COVID-19 pandemic changed the way corporates worked seriously affecting employee productivity. Many businesses managed to put in place a system that would allow individuals to work and communicate from any location. Fears of reduced productivity because of a primarily remote workforce were mostly unfounded. In fact, a large margin company reported that productivity remained unchanged and even improved in the months following the lockdowns when employees were given more flexibility.

Now, as more employees return to physical workplaces, companies and technology leaders are facing a new challenge: how to manage a hybrid workforce. Hybrid work environments provide new ways for employees to collaborate productively, but leaders must intentionally create those opportunities.

After the pandemic, over 73 percent of employees demand more freedom, and 67 percent prefer in-person interaction and collaboration. Hybrid teams are more difficult to manage in many ways than all-remote or all-in-person teams, which is why effective hybrid work practices will be critical for CIOs and CTOs to establish.

According to recent Gartner research, 71% of HR leaders are more concerned about employee collaboration this year than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic.