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The pandemic has changed the way a lot of employers and organisations look at remote or flexible working, and with BP having announced that they will be asking their office staff to work from home two days a week indefinitely, we look at how this can affect workplace communication and what the future could hold.

When the government announced that people were to stay at home to curb the spread of the virus, organizations and employers had to move quickly to try to ensure their business continuity.

Easily one of the biggest changes that remote and flexible working is the impact on traditional lines of communication. Whereas previously you may have been able to visit a co-worker or employees desk or pick up the phone and dial their extension number, when you're not all in the same office or space, how can you communicate effectively?

It is important to ensure that you are putting in systems that will serve your company rather than slowing it down, as having too many or disparate platforms can lead to a disruptive disconnect. By using a multitude of platforms, important messages could be lost, or you could lose valuable time in productivity whilst your staff try to find the right platform for the right message.

Many organizations and employers are now relying on an enterprise chat tool such as Slack, Skype or Microsoft Teams to keep their remote workforce connected, and it is increasingly important that your tools are as agile and adaptable as your staff, and whilst having one central communications channel can be a useful way to communicate with your team it may not suit everyone.

Another aspect of remote working is the inability to use traditional methods of ‘checking in’ with staff which could have serious repercussions on mental health – and if the pandemic has taught us anything it is that the health of our employees and teams is paramount. The future of workplace communication in a remote setting will be devoid of the nuances we see when face-to-face with people so it is likely we’ll see ‘check-ins’ and mental health initiatives run via a communication tool.

However your company decides to communicate with a remote workforce, it is important that the emergency communication tool you choose integrates with your existing systems to ensure you can get your message out quickly and effectively to all your employees.

Klaxon can help you reach all of your team on a multitude of platforms in seconds, providing assurances that important messages are delivered. Want to see how? Book a demo