By now it’s become commonplace for CEOs at companies of all kinds – even big tech companies – to demand that their employees return to the workplace. Elon Musk told Tesla employees in 2022 they could do remote work – as long as they spent at least 40 hours per week in the office “or depart the company,” CNN reported. Google, Apple, and Microsoft are among the companies where employees are being required to come back to the office – at least a few days a week, as Insider Intelligence points out. Even Zoom announced in August 2023 that it was pulling people who lived within 50 miles of a company location back into the office at least part-time, The New York Times reported.

CEOs say that they feel having people in-house offers opportunities for the kind of impromptu encounters that can lead to greater innovation – often called “water cooler moments.” However, there is conflicting evidence as to whether these random encounters alone can truly create the sought-after collaboration and innovation.

On one hand, for example, Cornell researchers studying one Fortune 500 company found that “the less frequently team members engage in informal face-to-face work-related communication, the less likely their teams are to generate new ideas and, by extension, be innovative.”

On the other hand, researchers noted in December 2022 in MIT Sloan Management Review that “90% of the companies we studied experienced modest productivity gains in the first year of pandemic-induced remote work.” They also point to additional advances, including “improved communication among managers and team members, accelerated delivery of results against short-term goals, and reduced presenteeism (that is, showing up at the workplace despite illness).”

It’s important to note that regardless of whether companies require everyone back to an office, organizations are becoming increasingly global, as Cornell researchers document. And because it’s impossible to have water cooler conversations across oceans, companies need to be able to manage a hybrid workforce so that everyone can work well together and, indeed, innovate.

Evenif there was overwhelming evidence that face-to-face leads to better outcomes, consider that large companies with global workforces don’t lend themselves to face-to-face at scale and across oceans. Couple that fact with the reality that Gallup reports that 90% of those who can work remotely want to enjoy that flexibility and it’s clear that we need ways to encourage collaborative connections even when we’re not physically in the same place. (Gallup’s findings were based on a June 2022 survey of 8,090 remote-capable U.S. employees.)

Given the reality of workplaces today, companies need to focus on the desired outcome: collaboration that leads to innovation, whether that’s in person or through some other means. To create this collaboration in dispersed work environments, companies should focus on:

• Helping employees develop strong social networks through team culture and cohesion
• Adopting strong collaboration practices

Taken together, these actions serve to bust an important myth: that watercooler chats and casual meeting places in physical settings are required to create magical moments of connection and innovation.

Here we review some strategies for helping employees make these moments happen in remote, hybrid, and global environments.

Form strong social networks through team culture and cohesion

There’s already plenty of attention going toward replicating those get-together-around-the-coffee-station moments. Some organizations are turning to technology to help them cultivate social ties. Managers at professional services firm Genpact, for example, are using AI to replicate those interactions that return-to-the-workplace advocates point to as key for collaboration, Fortune notes. The AI assesses where weak ties exist and recommends matches between employees not already working closely together.

Whether leaders employ technology or rely on management approaches and other techniques, it takes conscious effort to create an environment where significant interactions can occur, says Jennifer Dulski, founder and CEO of Rising Team, technology designed to develop talent, and engage and retain employees. Dulski says that building trust and connection among employees must be done intentionally. Casual encounters, she says, aren’t sufficient for fostering meaningful team relationships. In addition, she says, managers need to be equipped with the tools and strategies necessary to build strong team cultures that transcend physical boundaries. Business leaders should encourage activities that promote trust and connection, Dulski says, such as regular teambuilding sessions, icebreakers, and virtual social events. These, she says, can certainly take place in remote and hybrid settings, as well as on-site.

Jon Morgan, CEO of Venture Smarter, a business consulting firm with approximately 500 employees, says his company also organizes virtual team-building activities and events to foster a sense of camaraderie and encourage collaboration. This includes online games, virtual happy hours, and interactive workshops. A recent employee engagement survey, Morgan says, “shows that 90% of respondents reported a stronger sense of camaraderie due to our virtual team-building activities and events.” The events, he says, have also “contributed to improved collaboration and a more connected remote workforce.”

Emphasize collaboration as part of performance evaluations

Daniel W. Rasmus, founder of Serious Insights, is an expert on technology and the workforce, co-author of Listening to the Future, and the former director of business insights for Microsoft. He asserts that collaborative interactions among employees start with strong social networks. And those networks come from focusing on collaboration.

A focus on collaboration, says Rasmus, is ultimately more fruitful for organizations than a focus on productivity. But even when organizations say they’re focused on collaboration, often they’re not. Take performance evaluations which typically track tasks completed, for example. “They may tell you, ‘We want you to be collaborative,’ but when they create the way that they measure collaboration performance, they don’t give you permission within the framework to actually collaborate – it’s really not what they want you to do,” Rasmus says.

Rasmus encourages companies to “step back from being overly productivity oriented and think about things like, ‘How do I give people permission to engage in collaborative dialogue?’ instead of just focusing on output performance.” The way most employees are currently rewarded, he says, “is by producing things, not by fostering creative ideas.”

Those kinds of conversations, he believes, can and should occur in any business environment. But, he says, companies must explicitly give permission to collaborate. For example, Rasmus argues that businesses should permit employees to engage in collaborative conversations that may not have an immediate measurable effect but can contribute to long-term success.

Serendipitous conversations are important for this type of collaboration, Rasmus says, but he believes they can take place in remote or hybrid environments as well as in physical work settings.

Serendipitous conversations are important for collaboration, says Daniel W. Rasmus, an expert on workforce and technology. But these interactions can take place in remote or hybrid environments as well as in physical work settings.

To increase the frequency of cooperative behaviors, Dulski recommends encouraging teams to engage in regular virtual meetings focused on collaboration and brainstorming. She also says it helps to employ tools that facilitate idea sharing, like virtual whiteboards which can be used to replicate in-person brainstorming sessions.

Venture Smarter promotes cross-functional collaboration through quarterly innovation challenges that are facilitated virtually, says Morgan. These events have resulted in a 15% rise in cross-functional collaborations and joint initiatives among employees from different departments. The challenges break down silos and encourage innovative thinking, he says.

Reach out to touch remote workers – and organize discussions that spur engagement

Maintaining engagement in hybrid and remote settings, says Morgan, can help to boost employee engagement and satisfaction. In the case of his consulting firm, the implementation of regular check-ins with employees, virtual town hall meetings, and open discussions in online platforms has addressed employees’ feelings of isolation and contributed to a more engaged remote workforce. Internal employee engagement metrics show a 20% increase in overall job satisfaction since the company adopted these programs, he says, adding that such engagement drives collaboration and, ultimately, innovation.

Every encounter is a chance to create meaningful employee ties that can later lead to important interactions. Dulski says that even formal meetings should also be focused on connection-building. She advises striking a balance between collaborative meetings and focused, independent work time.

Mentors also help. Dulski highlights the value of intentional mentorship opportunities, especially in hybrid and remote environments where casual mentorship might be limited. She recommends facilitating mentorship programs that pair experienced employees with newer team members, creating opportunities for knowledge-sharing and skill development through intentional interactions.

Implement employees’ ideas for engagement and collaboration

When working to create situations in which employees can interact and collaborate no matter where they are located, it’s important to consider employees’ own views and preferences. Said another way: Engagement strategies shouldn’t be created in a vacuum or solely by HR or senior leaders.

Gallup researchers recommend asking team members to collaboratively craft their hybrid work policies – one of the single most engaging work practices they have studied among employees returning to the office. They also cite the benefit of thinking virtual first, a mindset in which team members working in the office behave as if they’re working remotely to help remote workers feel more like part of the team. McKinsey & Company recommends a similar approach, offering all the same access to the information, people, tools, and opportunities needed to succeed.

While we’d love for that hallway water cooler to be both a social gathering point and a font of inspiration, the reality – especially in today’s hybrid workplace reality – is different. And it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Dulski, the HR tech and workplace culture expert, points to the Flex Report (July 2023). This study of 4,500 companies found that those that offer flexibility attract and retain more workers. For example, companies requiring one day in the office each week grew headcount by 4.8% over the past 12 months, compared to 3.8% of companies requiring four days in the office and 2.6% for those requiring five days in the office. The study was sponsored by Scoop, a scheduling software maker.

Fortunately, it is not necessary for a workforce or team to be physically located near each other to be productive, collaborative, and innovative. That’s true whether they’re working in hybrid or remote roles, or as part of large, multinational organizations. It is necessary, though, to put practices in place to strategically boost collaboration rather than simply expecting it to happen. Being thoughtful and explicit about hybrid work norms can help ensure that practices are in place to spur interactions, collaboration, and innovation.

By adopting these general practices and utilizing available technology, companies can effectively break down barriers between employees, regardless of their location.

Read more