Communication has always been a key aspect of running a successful office. Unfortunately, it's also an area that can cripple the company's bottom line if it's not done right. Miscommunication or an entire lack of thereof can throw project timelines off, create mistrust among employees, and impact team culture.

There are a lot of things that can go wrong with team communication channels. People might not listen, or they may make false assumptions about what's said. Sometimes we interrupt one another or let emotions dictate our response.

All these issues are made harder in a remote/hybrid work environment because people are physically separated.

That said, ensuring knowledge and ideas easily flow through remote teams is also key. And don't be fooled into thinking hybrid/remote work is a passing trend - it's estimated that 75% of employees want to continue to work remotely.(https://newsroom.ibm.com/2020-05-01-IBM-Study-COVID-19-Is-Significantly-Altering-U-S-Consumer-Behavior-and-Plans-Post-Crisis)

That's where online workplace hubs come in.

By making it easier for people to co-work side-by-side, workplace hubs enable team productivity and communication. Here's what we'll cover in this blog post:

• Why online workplace hubs are great for team culture

• What features to look for in an online workplace hub

• The benefits of adopting a software solution for side-by-side co-working

• The top online workplace hub to look into

Let's get into it.

Why teams need online workplace hubs

The most difficult part about collaborating shouldn't be coordination or planning. Here's how online workplace hubs break through communication barriers and make an environment ripe for team culture to flourish:

It takes meeting planning out of the equation

Many remote/hybrid teams are planning more meetings to compensate for a lack of shared presence. But using team calendars systems like Office 365 or Google to plan every interaction the team has ends up being cumbersome and time consuming.

By giving the team space they can share all day, it's less likely they'll waste time scheduling meetings for simple questions. You'll know instantly who's doing what, providing a higher level of visibility all around.

It gives people a place they can easily share and mentor

When people don't have to worry about who has access to applications every time they want to work together and can clearly see what every member of the team is doing at any moment, barriers to collaboration fall away. Whether it's a mentor working with a new employee or support staff working together to troubleshoot issues, the last thing on peoples' minds should be how to get connected.

Also, when you share space with the team all day, it gives your employees a constant connection to one another that they can use to build their culture. Nobody wants to be forced to schedule (what used to be spontaneous) water-cooler conversations and team building sessions.

They'll be able to jump in and out of each other's experiences quickly, without getting in the way. Like how people would interact in a physical office space together, now they can ask quick questions or move right into working together without ever opening another tab or app.

Key features of online workplace hubs

Collaboration hub platforms can be a fantastic addition to your online office. However, not all workplace hub solutions have the features you should be looking for.

Here's what you need to look for in a great online workplace hub:

1. End-to-end security

Without doubt, the place where your team shares applications and communicates needs to be locked down tight. You don't want private conversations or company files to be at risk.

The platform should provide encryption of all data transfers between users and throughout. Files and data stored at rest should also be encrypted. You should also be looking for a platform provider that proactively separates your workloads from other customers.

2. Constant connection

Next, you want to pick a platform that does more than just connect users via asynchronous communication. It needs to be an always-on place where users can easily communicate with audio, video, and screenshares easily without disrupting others in the workplace hub.

That way, you can be confident people have access to one another – whatever their needs might be.

3. Easy view switching

One key element behind co-working is the ability for people to focus on their own work, then they can easily change things around to work with others. In the office, this was as easy as turning your chair and looking at someone else's screen.

Your workplace hub platform must come with easy controls to view and switch between multiple user perspectives in case people want to quickly connect. It should show you what everyone is sharing without interfering with your focus, and help you identify when others in the team need your attention.

To take perspective switching to the next level, consider selecting a solution that comes with an interactive online workplace map. It ensures employees can get visibility and easily move between areas.

4. No installation required

You want to pick a tool that provides the easiest onboarding process for employees possible, without tedious app installation that requires further IT support and management. The easier it is for your team to use the workplace hub, the more likely they are to get engaged and integrate it into their personal workflow.

5. Team tools portal

Your workplace hub shouldn't only connect your employees together, it should also provide easy access to all the tools they need to do perform required tasks.

Workers should be able to quickly see all the applications they have access to. This way, they won't have to rely on browser favorites or corporate wikis to find out about the team tools.

A solution such as JumpRoom, for example, includes the ability to include shortcuts to all your teams' important apps and documents.

6. Copilot applications

Lastly, your workplace hub solution should come with the ability to use multiple cursors in any tool within your online office space.

For example, let's say that a mentor on the team sees that someone is having trouble with a task. The platform should provide the ability for that mentor to simply add his or her cursor to the application to point things out or take control.

Custom application installation is also a big factor in choosing the right platform. A workplace hub should make it easy to share custom tools developed by the internal organization.

Benefits of using workplace hubs as team coworking areas

Investing in a collaboration platform can really increase communication and visibility within your team. Some of the benefits that come with online workplace hubs include:

Reinforce team connections throughout the day

With team collaboration software, your team will find new ways to share experiences and get more done through the day.

Issues such as missing social connection and disconnected cultures are going to be a thing of the past: employees will be able to share space online and interact as if they were in the office together.

By requiring less energy to ask quick questions or feedback, you'll be able to focus more on supporting the team and get more out of the day.

See who's doing what at a glance

With workplace hub platforms, you're saving yourself a lot of time and energy in connecting.

Since you can see all the information about what the team is sharing, the platform prevents you from wasting time reaching out individually for updates or reviewing task schedules.

If people decide to change their workflow for the day, the platform can provide you with quick visibility into what they're doing instead of typical planned work.

Say goodby to a lot of redundant meetings

Unnecessary meetings can be a real drag on your team's delivery timeline. Nothing is worse than to be stuck in twice the number of meetings as before only to have less time to get actual work done.

When people are stuck in unwanted meetings it impacts their morale and overall satisfaction. It's also a total waste of organizational resources.

With workplace hubs, a lot more spontaneous communication and collaboration takes place because people are already in the same space all day. It makes it easy to skip the meeting and simply pull in the people you need right now.

Take team training to a new level

Investing in collaboration platforms provides you with easier ways for your employees to work together. You'll notice that the type of cross-training that used to happen in the office is beginning to take hold in your workplace hub.

For example, if a newly onboarded employee is having issues with a task, the platform makes it simple for mentors on the team to see that and help.

By improving your team's access to each other's tools for training purposes, you'll save money on education expenses and put employees in an environment where they can try things out together.

Bring on new employees faster with a shared approach

With a shared team portal that provides easy access to applications and the rest of the team, new employees will get to work faster. You'll be able to give them everything they need to hit the ground running without wasting time babysitting setups and app invites.

By synchronizing all of your tools and team together in an online hub, connecting and learning as a team will become a breeze.

Top workplace collaboration hub solutions

JumpRoom

JumpRoom offers a complete collaboration solution for your workplace hub needs. Some of our key features include native application copiloting, multi-user web desktop, and a dedicated encrypted drive with every room.

With our software, employees can get visibility into what the whole office is up to. Our room dashboards show you the status of each room, so you can easily move your work to the best coworking location – right when you need to.

JumpRoom's unique "App Containerization" functionality offers users the ability to move their native applications directly into the room. Your team will get real-time collaboration and your organization with save on licensing fees with the ability to share applications natively.

Wrapping things up

Thanks for making it to the end!

Investing in workplace collaboration hubs is a great way to minimize unwanted meetings. You'll be able to make the most out of your team's day and create a more inclusive environment for your employees no matter where they sit.

JumpRoom makes it easy to get your team sharing and connecting in the workplace. Feel free to schedule a demo with us today to learn more.