Hybrid Toolbox Talk After the Pandemic

Hybrid workplaces are becoming a big thing nowadays. Organizing toolbox talks are getting more complex with hybrid working and workplaces. Toolbox talks on-site without internet connection and online when people are working at home, these are situations we have to deal with. How can we handle this new way of hybrid toolbox talk? With the right tools, you and your company can go for this next step in hybrid toolbox talks. 

Hybrid Working

In 2020, many companies started to adapt their way of working to the current pandemic situation by changing their approach from office-based to remote working. This means that employees will not be physically present at one workplace anymore but they will work remotely or even on-site. The term “hybrid” refers to this kind of work. Companies that do not want to change their entire way of working completely but still need some flexibility for their employees during the pandemic use hybrid solutions. 

What Does It Mean?

The term “hybrid solution” describes a combination of different technologies like video conferencing, webinars, virtual meetings, platforms, and other ways to communicate. A hybrid solution allows companies to keep their existing way of working while offering additional features. These features include:

• Flexibility: Employees can choose how much time they spend in different locations. This includes flexible working hours and/or flexible working days.
• Collaboration: Employees can collaborate together even if they are not physically located in the same place. They can share documents, presentations, and files.
• Communication: Employees can interact with each other through chat, email, or phone calls.
• Security: Employees can access confidential information only if needed.

Different Kinds of Toolbox Talks

Toolbox talks are an important part of any organization. These talks are reminders of the safety protocols and that this has to be taken seriously. 

A toolbox talk can take several forms. It might be a short meeting, a presentation, or a workshop. During a toolbox talk, there are usually three basic roles: presenter, audience, and moderator.

Presenters are responsible for preparing the content of the talk. They prepare slides, videos, audio recordings, etc. Audience members listen to the talk and ask questions. Moderators make sure that all participants participate actively in the discussion. Moderators and presenters are often the same people.

When we are referring to hybrid toolbox talks, this combines the way of the new working with toolbox talks how they were done before. With these hybrid toolbox talks, the employee can have these talks at the location where they are working at that moment.

Tools for the Hybrid Toolbox Talk

There are many different tools to educate employees and organize a toolbox talk. In our blog post “Ways of educating employees on …” we mentioned video platforms, e-learning platforms, and QHSE platforms. They all have their pros and cons, this depends on your company’s needs and goals. 

A QHSE platform like Qooling has a way to organize a hybrid toolbox talk. With this platform, you can prepare the entire toolbox talk within the platform and send out the link to everyone who needs to see the talk. When you are giving the toolbox talk to an offline location, the QHSE management platform has the capability to create a checklist of attendees. Combining all this data gives you better insights to improve the QHSE and the way of giving toolbox talks.