programs, and groups, you can encourage everything from mentoring to book recommendations.

Need help getting more from your employee initiatives? Book yourself a free Workrowd demo today.

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do
7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about
7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively
Categories
Employee Experience

7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about

2025 has been a year of transition, and it’s likely that will continue into the new year. So let’s explore some employee experience trends for 2026 that should be on your radar.

Upskill and reskill your workforce

By 2030, over 12 million US workers may need to switch jobs because of AI and automation. The biggest losses will come in office support and admin roles.

Just because an employee’s current role becomes unnecessary, that doesn’t mean their internal knowledge or soft skills couldn’t still be useful to your organization, though.

Upskilling and reskilling employees protects their future careers, as well as ensuring you don’t lose the benefits that they bring to your organization. Preparing your team to remain competitive as the world of work evolves will be one of the key employee experience trends for 2026.

Train employees on AI

One of the biggest areas where employees need to upskill is in AI. Two-thirds have experienced customer complaints related to AI frustrations.

While businesses find it faster and cheaper to adopt AI chatbots for things like customer service, it isn’t always successful.

Sometimes, problems can still be solved faster by a person. And that fast resolution can get you greater customer satisfaction—and better reviews—over time.

So it’s not really surprising that 52% of employees feel that AI tools hurt the customer experience, rather than improve it. Too often, they lead to customers going around in circles, repeating themselves multiple times.

If you insist on employees using AI, you need to train them to do it in the right way. Too many companies assume employees can hit the ground running with it. In reality, 72% have felt pressured to use it this year, but they didn’t receive sufficient training. So how can they realistically experience any time savings or improvements in productivity?

Knowing how to spot deep fakes or write an AI prompt aren’t things that come naturally. We need to actively study how to do it. It’s on companies to educate employees on these things so that they can identify when an AI is making things up, or when it’s factually correct.

Otherwise, it could land you in legal hot water. This is especially true in some places, like the EU or California, which are bringing in AI regulations to ensure fairness. Other states are following, which means if you’re not already looking into this, you could fall behind.

Ensuring your team knows when and how to use AI is among the most important employee experience trends for 2026.

Look at healthcare packages

Employer healthcare spending increased by 7% in 2025. Through 2026, costs could rise a further 6-8% each year—higher than wage growth.

However, 35% of employees would swap employers for better healthcare benefits, even at the same pay.

So, if you’re not regularly checking your healthcare insurance provider to ensure they stay competitive (and therefore you do, too), you risk losing your high performers for the sake of a basic human right.

Don’t let one of the employee experience trends for 2026 that’s most crucial to your team’s wellbeing catch you off-guard.

Don’t force everyone back to the office (unless you want to lose people)

With office occupancy averaging just 53% in major US cities in 2025, it shows that RTO mandates just aren’t working.

Instead, they cause frustrated employees to leave. In fact, a quarter of employees who left roles in 2025 cited return-to-office mandates as a reason.

Worse, women are leaving companies at a higher rate than in recent years. Many say this is because businesses don’t offer flexibility or support.

Rigid office mandates mean that you miss out on people who come with different problem-solving abilities. Whether that’s because they have five kids or five chronic illnesses. Neither of those things mean they don’t know about your industry or can’t succeed in a role.

If you really want employees to come back, you have to show that you listen and support them. Otherwise, you’ll find that one of the employee experience trends for 2026 is that some would rather be unemployed than unsupported.

Consider where you stand politically

Politics is more divisive than ever, which is why many brands steer clear. And the waters are murky, with 64% of consumers feeling companies should take a public stand on social issues, but 58% boycotting brands for doing something they disagreed with.

44% of employees also felt uncomfortable about their employer taking a political stand. However, 35% said it improved how engaged they were. Plus, 75% of Gen Z employees would leave a company that failed to act on social or climate justice issues.

Needless to say, companies getting political can be a double-edged sword. There’s no right or wrong answer. But you need to know how to respond and adapt to changing political environments. Finding your footing and your voice during unstable times is among the trickiest employee experience trends for 2026.

If you’re doing layoffs, do it right

Layoffs in 2025 hit their highest level since the pandemic. At the same time, managers expect higher workloads heading into 2026 because of freezes or a reduction in staff. Layoffs can be an inevitable part of running a business, but the fear that employees experience during these challenging times shouldn’t be.

I’ve worked for companies where layoffs happened roughly once per quarter—once every six months if you were lucky. This created an atmosphere of fear. It strangled productivity. And no one wanted to be there.

If you must do layoffs, make sure the process is fair and efficient. Don’t drag out the inevitable or feed everyone false platitudes. They’ll see right through it. And those who stay will be more likely to leave because you’re not being honest with them.

If layoffs continue to be one of the employee experience trends for 2026, then making them more human should be, too.

Support your managers

Whether it’s through mentoring, coaching, or other forms of training, if hiring is freezing, you need to support your managers through these changes.

They need to be prepared to not just handle their own additional workload, but their employees’ additional workloads, too. This is one of the employee experience trends for 2026 that will be felt across your organization.

Conclusion 

2025 has been rough for everyone, and some trends look certain to continue into 2026. Businesses need to show employees that they support them now, so that they can retain employee loyalty into the future. Because sure, you can rehire, but at what cost—to your bottom line and your culture?

If you want to support your employees by getting out ahead of these employee experience trends for 2026, why not use a tool that can improve your employee experience? Using Workrowd, you can send employee feedback surveys, manage employee programs and events, and keep all your important employee information in one place. Get in touch today to find out more and book your demo.

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do
7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about
7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively
Categories
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging

7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively

December is often the time for celebrating holidays in the workplace. Regardless of whether employees celebrate holidays themselves at this time, it’s common for organizations to hold some sort of event.

But just because it’s a popular time for parties, that doesn’t mean it can’t cause unnecessary stress for employees, for various reasons.

And just because December is when many organizations take a break, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other times in the year when employees might benefit from time off. 

So let’s explore some ideas for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively.

Respect every culture

When you’re in your own bubble, it can be easy to forget that not everyone celebrates the same holidays.

But with a fifth of adults feeling that they experience stress because the holiday season doesn’t reflect their culture, religion, or traditions, businesses need to consider how they can make the holiday season more welcoming.

This could be as simple as including other holidays throughout the year, in the name of balance.

You don’t always have to use the holidays to justify doing something, either. For instance, if you want to give everyone the last week of the year off, that doesn’t have to be because of Christmas. It could simply be because business slows down a bit then. So why bother having everyone in the office, or signed in to Slack?

Mind the stress 

Holiday stress is all-too real. So real that work-related holiday stress continues even if businesses shut down for the holidays. In fact, 41% of employees still check their work emails and 23% still send work-related emails.

Sadly, a third also take a second job during this time, so they can’t even enjoy the break.

That’s not surprising when you realize that 89% of adults worry about money, missing loved ones, and anticipating family conflicts over the holidays, though. This makes it really hard to enjoy celebrating holidays in the workplace, or outside of it.

Simple things like paying employees fairly, providing them with upskilling opportunities, and connecting them with colleagues in ERGs can help to mitigate some of this stress.

Of course, there’s no workplace solution to family conflicts. But having understanding colleagues can go a long way towards making someone feel less stressed over the holidays.

Remember: they’re not just fun and games

Holidays aren’t fun for everyone. Yet those of us who feel low during the holidays—especially Christmas—are made out to be modern-day Scrooges.

But sometimes, the holidays remind us of a lost loved one, family conflicts, or other challenging situations. Which makes it really hard for celebrating holidays in the workplace to be all about fun and games.

Also, emotions are complex. We can continue to grieve and honor who/what we’ve lost, while also enjoying the holidays. But to enjoy them, we have to not bury those important emotions.

There’s no simple solution to this. It’s just about awareness.

Don’t force everyone to celebrate

Ugly Christmas sweaters are a divisive part of celebrating holidays in the workplace. Some people love them, others think they’re a waste of money. 

Many businesses will have an ugly Christmas sweater day to raise money for charity. But not everyone feels comfortable in an unflattering, itchy, brightly colored sweater with LED lights on Rudolph’s nose.

Accept that some people will want to take part, but remember that for them to perform their best at work, they need to be comfortable. And what we wear can play a big role in that.

Consider extra time off

No one wants to be stressed out about work during the holidays. Rather than giving everyone the same time off over Christmas, why not consider giving them an extra week that they can use for a holiday of their choice?

That way, every gets the same break, your services remain up and running for the whole year, and everyone gets to celebrate holidays in the workplace, and crucially, outside of it, in whatever way they like.

Use your employee groups

If you have ERGs that recognize different cultures or religions, the holiday season is the perfect time to get them involved. Have them host celebrations for members, or even talk to other employees about what the holiday season means to them.

It’s only when we share our stories that people can truly understand them. Sharing holiday traditions can be a simple way to do just that. It’s also a core part of celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively.

Need help managing your ERGs? The bigger and more influential groups get, the harder they can be to manage. That’s where Workrowd comes in. Keep everything you need for your employee initiatives in one place. Let employees know about holiday events or groups they could join. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

Ask the right questions

Since December is the time when everyone is switching off for the year and looking back, it could be the perfect time to send an employee feedback survey. Find out what has helped and hindered your team at work in the last 12 months. That way you can learn and improve for next year.

Sometimes, what seems inconsequential to one person will be the thing that mattered most to another. So asking the right questions will give you a strong advantage in the new year.

Workrowd can help by sending your feedback surveys automatically and analyzing the results. That gives you more time to make real changes in the workplace that improve your employee experience. And more time for celebrating holidays in the workplace all year round!

Conclusion 

The holiday season can be fun, but it can also be challenging for many. A balance between enjoyment and compassion is therefore key. It’s also important to remember that not everyone celebrates the same holidays, and that diversity is part of what will bring strength to your organization—strength of creativity, innovation, and company culture.

If you’d like help supporting your diverse team to celebrate holidays in the workplace with more organized employee initiatives, get in touch today to find out how Workrowd could help.

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do
7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about
7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively
Categories
Company Culture

Fun activities for employees this holiday season

It’s that time of year when people are getting together to celebrate the holidays. But what fun activities for employees could you organize to bring some holiday cheer to your team?

Here are some suggestions that are low-effort and low-cost. Even if you’re organizing things last minute or on a budget, we’ve got something that will work for you.

Why should you organize fun activities for employees?

While you should never make employee activities mandatory—or make anyone feel like they’re mandatory—offering fun activities for employees shows your team you see them as more than just a number in your accounting software.

They’re humans who choose to spend their time with you, working for you, and you appreciate their presence. Planning fun activities for employees is a small way to say “thank you”.

These types of initiatives can also work as team-building activities. They create a sense of camaraderie that helps build better communication and collaboration. Which ensures that projects run more smoothly when different teams have to work together.

Getting to know each other outside of work prevents the competitiveness that can come from teams wanting different things, too. If they like each other, they’re far more likely to want to compromise than if they see the other teams within a project as the enemy.

Fun activities for employees working remotely this holiday season

Console gaming tournament

We’ve all played MarioKart at some point, right? Whether you play in-person or online, a game tournament gives your employees the opportunity to spend time with their colleagues outside of the pressure of work and hone their gaming skills.

Games are also great for building skills like communication and coordination.

Movie night

You can’t go wrong with a movie night. It’s a classic. Especially if you’re watching something nostalgic like The Mummy (1999, obviously) or The Mummy Returns, The Breakfast Club, Practical Magic, etc.

Watching nostalgic films can boost people’s moods, as can discussing them. Making a nostalgic movie night the perfect way for your employees to bond. It’s an easy and effective addition to any list of fun activities for employees.

Book club

Just like movie nights, book clubs are great ways for people to bond.

If your employees are busy, instead of forcing them to read a set book, you could ask them to bring along something they’ve enjoyed and share what they enjoyed about it. Or even what they disliked!

I’ve found this low-pressure version of a book club means people are more likely to show up. They can come feeling relaxed as it doesn’t matter if they haven’t read the book of the month. It often leads to attendees finding new books to read and enjoy, too. Perhaps even ones they never would’ve considered before.

As far as fun activities for employees go, this one offers the added brain boost of encouraging team members to read rather than scrolling online.

Trivia night

Trivia nights are a fun way to encourage collaboration between different teams and departments. Especially if the quizmaster chooses the teams rather than employees defaulting to their usual groups (which, let’s face it, everyone will!).

Gingerbread house competition

The holidays are the perfect time to build gingerbread. And eat it, obviously.

A gingerbread house competition enables your employees to show their creative (and competitive!) sides.

You could even bring your social media audience into it, asking them to vote for their favorites. It’s one of the fun activities for employees that’s a simple way to show off your company culture and build your employer brand.

Next year you could do pumpkins, too!

Stranger Things watch-along

If enough of your employees are into Stranger Things, why not organize for them to watch it virtually together? Or meet up to discuss it and share theories when they’ve watched each part?

It’s one of the last shows that everyone has seen—or at least knows about. This makes it perfect for water cooler chat. And for planning fun activities for employees around.

Fun activities for employees to do in-person this holiday season

Poetry slam

A poetry slam is a fun way for people to discover new ways to express themselves, improve their communication, and maybe even boost their public speaking confidence.

There’s a type of poetry and poetry reading for everyone. Whether you want something intense and emotional or chill and thought-provoking, there’s a way to cater fun activities for employees to it.

Bowling, pool, darts, etc.

Games like these are simple yet effective.

I always say I dislike bowling but then enjoy going once I’m there (despite almost always losing).

So long as everyone keeps it light-hearted and doesn’t take it too seriously, it’s one of the fun activities for employees that can help people get to know colleagues outside of the office. 

Desk decorations

The holidays are the perfect time to decorate desks, so why not invite employees to do just that? You could even give a prize to the desk(s) voted the best!

Or invent your own categories, so everyone gets a prize! What looks good is subjective, after all.

Prizes don’t have to be anything big. Just some treats or a small gift card to make their holidays a little sweeter.

Live performance trip

It’s impossible to please everyone when organizing an outing to see a performance. If you have an office near a venue though, you could try organizing some fun activities for employees around their events. Whether it’s a comedy show, concert, or other type of performance, it’s a great way to help team members connect around a shared experience. 

It gives those with similar tastes something to talk about other than work. That can help with cooperation, collaboration, and communication across teams. It’s also great for giving everyone a screen break!

Arcade night

Who doesn’t love a good, old-fashioned arcade? I tried playing Pacman myself once and have to say it was pretty terrible. But playing those kinds of games with other people is a fun, retro way to bond.

Plenty of places still have old-school arcades you can play on, too. And with the return of Stranger Things, who knows? They might make a big comeback. (I can dream. So that I can improve my Pacman game).

Conclusion 

Fun activities for employees don’t just have to be for the holiday season, but including them at this time of year, when it’s cold and dreary for those of us in the Northern Hemisphere, brightens the mood and gives team members something to look forward to.

If organizing fun activities for employees sounds like a lot, though, we get it. Workrowd can help. With a central hub for all your events and programs, automated reminders and follow-up surveys, and even analytics, everyone can make the most of the holidays, and your full employee experience throughout the year.

Get in touch to find out more about how Workrowd could support your employee initiatives this holiday season and beyond.

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do
7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about
7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively
Categories
Employee Experience

6 recruiting trends that will make or break your strategy in 2026

The unemployment rate is trending upwards. The latest US data shows that 4.4% of people are currently out of work. While it’s very much an employers’ market right now, it won’t always be that way. Which makes it all the more important to get out ahead of the top recruiting trends for 2026.

An employers’ market isn’t all fun and games either. It can come with downsides. Having the pick of the litter is great until you hire someone who is a bad fit. Choosing the wrong candidate could cost you dearly in further hiring costs, training costs, and overall company culture in both the long- and short-term. 

So how can you ensure you find the right hires in the coming year? Let’s take a look at some of the recruiting trends for 2026 to set you up for success:

Build your employer brand with employee-generated content

We live in a world driven by personality, from pop culture to politics. Actors are often turned down for roles now because their social media following is too small, for example.

When it comes to hiring, you need to showcase your brand in the same way a celebrity chasing a new role would. If you want to get the best hires who are not just technically competent, but the right culture add and personality fit for your organization, showcasing your employer brand online can go a long way towards attracting the right applicants.

Candidates don’t always trust overly stylized, PR-heavy content, though. It can come across as too polished, forced, and disingenuous.

Instead, you need to create a place people are proud to work for. They’ll then feel happy posting about working for you, leaving reviews on sites like Glassdoor, and sharing upcoming roles.

Alongside this, it will build their personal brands—perfect for bringing in new candidate interest. Letting your thriving team speak for itself is one of the most important recruiting trends for 2026.

Showcase your culture

Everything from what employees wear in photos to what they say on review sites reflects your company culture and impacts the types of people who’ll apply for your roles.

For instance, everyone in a photo wearing a suit indicates a specific type of culture. Everyone wearing hoodies and jeans suggests a very different vibe.

Every post that goes out on your business pages and your employee ones helps people form an image of what it’s like to work for your organization. This could work in your favor or against you.

It’s harder than ever to hide a negative company culture. We’re more connected than ever and the prevalence of online reviews is unescapable.

So make sure that your employees are adequately social media trained to avoid any PR disasters. At the very least, they need to know what they can andcan’t say about work online.

Putting company culture front and center is one of the most important recruiting trends for 2026.

Source talent more effectively

With hiring taking up to 50 days for some roles, businesses need to identify innovative solutions that help them find talent faster.

Talent sourcing solutions traditionally focused on keyword matching. This means that they were prone to biases and overlooked candidates simply for not using the right language.

AI talent sourcing tools can look at the context of someone’s resume alongside things like social media profiles. That way, you have a bigger picture of what someone is really capable of. As a result, you get a more well-rounded view of what they could be like to work with in your organization. This can be helpful in assessing whether they’re likely to succeed.

When it comes to recruiting trends for 2026, being strategic about how you find and vet candidates will definitely stay high on the list.

Make onboarding seamless

Your onboarding process is fundamental to the success (or failure) of your new hires. If they don’t feel supported, there’s a high chance they’ll leave.

Likewise, if it takes too long for them to get up to speed, you incur further costs. If they’re not yet at full productivity at the end of their onboarding period, neither is your business.

The right onboarding process looks different for every organization. That said, steps such as having the right documents on hand, setting up a buddy or mentoring program, and welcoming employees into groups can go a long way towards helping them settle in.

Which makes delivering a top-notch onboarding process essential to include as part of the emerging recruiting trends for 2026.

Use employee groups as part of your onboarding

Employee groups can be a game changer in helping new hires feel supported. Connecting with people who share a similar background, or are part of the same hiring cohort, enables them to get to know people beyond their team. This can help with future project collaboration and mean projects get done with less stress/headbutting.

Workrowd can help you manage your employee initiatives so that new hires can immediately feel like part of the team. From employee groups to feedback surveys, everything is kept in one place so that they know exactly where to find what they want to know. Get in touch to find out more.

Embrace the human element

From being able to make more data-backed decisions, to engaging with candidates, the right tools give recruiters more time for the human touch when hiring. 

Candidates want to deal with human recruiters. If you’re using tools to analyze and vet candidates, you need to use the time you get back to put the human back into your hiring processes. 

Finding the balance between high-touch and high-tech is rapidly climbing the ranks of 2026’s recruiting trends.

Don’t ghost

Half of candidates have been ghosted during the hiring process. Ontario, Canada, has now made it illegal to ghost someone starting at the beginning of 2026. Hiring managers must get back to applicants within 45 days regardless of whether a decision has been made.

If you struggle to reply to everyone you interview, there’s a problem somewhere in your hiring process. This could mean you’re not vetting candidates’ suitability enough before interviews and need tools that can analyze resumes faster, or that you’re interviewing too many people for not enough roles. To stay compliant, it’s important to look at your hiring processes to see what’s working—and what isn’t.

Closing the loop with candidates rather than leaving them hanging is another important point on the list of recruiting trends for 2026.

Get feedback

Want feedback from your hiring managers on what you could do better? Why not send a survey?

Using Workrowd, you can automate your feedback surveys so that hiring managers can share how they felt about the process and where HR/recruiting teams can improve.

You could even send feedback surveys to new hires to find out what they thought of interviewing and onboarding with your business. The possibilities really are endless.

Want to find out more? Get in touch to book your free demo.

Conclusion 

Recruiting trends in 2026 will be about doing more with less while balancing the human touch alongside AI.

It will also be about finding ways to use the time savings technology gives recruiters to engage more with candidates and provide a better experience.

If you want to improve your employee onboarding, why not give your employee initiatives a boost with Workrowd? From organizing events to connecting people across borders, we can help. Get in touch to book your free demo.

Microaggressions in the workplace: examples and what to do
7 employee experience trends for 2026 you should know about
7 tips for celebrating holidays in the workplace inclusively
Categories
Employee Retention

5 reasons to promote from within to drive retention

71% of employees believe hiring from within is better for scaling a business. Among employees working in larger companies (with 250+ employees), 78% felt it was important to promote from within. 56% of those from medium businesses and 58% from small businesses were more likely to prefer internal promotions as well.

Almost two thirds of employees feel it’s better to promote from within than to hire externally. Plus, they’re twice as likely to say they preferred someone promoted internally as a manager.

Why is this?

Well, when you promote from within it has a huge impact on your company culture.

It’s a way to reward hard work and employee loyalty, all while reducing hiring and training costs. These can quickly add up to six figures when you’re recruiting for more senior roles.

I’ve worked in places where there were no opportunities for advancement, and I had two types of coworkers. Those who didn’t care about career progression and were there for the benefits, and those who didn’t stay for long. Because no one was invested in the work, things moved slowly. Ultimately, nobody was motivated to get anything done.

Taking steps to promote from within boosts retention because employees don’t have to leave to advance in their careers. It makes work more interesting and motivating for everyone because they get to see what’s possible in terms of moving up (or around) the ladder. Extra points if you show that they don’t just have to fulfill a traditional managerial role to progress. They could pursue alternate pathways like becoming a principal or taking on an advisor role instead.

Let’s take a look at why you should promote from within to boost employee retention:

Retain internal knowledge

Every business has little quirks or ways of doing things that only a handful of people understand. It’s important to have a plan in place to ensure things don’t fall apart when someone leaves. At the same time, you should take steps to try to keep them from leaving in the first place. This will protect your business and your employees.

I’ve joined companies before where the previous marketer didn’t pass over social media logins. It made it a nightmare for me to get in and so much as post on a business page, let alone access analytics.

Having somewhere new hires can find the information they need should be the bare minimum. Beyond that though, you also need to ensure that you retain as much internal knowledge as possible. If you promote from within, the information employees hold stays within your organization. You never know what important knowledge will die out when someone leaves.

Improve employee morale

Over half of employees believe if you promote from within it’s better for morale. Which makes sense. It shows them that they don’t have to keep doing the same thing day in, day out, for the rest of their lives. If someone else within the business can progress, they can, too.

However, over 20% of employees quit or consider quitting after they lose out on a promotion to a peer.

If they’re passed over for an outsider, they’re 15% more likely to quit or consider quitting. That’s compared against those passed over for an internal hire. So you need to find a balance and put safeguards in place so you don’t lose people when you promote from within.

I’ve known people who applied for internal roles and got rejected, received no feedback, but stayed for various reasons (e.g. location, finances, etc.).

Not getting the role without knowing why caused them to become disengaged and disenchanted with work, and therefore less productive.

If you don’t choose to promote from within and pass over someone on your team, it’s important they understand why. Otherwise, they may blame internal politics or simply assume that the hiring process was a popularity contest rather than a skills assessment. So why bother trying if they can’t advance?

Increase team productivity

When managers are promoted from within, they’re 10% more likely than external hires to feel that they have a highly productive team.

On top of that, employees who have internally promoted managers report lower stress levels.

Stressed-out employees can have a ripple effect within your organization. The more you can do to lessen employee stress, the more you’ll get from every employee who works for you.

Employees whose managers climbed the ladder through efforts to promote from within have higher morale. Likely because hiring from within shows an internal culture of supporting each other. Plus, they get to celebrate each other’s successes.

Accelerate onboarding

Managing is hard enough already. Having to then learn new policies and procedures as well as managing a team, understanding a new product or service, and getting to know the rest of their colleagues makes the job even more difficult.

The onboarding process is time-consuming and it takes months for someone to reach their full potential. When you promote from within, you eliminate a lot of this mental load. The person already knows the ins and outs of your organization, so there’s less to take in.

Reducing much of what someone needs to learn during the onboarding process sets them, and the rest of their team, up for a higher level of success.

Strengthen company culture

Never underestimate the power of someone understanding how to navigate your company culture and internal politics.

Learning how to navigate company culture is an extra step in onboarding. Not everyone considers it, but it can add further stress.

Someone who already knows how to navigate it can be a better leader because they’re not there to disrupt things. They already have an existing relationship with other people in the organization.

Culture add is essential when hiring. Some people just don’t gel with your way of doing things no matter how good their skills are on paper.

In fact, 46% of employees are against bringing in outside managers if they present a poor culture fit. A poor fit could create an unwelcoming or uncomfortable atmosphere for your new hire. This will affect the length of their tenure and their whole team’s productivity. Costing you money in the short- and long-term.

On the flip side, when you promote from within, 81% of managers say they feel supported by their teams, 77% find it easier to lead, and 85% feel they have a highly productive team.

Conclusion 

When you promote from within, it can be a powerful motivational tool that shows your employees they have the opportunity to progress within your organization if they put the work in.

It also means you retain more internal knowledge. For older organizations, this can provide crucial insights into past products or tools, strategies, and even long-lost login credentials.

If you’d like to help your newly promoted employees, why not try a tool like Workrowd? Use it to organize your employee initiatives including groups, programs, and events. Plus, with automated feedback surveys, you can support your employees, find out what they really think, and get the most from them. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

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Company Culture

7 ways to overcome generational differences in the workplace

While it may feel like a new issue, generational differences in the workplace have been challenging employers for decades.

“[Insert generation here] are so lazy!”

I’ve heard it said about Millennials, Gen Z, and now Gen Alpha. Previous generations always seem to have negative opinions about younger coworkers, but they’re so rarely true.

Sure, Gen Z wants different things from work than Baby Boomers do. But Boomers could afford to buy a house and support a family on a single salary. Gen Z can barely even afford to rent a place on two salaries, let alone raise a child, too.

With more generations in the workforce than ever before, and people working for longer, businesses need to find ways to manage generational differences in the workplace.

According to data from Statista, 37.5% of those 55 and over are still working. At the same time, 50.9% of 18–24-year-olds are also in the workforce. They have different goals and approaches to work and organizations need to find ways to keep both generations happy. All while supporting everyone in between as well.

There are many strengths that can come from a multi-generational workforce. You can only unlock them though if you build a culture where everyone can work together in harmony. This means acknowledging that generational differences in the workplace exist, and taking steps to mitigate them.

Share stories

Stories stick. They’re how we bond, learn, and grow as humans.

Bridging generational differences in the workplace gets easier when we understand where other people are coming from.

Stories show colleagues what life was like for someone growing up, navigating their first role, studying at university, facing discrimination, juggling work and becoming a parent for the first time, struggling with a chronic illness, etc.

They’re the most powerful tool we have, and they help to humanize the people we work with, too.

So, where and when you can, encourage your employees to share stories. Company or team-wide meetings are good for this.

Leaders can set an example by sharing their own journeys. In doing so, they encourage an open atmosphere where employees also feel comfortable sharing their challenges. They don’t have to worry because they know they’ll be welcomed into the fold, even if they aren’t perfect.

Lead by example

Tying in with the point above, leaders within your organization need to be open to listening to opinions and experiences from every background without judgment.

Assuming someone’s opinion is right because they’re older or more senior opens the door for discrimination. It’s easy for great ideas to get dismissed this way. In turn, it can exacerbate generational differences in the workplace.

You never know where your next great idea or innovation will come from. The more you welcome everyone to share their thoughts—even if they’re from a different team—the more likely you are to stay ahead of the competition.

Offer mentoring (and reverse mentoring)

Mentoring enables employees to experience different perspectives. It teaches younger generations how to navigate the workplace. It can also fill in the soft skills gaps created during the isolation of Covid.

Reverse mentoring, meanwhile, where a younger employee mentors an older one, can help soften generational differences in the workplace. Through reverse mentoring, older generations can learn about new technologies and how the working world has changed since they started. This can help them become more empathetic colleagues and stronger leaders.

Organize employee groups

Your employee groups are important tools to connect employees from different generations. They can put aside generational differences in the workplace and learn about what they have in common, such as location, race/culture, religion, gender, etc.

Using Workrowd, you can make your employee groups easier to organize, and a key part of your employee engagement strategy. Get in touch to book your free demo and find out more.

Foster collaboration between teams/ departments

Encouraging employees to collaborate between teams or departments on projects reduces silos and increases productivity.

For example, sales and marketing often work separately, but when they collaborate it leads to better business outcomes.

After all, marketing feeds the engine. Sales drives it. You can’t have one without the other.

The more you encourage teams to work together, the more employees get used to working with people from different backgrounds. They become more effective communicators and better colleagues, regardless of generational differences in the workplace.

Provide communication workshops

If you really want to tackle generational differences in the workplace, providing communication workshops can be key. They show you’re serious about your employees communicating in a healthy way.

It’s easy to slip into bad habits when you haven’t been reminded of what bad habits look like. Communication trends and word meanings change. So staying aware of these things is a key part of bridging generational differences in the workplace.

There are plenty of words my grandmother’s generation (the Silent Generation) used that have lost their original meaning and now mean something else entirely.

Older generations may not understand modern slang or internet speak. Younger generations may not understand older slang, either.

As technology becomes an even bigger part of our personal and professional lives, helping older generations stay current future-proofs their careers and can even boost their ability to stay connected after they’ve left your organization.

Send surveys

This one is more about you and your organization, but being bold and asking your employees how they feel about generational differences in the workplace can help you get a read on what it’s really like for employees every day.

Too often, leadership lives in an ivory tower where they think everything is fine. This leads to problems getting worse, being brushed under the rug, and people leaving as profits decline.

If you’re serious about getting the most from your employees, you need to know what they think. And you need to actively try to change the things that aren’t working.

Using Workrowd, you can automate your feedback surveys. This helps you gauge how employees feel about things across your employee experience, on a regular basis. It can help you quickly see what’s working and where there’s room for improvement.

Conclusion 

Bridging generational differences in the workplace increases employee engagement and leads to more productive teams. It ensures that everyone can collaborate and communicate across generational divides.

If you’d like help navigating generational differences in the workplace, Workrowd has the tools you need. We make it easy to set up and organize employee initiatives that deepen relationships between team members. With tools to market, manage, and measure your events, programs, and groups, everything is always just a click away. Get in touch today to find out more.

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Wellness

7 best practices for managing stressed out employees

90% of employees report feeling stressed at work. Which means there are a lot of supervisors out there struggling with managing stressed out employees.

If so much of the working population feels stressed, what impact is that having on not just their work, but their personal lives and their relationships with their colleagues?

The more your employees feel stressed, and the longer they feel stressed for, the greater the ripple effect within your business.

When your employees are stressed, it doesn’t just dampen their ability to work. Their stress can influence the rest of the team, bringing the mood and productivity down.

So what are some strategies for managing stressed out employees?

What are the consequences of not managing stressed out employees?

When you fail to take a strategic approach to managing stressed out employees, it can affect their:

  • Mood
  • Mental health
  • Physical health
  • Personal relationships
  • Work relationships
  • Ability to think or focus
  • Attention to detail
  • Idea generation

This can then lead to your stressed employees bringing their colleagues’ moods down with them. As a result, you get a declining company culture, employees quiet quitting, and an unwelcoming atmosphere for new hires.

Over time, this increases churn rates, reduces tenure, and brings your rating down on sites like Glassdoor. 

So then, you don’t attract as many high-quality candidates, further impacting your brand and your profits. All because you didn’t take steps to help your supervisors with managing stressed out employees.

Tips for managing stressed out employees

Now that you know why it’s so important to support your stressed team members, here are some best practices for managing stressed out employees:

Know the early warning signs

If you can spot the early warning signs, and take steps to mitigate the damage, it can go a long way towards preventing employee stress from having a negative impact on individuals, their teams, and your business.

Have honest conversations

If you know an employee is stressed, you need to have an honest conversation with them. Find out why they feel the way they do and what both they, and you, can do before it spirals.

Solutions could involve rebalancing their workload, bringing more people into a project, changing what they’re working on, or even looking at how management handles things. When it comes to managing stressed out employees, it may come out that the problem isn’t the employee, but their leader(s).

After all, over half of employees leave a role because of a bad boss.

Find the cause

What’s really causing your employees to feel stressed?

When you have an honest conversation, you need to get to the root of what’s going on. If you don’t know the cause, you can’t solve it. The most you’ll be doing is putting a Band Aid over the top.

And as soon as things get even worse, that “solution” to managing stressed out employees is going to be as useful as a cheap Band Aid in the shower. It’ll fall off and make the wound sore all over again.

Not only that, but if you don’t treat the cause of the problem, it becomes like an infected wound. It will fester within that employee’s psyche and attitude towards work. Eventually, it will infect your other employees and their attitudes, too.

Offer community support

Sometimes, all we need to feel better is to express our pent-up emotions. This prevents them from having a hold on us.

That’s also why deep friendships are so important—they give us a healthy outlet to talk out what holds us back. There really is truth in a problem shared is a problem halved.

Employee groups are a powerful way to connect your employees. They enable them to meet like-minded colleagues who share their experiences. Oftentimes, they can also offer more understanding than family or friends. Because let’s face it, our family and friends often don’t get what we do unless they work in the same industry (just me?).

They may also be able to offer coping mechanisms to help with managing stressed out employees. Or at the very least lend a sympathetic ear.

Want more from your employee groups?

Workrowd can help you organize your employee initiatives so that you, and your team members, get more from them.

You can keep everything in one place so that employees always have the latest information on hand and don’t have to go searching for it. Get in touch today to find out more.

Offer flexible working

Flexible working is an essential tool when it comes to managing stressed out employees. It’s particularly useful if someone has health conditions or family commitments that make arriving at their desk for 9am every day challenging.

Allowing them to start work at a different time can make some of these other challenges a bit less taxing. It will help them come to work in a better mood and more able to take on the day.

Flexible working also means people can work during the hours that suit them. When employees can do that, you’ll get more from them. Even if it means someone has a breakthrough at 11pm when all their colleagues are asleep.

Not everyone fits into the traditional 9-5 mold. By forcing them into it, all it does is decrease workplace productivity and creativity because they’re working at times when they’re not at their best.

Send a survey

Employee feedback surveys are crucial for measuring employee sentiment. 

They can act as canaries in the coal mine, signaling that stress levels are increasing. That way you can intervene to work on better managing stressed out employees before they negatively impact productivity or profits.

Using Workrowd, you can send automated feedback surveys to employees at set milestones. That means there’s no reason not to send them and measure what’s really going on across your team. You can prevent challenges and stressful times from escalating into something that’s detrimental to your team and your business.

Conclusion 

Employee stress doesn’t have to be inevitable. So much of it relies on your company culture and managing expectations, from clients, leadership, and employees.

Providing adequate support is also an important part of managing stressed out employees. Employee groups enable you to empower your employees to support each other, which can help them reduce stress and better manage their workloads.

To get more from your employee initiatives and track employee sentiment in real time, check out Workrowd. Get in touch today to book your demo.

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Employee Engagement

7 employee engagement trends for 2026

2025 is coming to a close. Which means it’s time to explore what happened over the past year and what’s on the rise in terms of employee engagement trends for 2026.

Some emerging trends may seem surprising, but when you dig into the data it makes a lot of sense.

So, without further ado, here’s what to watch out for when it comes to employee engagement trends in 2026:

DEI

Yes, despite all the backlash at the start of 2025, DEI still matters. It’s a key differentiator for businesses looking to hire the best talent and it still leads to better business outcomes.

Diverse businesses earn 2.5x the cash flow of their less-diverse competitors, and diverse teams are 35% more productive.

This is because having diversity on your teams fosters diversity of ideas. This also comes with a side of creativity, innovation, and enhanced problem-solving. So it should come as no surprise that this remains one of the employee engagement trends for 2026.

Belonging 

91% of employees who feel like they belong at work are engaged. This is compared to a measly 20% of those who feel like they don’t belong.

Creating a sense of belonging is more challenging when you have a remote or hybrid workforce, but it isn’t impossible.

Tools like Workrowd help you connect employees with each other. At the same time, leaders who have a remote-first attitude and look for ways to foster inclusivity regardless of where someone works will create an environment that’s more appealing to everyone.

Employee groups

Employee groups are one of the most powerful ways to support your team members. They enable employees to connect with colleagues from similar backgrounds and experiences.

When they’re well-run, they’re not just great for networking. These communities can also support employee career progression and business growth. Which explains why they’re high on the list of employee engagement trends for 2026.

Learning and development

Not everyone wants to progress through traditional career paths. This is particularly true for younger generations. They’ve noticed that Millennials were promised they could have everything if they just worked hard enough, only to experience wage stagnation.

What’s the point of working hard if the financial rewards never come?

That doesn’t mean anyone wants to feel stuck, though. Your people still want to learn and grow.

There are lots of ways you can support your employee learning and development. From employee groups to development days, to coaching and mentoring, helping your team learn new skills is among the most important employee engagement trends for 2026. 

Internal progression and mobility

As I’ve mentioned, not everyone wants to progress in their careers in a traditional way. If your employees enjoy working for you and want to stay, offering different progression opportunities could be the best way to retain your top talent and internal knowledge.

It doesn’t have to be through traditional employee to manager career paths, either.

You could offer other options such as the ability to move into a different role in another department. Or, they could become a subject matter expert within their current area.

Several people I know have successfully moved from one department to another. The took their transferable soft skills and growth mindsets with them. It better played to their strengths, making them happier at work and enabling them to grow faster.

So many skills are transferable. From marketing to sales, or QA to development and beyond. Unfortunately that seems to be less and less appreciated.

But it’s often our external experiences and soft skills that lead to the greatest innovations. It can also identify gaps that you might not otherwise have noticed.

Ensuring your team members are positioned to stay with you long-term not only boosts retention but is central to the employee engagement trends for 2026.

Bringing back the human touch (with AI’s help)

AI and technology’s greatest strength is streamlining the boring tasks no one wants to do.

By streamlining those, it allows you to spend more time on human tasks like providing candidates with feedback after an interview, or solving employee issues. AI is top of mind for many people, so it certainly takes a place on the list of employee engagement trends for 2026.

Taking a proactive approach

So much of HR can be reactive. With the increased use of AI and other technologies though, it’s easier than ever for you to take a proactive approach instead.

For example, if you’re hiring for a new role, instead of posting to job boards and hoping for the best, you could get hiring managers to call several of their contacts to see if they, or someone they know, might be interested.

This leads to candidates coming in at a higher stage of awareness than someone who’s applied via a job board. It can therefore lead to greater success in your hiring efforts.

Likewise, when it comes to solving employee challenges, actively sending regular feedback surveys can help you spot challenges before they become something that’s harder to fix.

Using Workrowd, you can automate your employee feedback surveys and track the results in real-time with your easy-to-read dashboards. Giving you more time to act on the findings instead of having to administer the survey and wade through the data yourself.

Bridging the generational divide

“They’re so lazy! They have no work ethic!”

Sound familiar?

It’s now a common refrain against Gen Z, but older generations said the exact same thing about Millennials in the 2000s and 2010s.

Now Millennials are the burnout generation.

Millennials and Gen Z-ers want different things from work, but that doesn’t mean their work ethic is low.

I mean, it takes a certain type of person to write a 1,000-word essay on why they want to work for a bakery chain (see video). A role that previous generations could’ve gotten with a polite word and a handshake.

Not to mention, many new graduates are now applying for hundreds of roles only to get ghosted.

Sounds to me like there isn’t a work ethic problem, but a generational divide (again).

Younger generations—who struggled through Covid, global warming, and the rise of AI during their formative years—are getting the blame for the consequences of problems they didn’t create.

We need to remember that, regardless of someone’s age, we have more in common.

We all crave the same love and security. But that goal is further away for Gen Z than it ever was for previous generations.

When The Simpsons was created in the 1980s, they were designed to reflect the average family. Now, owning a house, having children, and even finding a partner are pipe dreams for many.

A little empathy and understanding goes a long way.

Consider setting up mentoring programs (or even try reverse mentoring) to connect your older and younger employees. Alternatively, you could mix up groups when doing team activities or simply get employees from different generations to share their stories.

Stories are an essential tool to help us connect. It’s only through sharing them that we’ll really understand what it’s like for other people.

Conclusion 

The employee engagement trends for 2026 are all about bringing the human touch back into HR while reducing the need for humans to do menial tasks.

If you want to inject more humanity into your business, both through high-touch efforts and increased connection, Workrowd has your back. Our all-in-one tool suite automates core elements of your employee experience, so you can focus on the work that really matters.

Plus, with real-time insights into employee sentiment, you’ll always know where to dedicate your time and resources to get the most bang for your buck. And we all know that boosting your ROI is an employee engagement trend that never goes out of style. Get in touch today to learn more about Workrowd.

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Hybrid/Remote

7 tips for building engaged hybrid teams in 2026

Hybrid teams have become the new norm, but almost two in five employees say they’d quit a role if they had to work on site once a week.

Despite this, working in-person improves collaboration by 23%.

So how do you find the balance between people not wanting to work from the office and boosting collaboration?

You need to create an office environment that works for everyone. It’s not easy, but it’s doable. Especially if building thriving hybrid teams is your goal.

Have set days when everyone is in the office

Having set days when everyone is in the office gets them mentally ready for collaboration. It enables people to organize meetings knowing everyone they need to speak to will be around. Plus, it helps them plan for upcoming meetings or office days beforehand so that they can get the most from them.

Your hybrid teams can then use their remote work days for focused work and planning for the next in-office day.

Use the right tools

41% of remote employees find it hard to integrate into their company’s culture. It’s definitely harder when someone works remotely, but it isn’t impossible.

The right tools can make or break your hybrid teams. They should suit how your business works, how your employees work, and be able to scale as your business grows.

Otherwise, as your business grows, you’ll have to disrupt your teams by switching to new tools, slowing everything down because what you originally chose couldn’t scale with you.

On top of that, you want to ensure that you have training available that employees can watch or read wherever they are. This ensures they know how to use the tools and can get the most from them, rather than wasting time trying to (re)learn or remember processes.

Upgrade your employee groups

When it comes to running your employee groups, using a tool that keeps everything organized and running seamlessly could be the difference between your ERGs increasing company profits or fading away like one-hit wonders.

Workrowd turns your groups into effective business levers that support your employees and your bottom line. They encourage networking, collaboration, and showcase your employee initiatives in an easy-to-find location. Get in touch today to book your free demo.

Work asynchronously 

Despite what many businesses still think, not everything needs to be a meeting. Sometimes it’s faster to solve problems in written form as it keeps conversations succinct.

This is clearly a problem, too, with 64% of employees losing at least three hours per week due to collaboration issues. Furthermore, 41% of US employees have quit, or considered quitting, because of collaboration issues at work.

Asynchronous communication may be the solution you need to keep your hybrid teams humming along. No one has to wait around for anyone—they can get on with other tasks while they wait.

There are far fewer meetings required, too, which saves everyone time.

Embrace flexibility

One of the benefits of running hybrid teams is the flexibility that comes from working away from an office.

Encourage your employees to take time away from nonstop meetings and have focus time. Or even go out for a walk in the middle of the day if they’re feeling stressed or need a screen break.

Time away from their desk can be great for problem solving. It can help them to come away with a fresh set of eyes ready to tackle a project, rather than feeling forced to sit at a desk all day because their manager is concerned they’re not working hard enough.

The best managers trust their hybrid teams to do the work at a time that works for them. So long as the work gets done to a high standard, that’s all they care about.

Micromanagers create an unwelcoming environment that isolates employees, causes them to quiet quit, and increases churn rates.

Make the office appealing

If you want your hybrid teams to want to work from your office, you need to make doing so appealing.

This isn’t just about a quality coffee maker or free fruit. It’s also about things like:

  • Location
  • Acoustics (i.e. if it gets noisy)
  • Meeting room availability
  • Enough desks for everyone
  • Lighting
  • Kitchen facilities
  • Bathroom facilities

All these things add up to alter your employee experience for better or worse.

For example, if your business is in an area where there are no food outlets but you also don’t have anywhere for employees to heat or eat their lunch, what are they supposed to do at lunchtime?

They may not have time to travel somewhere to get anything to eat, meaning their energy levels will lag during the afternoon and you won’t get as much productivity out of them. Not to mention they might have to drive home tired and/or hungry, which is dangerous.

Set up employee groups

Over half of employees feel working from home negatively impacts their ability to connect with coworkers. Yet almost three-fourths want to engage in group activities.

Employee groups help your hybrid teams get to know each other beyond their work interactions. They can talk to people outside of their immediate team who share their common interests or experiences.

Groups are a way to make employees feel more like a part of the organization—particularly if they’re newer to it—and integrate your employees into your culture whether they work remote, in-office, or as part of hybrid teams.

Embrace watercooler chat

Whether it’s discussing the latest episode of a show over chat, sharing cute pet videos, or exchanging tasty recipes, water cooler chat is an important part of company culture.

It allows employees to see people from other teams as equals, not someone who’s working against them.

A quiet watercooler chat is often a sign of upheaval and unhappy employees within an organization, especially when you have hybrid teams.

Conclusion 

Hybrid teams help businesses balance the effectiveness of face-to-face collaboration with the productivity of remote work. To make them a success, you need the right tools and company culture.

One of the tools that could help your organization is Workrowd. Using Workrowd, you can better organize your employee initiatives so that everyone on your hybrid teams can access and get the most from them.

Plus, with real-time analytics, you never have to wonder whether your programs, groups, and events are delivering results for your organization. Get in touch to book your free demo and find out more today.

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