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I’ll be honest: I'm completely biased. I love hybrid work. My love of hybrid work began when my husband and I chose to move back home once he had finished his Masters Degree, after spending 2 years in Sacramento, CA. The company I worked with had presence throughout the United States, but no local support office, making hybrid work essential. Due to the prevalence of hybrid work within the company, my boss easily said yes to my request to work remotely. Twice a week I drove two hours to work one way, and worked from home the remaining three.

Nine years later I have once again found myself in the hybrid work world. Sure, my life situation has changed a little bit. Two kids in school, a golden retriever and house to take care of, but the hybrid work world has shifted too. Gone are the dreaded days of conference calls with your team as you stare at the wall, hello to the world of video calls.

Feeling connected as a team member in a hybrid work setting has become easier with new technology, but there are still a few key components that most companies struggle with. Getting these things in order can drastically shift your employee buy-in and connection.

Communication is essential. At Telcion we use Webex daily. Need to ask a quick question? Send a message! Need to connect with your boss about something? Video call them. Has something come up and you need the entire team to discuss? Launch that meeting! With so many easy-to-deploy tools, it’s hard to feel disconnected.

Some of the most productive meetings between my team and I have happened over Webex video calls. You see, work environment isn’t key, leadership is. If your leaders are open to new ideas, open discussions, or thought leadership, your team is going to thrive from wherever they work. Social media created a shift in people--a desire to have their opinions heard and valued. To know that your team hears and values your perspective, but also being open to change when presented an alternative position, can shift your team dynamic. An office isn’t needed for these discussions to occur. A virtual space serves this purpose well.

Leaders must understand that life happens outside of the office. Kids get sick, dogs need to go to the vet, doctor's offices aren’t open outside of work hours. Empowering your employees to make the decisions needed for their life gives them a respect for their employer and company. In turn, employees desire to make up the lost time and work harder on their tasks.

Finally, we have always heard that providing the necessary tools for work will increase employee satisfaction. What if we considered hybrid work as one of those necessary tools? Studies have shown that 80% of employees would be more loyal to their company if it offered work environment flexibility. So what will you do to support your employees?

This post was contributed by Kim Esau. Kim works on the marketing team at Telcion.