Keep your teams close: three ways to boost hybrid productivity

Table of contents

Centralised collaboration tools

Hybrid-first meetings

Cloud-based storage

Bonus point: Don’t forget security

Go hard on hybrid

With eight in 10 SMEs maintaining hybrid working operations beyond 2025, businesses that want to be successful must embrace technologies that suit a more flexible way of working. And that takes more than just video calls – although they are also crucial. Beyond simply connecting teams across locations, your technology will also need to ensure productivity – as two fifths (39%) of UK companies are looking to improve productivity in 2025.

Whether your focus is on the employee satisfaction, retention and cost saving benefits of hybrid working, or the productivity gains on offer, you’ll find this article useful. Here we explore three ways to help your teams connect, work smarter and be happier by implementing the right technology.

1. Centralised collaboration tools

When it comes to hybrid working, connectivity is key. Modern businesses rarely operate without a central collaboration tool, such as the popular Microsoft 365 suite.

While Microsoft 365 has an enormous number of uses and tools bundled within, collaboration tools, like Microsoft Teams, have transformed how people work together.

With options for video conferencing, calling, messaging, project management, file sharing, and customisable dashboard for insights, Microsoft Teams as part of Microsoft 365 has made it significantly easier for employees to stay connected, collaborative and productive. For an example of how much Microsoft 365 implementation can change a business, our work with Life Sciences Recruitment is a good place to start.

2. Hybrid-first meetings

It may be obvious, but reliable video conferencing and telephony are essential elements of hybrid working technology. Two in five office interactions now include at least one remote participant – and it’s important that every person has the same experience regardless of whether they are in the room or working elsewhere.

It’s good practice for hybrid meetings to set clear agendas in advance, so those not in the room have a greater chance to contribute their ideas and thoughts. Following up with meeting notes serves the same purpose – giving more people the opportunity to comment.

The Meeting Notes and Recordings functionality in Microsoft Teams can be extremely useful, providing full context – even to those who didn’t attend. While Microsoft Copilot can support online meetings in Teams by providing transcripts, quickly reviewing key points and sharing any action items and decisions made – saving time on scrolling through long threads.

There is a good selection of platforms available to handle this requirement. Meetings in Microsoft Teams, for example, includes audio, video, instant messaging and screen sharing connectivity. It’s available on almost any device and can be used from anywhere, as long as you have a stable internet connection. 

3. Cloud-based storage

Your teams are working on an important project with a tight deadline – and there is a file that everyone needs to contribute to. But your staff are scattered across locations, with some in the office, while others are working from home.

The solution? You need to make sure everyone has seamless, secure and simultaneous access to the files they need and can add their expertise to the task at hand. Do that, and you’ll benefit from easier onboarding, faster project completion, improved security, better data resilience, and fewer version control issues.

Cloud-based suites and storage enable teams to be able to perform a significant proportion of their tasks collaboratively and all in one place – so when minds need to come together, it’s much easier to keep everyone on the same page.

Bonus point: Don’t forget security

With all technology choices, cyber security should be top of mind to ensure data isn’t lost, or processes grind to a halt. This is especially true in hybrid setups, where businesses have less control over networks and devices.

There are several different options depending on what you need. From professional cyber services like penetrating testing, risk assessments and gap analysis, to Zero Trust security.

You should also consider cyber security awareness training and tools to stay protected from some of the common problems of hybrid systems, including:

• Unsecured public Wi-Fi networks
• Insufficient antivirus protocols
• Poor password management
• Device loss

Go hard on hybrid

If hybrid working is here to stay in your business, now’s the time to make sure you have the technology and security measures in place.

Focus Group is your partner for connected hybrid teams and collaboration tools – keeping everyone productive no matter where the office is for the day. We can support you to find and implement the right technology for your business.

Speak to us to get started or take a look at our hybrid working toolkit to see how you can be fully equipped for flexible working.

And if you’d like to check where you stand on your hybrid journey, see if you can tick off every item on the checklist below:

• Can your team collaborate in real-time, from anywhere?
• Is your video conferencing setup consistent and reliable?
• Do your tools integrate seamlessly together?
• Is your data protected, even when accessed remotely?
• Do your tools scale as your team grows or changes?