Skip to main content
Commsy creative stuff straight to your inbox

Blog

Hybrid working: What IC needs to think about right now

< Blog home

Hybrid working: What IC needs to think about right now

We’ve entered an interesting time of the pandemic where the risk of covid still feels very real for many people, whereas others are keen to return to ‘normal’ or at least learn to live with the virus.

So where does that leave us? From a work point of view, the immediate future looks set to involve a mix of people working from home and in the office – i.e. hybrid working.

“Oh no, not another blog about hybrid working!” we hear you cry.

Yes, we have jumped on the bandwagon, and no we haven’t taken our crystal ball along for the ride. We’ve no idea what next month will look like, let alone the next year. Instead, we’ve taken a look back over the last 18 months to see what impact Covid has had on the way we communicate inside our organisations and what we need to be thinking about right now.

 

The perception of ICMain image: 4 professionally dressed people with clipboards, of different ethnicities, standing over a cloud bubble with the wiring 'now is the perfect time to audit your IC channels.'

The pandemic shone a spotlight on internal comms and businesses sat up and took notice. However, while what we did was brilliant, the nature of the pandemic meant that much of it was reactionary, because it had to be.

What remains to be seen is whether the perception of internal comms has truly shifted. Yes, businesses think we’re important, but do they really understand the strategic impact we can have? If not, what do we need to do now that we have senior stakeholders’ attention?

Solution: If you don’t have a strategy, now is the time to create one and get it in front of leadership. We have their attention so let’s showcase what we can do when we have the time and space to think strategically. If you have evidence of the impact previous communications have had, share that too – especially if you can link it to business outcomes.

 

Zoom fatigue

In the beginning, Zoom was a bit of a novelty, but after a day of back-to-back meetings, where the phrase “Janet, you’re still on mute” was uttered at least 10 times, it soon became old.

However, hybrid working is likely to see people defining their own working patterns, meaning people won’t be in the office at the same time and meetings, at least for now, will continue to be online.

So how do we as internal communicators, avoid adding to the fatigue of video calls?

Solution: It’s back to basics for this one: encourage leaders and people managers to keep the use of video communication to a minimum. Town Halls will still need to take place so ensure there is a clear purpose, and everything communicated is useful. You could also consider giving leaders who run these sessions training around how to make them more engaging.Main image: Video screen of 4 people different ethnicities having a zoom call with arrows pointing downwards around the image. With the wording 'encourage leaders and people managers to keep the use of video communication to a minimum'

 

Tech is not fit for purpose

The announcement of the UK lockdown saw organisations scramble to provide the tech their employees needed to do their jobs from home. From an internal comms perspective, you may have found yourself launching an online channel in record time or persevering with an existing one to ensure you had a way to reach employees.

However, it’s likely that many IC pros will now be assessing the tech they have and whether it is right for their organisation and its employees. It can be difficult to admit that something you invested time and money into just isn’t working. One of my favourite quotes is:

“Don’t cling to a mistake because you spent a long time making it.” Aubrey De Graf.

That’s not to say anything implemented during the covid crisis was a mistake. It was the no doubt the right decision at the time based on the information, budget, and tech you had available. But that doesn’t mean it’s right as we transition into hybrid ways of working.

The solution: Now is the perfect time to audit your IC channels to review how they supported your internal communications over the last year and if they will fulfil your needs as you move forward. Listen to your employees, collaborate with your IT team, and do you research to understand what’s right for your organisation.

 

People managers need to manage in a different way

People managers are a key audience for internal comms so it’s important we understand the communication challenges the last year presented for them and how hybrid working may impact that further.

For example, on top of their ordinary communication activities, they also need to think about how to create a sense of belonging in a team where some members may see each other face-to-face regularly and others not at all.

The solution: Consider running focus groups with people managers to understand their concerns and what they need from internal comms. Then work with them to set up a plan of action going forward.

 

Informal listening is harder

Internal communicators need to be plugged into the organisation, listening out for potential stories as well as getting a sense of the general feeling among employees, especially following major communications. In the absence of canteen queues and bumping into people at the printer it can be harder to do this.

Main image: A man and a women standing over a cloud bubble with the wording 'While formal listening exercises can give you great insight, it doesn’t necessarily give you the full pictur'

The solution: Try to spend the first five minutes of online meetings chatting and catching up with people. Listen to what’s going on in their world and encourage people to share openly. It won’t fully replicate the face-to-face experience, but many people will crave the social interaction and it’s a good opportunity for you to listen and find out what’s going on that IC might need to be aware of.

 

Hybrid working is likely to be a reality for many businesses, at least in the immediate future. So, let’s take this opportunity to take stock and address the changes we need to make following the most challenging 18 months many of us will have ever worked through. And don’t forget to give yourselves a pat on the back while you do it.

 

By Helen Deverell for Alive with Ideas

 

Read more on hybrid working

Challenging unhelpful thinking in a hybrid working world

Read more on making online meetings more personal

Avoiding virtual insanity: Make online meetings a highlight of a home working day

“I feel like they own and care for the project as much as we do! I would not use anyone else for my creative work and think Alive is ahead of the game.”

Jo Hobbs — Communications Manager

“Thanks for all your help. We are delighted with the campaign, both in terms of the creativity and messaging but also the thought taken over the rollout of the materials. All looks absolutely fabulous!”

Sarah Crowdy — Campaign and Media Officer Communications, South East Water

“We went to ‘Alive’ for ideas on how to run a specific employee program in Europe. Alan and his team were brilliant in coming up with fresh, creative and practical approaches. The team took charge and executed brilliantly. We are pleased with the progress made so far and hope to have the same level of partnership and commitment going forward.”

Sobha Varghese — Tata Consultancy Services

“Alive helped us create a video of our response to the floods of winter 2019. Our Chief Officer received messages from all round the country praising us for it and was really pleased with both the video and the response to it.”

Alexander Mills, Communications Manager — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“We had the privilege to work with the Alive team. It was our first time to be involved in creating an animation for our patients within paediatrics. The team were approachable, friendly, creative and very accommodating. Your vision for what you want to create, is at all times acknowledged, appreciated and accommodated by the team. They worked effectively and with great passion towards our project and worked not only alongside health professionals but also our patients who really enjoyed the experience of working with the Alive team. It has given our team the confidence and inspiration to do further projects in the future. We highly recommend Alive and their exceptional team.”

DR ELENI ATHANASAKOS, Lead Paediatric Clinical Scientist — NHS Barts Health

“‘The short animation developed in co-production with clinicians and young people is outstanding! Informative, developmentally appropriate, vitally fun and engaging. We are really grateful for the expertise of the Alive with Ideas team for their innovative approach in building children’s health literacy.'”

Kath Evans — Director of Children’s Nursing at Barts Health

“Our mission was to update our brand visuals to better reflect our innovative and forward-thinking organisation. After receiving numerous pitches from different branding agencies, Alive stood out with their clear passion and understanding of our identity and goals. We thoroughly enjoyed working with the Alive Team to create an engaging new brand that we are immensely proud of.”

Lianne Springer — Communications and Engagement Lead

“Alive wowed us during the pitch process and they didn’t stop wowing us throughout the whole project. Every person we worked with at Alive were so friendly, knowledgeable and clearly passionate about what they do. They have worked with us to really understand what we do and have created a new brand and website that really stands out from our competitors. Thank you!”

Louise Burnard, Head of Marketing and Communications UK — Be | Shaping the Future

“I think the team have done such a brilliant job, particularly with responding to our requests. It's one of the best mental health videos I've ever seen. Very proud to be associated with your exemplary work. Thank you so much.”

Dr Anna Batho — Clinical Psychologist – Critical Care, UCLH

“We have worked with Alan, Caroline and the wider Alive With Ideas team for many years. In that time, they have provided a dedicated service that is second to none. We appreciate their attention to detail and creative approach to bringing our brand, communications and stories to life. And would recommend them to anyone looking for creative communications support.”

Georgia Beech — Internal Communications Specialist, Ocado Group

“This is brilliant. I wanted to give my heartfelt thanks to all of the team who worked on this. You all understood exactly what we wanted to communicate and why, and then managed to do it in a way that was far better than anything I could have imagined. I’m a bit choked up to be honest!”

Sarah Wright, Head of Communications and Campaigns — NEA

“Each time I work with the team, I am always stunned at the effort and creativity that goes into each detail and am always eager for the end result. The team is extremely accommodating and always provide a fresh approach to our projects that elevates our communications materials!”

Alana Khaytin, Communications Specialist — Braskem America

“What I really appreciate about Alive is that they work with us as partners, and care as much about getting it right for our patients as we do.”

Sara Langston, Patient Engagement & Marketing Manager — italk

“Alive are unique in how much they deeply listen and invest in you and your ideas. I have not come across a company that listens as much as they do to ensure your needs are understood and met (actually - they always exceed my needs and expectations). Everyone I recommend Alive to has an equally brilliant experience. When you work with Alive, you are not only getting some genius creativity brought into your life, you are also hanging out with some of the best examples of human beings I’ve ever known.”

Steph Tranter, Hybrid Exec Coach & Psychologist — StephTranter.com

“The (Alive) team were able to creatively pull together and document (in just over 2minutes) everything our service has achieved over the last few months, from thousands of prescriptions deliveries to hundreds of phone calls made to the vulnerable. The final product was so powerful and reflective of what our service has and continues to achieve. It couldn’t have been better received within the service – thanks Alive for once again helping us to communicate our vision!’”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire & Rescue

“We worked with the team at Alive to create our staff recognition video.
At a time like this, its never been more important to share the amazing work that our staff have done and continue to do on a daily basis under very difficult circumstances. We wanted to shout about this and recognise that when the time came, South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue stepped up to the plate. We didn’t want an ordinary thank you post on social media or a basic email sent out internally, we wanted something special. Enter Alive. ”

Emma Wright — South Yorkshire Fire & Rescue

“Our company is fun, we have great brands, but most importantly we’re all about our people – and I wanted an agency who would understand that and help us bring it to life through our website and other comms. Straight away I felt that Alive ‘got’ us and provided the creative inspiration exactly where we needed it, as well as the technical expertise to deliver a well-functioning website.”

Keren McCarron, Head of Corporate Affairs & Communications — KP Snacks

“Boom!
Thank you so much. Incredible work done at incredible speed by incredible people.
Outstanding work as ever and what a turnaround. As for the concepts – wow. These are that good it would be an insult to describe them as just good. It’s a joke, quite frankly. This is exactly the Alive effect I was after. Right now I feel like I am living in an Alive With Ideas wonderland. Thank you!”

Jack Grasby, Campaigns Manager — SYFR

“If you are looking to improve creativity and build teamwork, I highly recommend a session like this for your team. No matter where you are in your creativity journey, a workshop like this can give your team a boost of energy and ideas to invigorate their creative thinking.”

Amy Lilja, IC Manager — Hennepin Healthcare

“Alive were there to help when we were working every hour to respond to the coronavirus outbreak. They gave us the creativity, ideas and support we needed to deliver campaigns which empowered our residents in the most difficult time most of us have ever seen, personally and professionally. The team understood what we needed, worked closely with us and delivered fast without any compromise on quality. Working with Alive has been a joy in the darkest of times and I have no doubt will have helped to save lives. Thanks team x”

Julie Odams, Assistant Director of Communications & Customers — Derbyshire County Council

“We got 'Alive' involved to help us shift mindsets across our organisation and they delivered! Using simple, clear and creative ideas the team have delivered us a campaign which has seen a dramatic increase in idea sharing and development. They’ve also played a significant role in creating a culture of shared success. I wouldn’t hesitate to work with again, in fact, we already are!”

Gavin Buckle — B&Q
Alive logo