Collaboration and Communication Tools Enhancing Employee Experience

Starting from individuals to enterprises have realised the importance of collaboration and communication platforms that have never been as important for businesses as they have been during the COVID-19 crisis, especially for remote workers. The proof is in the growth numbers. In December 2019, there were 10 million daily Zoom users. By March, there were 200 million and 300 million by April. In November 2019, there were 20 million Microsoft Teams users, a number that grew to 75 million daily users in April. With the remote workforce came the need for more efficient and effective communication and collaboration platforms, and the platform providers stepped up to deliver additional features. Done right, best-in-class platforms, when paired with effective practices, enhance and improve the employee experience.

The ability to communicate in real-time is what brings people together. As smartphone use has grown over the last decade, our reliance on these devices as the primary communication mechanism has grown exponentially. As per a review, there are 3.5 billion smartphone users around the world and 77% of Americans now have smartphones. Before COVID-19, it was not uncommon to see people in public staring into the screen of their smartphone, watching videos, texting, gaming and talking with one another. Since the pandemic began, smartphones have taken on a new level of importance as a way to stay connected in a socially distanced world. Another report says that there has been a 37% increase in texting and a 32% increase in video calling since social distancing practices were put into place. The usage of the platform is key when it comes to keeping your workforce connected and it is important to understand how your workforce collaborates and finds a tool that fits those needs. It really boils down to understanding your employees, understanding what they need, and training them appropriately on the tool you put in place.

Today’s business landscape remains in flux and many employees continue to work remotely, while others are slowly migrating back to the office. Used right, communication and collaboration platforms can bridge the gap between remote and in-office workers, building camaraderie, engaging employees, easing isolation and loneliness, maintaining culture and improving the employee experience.

Most of the businesses were forced to implement a fully remote or distributed workforce and video meetings became vital. Video conferencing and chat tools such as Zoom, Skype, Google Meet, GoToMeeting, Webex and Microsoft Teams have enabled businesses to continue to have virtual face-to-face conferences, meetings, webinars and interviews. Even the medical industry has embraced video for patient visits. The transition, however, came with its share of challenges. Videoconferencing tends to be presented in a “Brady Bunch”-style screen with all the participants facing the camera, which can be tedious for all involved and often make participants feel like everyone in the videoconference is staring at one another. Some employees are also often uncomfortable appearing on video.

As businesses and employees rose to the challenges of the remote workplace, the collaboration platform providers immediately went to work to improve, update and evolve their software. When looking for a best-in-class collaboration platform, consider a platform that is accessible via both desktop computers and mobile devices to allow employees to stay in contact no matter where they are located. Optimally, platforms should also support. Creating a unified workspace may help, like stepping into a virtual office.

The platforms are available to have the better employee experience through a right “workplace collaboration” which is an organized teamwork: setting processes in place to ensure that team members work together to make decisions but regardless of the tool, collaboration will strengthen the process and end product. Ultimately, the goal of workplace collaboration is to increase success by fostering open communication among all team members across all departments and management levels.

Dr. Deepak Kumar Sahu, Chief editor, VARINDIA