Trend: Connected Culture

One of the drawbacks of remote work lies in the lack of in-person collaboration. Sure, we’ve all learned how to navigate video conferencing, but studies show digital interactions burn out us out faster, and in different ways, than typical face-to-face conversations and meetings. There may be no good way around that other than to deliver tools that help employees feel like they’re a part of the tribe.

“How organizations build and maintain a healthy culture requires a dramatic rethink,” as Middleton put it.

There’s no excuse not to do so, he added. Leaders have “an embarrassment of riches” to extend employees — think behavior-support resources, two-way communications and more, Middleton said. Along the way, managers and supervisors can identify which staff need more support, and in which ways, creating “cohesion across the workforce.”

Employee-engagement applications, Middleton added, are “going to be a really big deal this year.”