Hybrid work isn’t just a topic for the future. It’s already here. It’s consistently in the headlines and I’m hearing about the challenges of hybrid and remote work in my daily conversations.
“Future Forum Pulse, a consortium focused on building a way of working that is flexible, inclusive, and connected, reports that in the knowledge sector, 58% of employees already have a hybrid work model— up from 46% in May 2021, just a year ago. ”
I have worked in hybrid or remote workplaces since 2001. The tools and management awareness we use to support a hybrid workplace have exponentially improved since then. Unfortunately, the complexities have increased as well. In the early 2000’s leaders were managing the occasional remote worker. These were the outliers and were managed by exception. Over the years, technology has enabled more remote work, and in the last two years remote work became common place allowing hybrid workplace has become more of the norm.
Now, employers are needing to embrace the hybrid model in order to attract and keep their best employees. Workers are demanding increased flexibility. For many, the hybrid (or fully remote) workplace is a big win.
As leaders, we need to recognize that the disruption and uncertainty happening as we navigate between in-person, fully remote, and various models of hybrid working can lead to increased opportunity for conflict between employees, clients, and vendors. When some people are working from an office and others are working virtually from home, it’s easier for misunderstandings to escalate. Emails get misinterpreted, employees perceive inequities and/or feel out of the loop, and clients may experience a lapse in trust when they are impacted by changes.
From my own experience, my clients feedback and from current research, here are 4 things to do to support your hybrid workplace. With some thought and planning you can create team norms and communication plans that help you anticipate and manage conflict and create a safe and thriving hybrid workplace culture.
1. Recognize there is increased complexity.
This falls under the category of recognition is the half the battle. The hard truth is that the hybrid workplace is more complex. When all employees are in the same office, or everyone is fully remote you can build processes from the same starting point and everyone is at an equal advantage or disadvantage. When you have a hybrid model there is a greater likelihood for breakdowns in communication that lead to misunderstandings, information gaps and unfulfilled agreements.
Embrace the added complexity and take the time to assess and think through your communications structure and how process changes are being implemented. Communicate and implement changes in a way that works for everyone whether they are in the office or not.
Note: sometimes it’s the “casual” stuff that gets the trickiest. e.g. Team members used to share quick updates or hand offs over the cubicle wall, or we would give a heads up on something when we were in person. Now in a hybrid setting, these types of communications need a forum and can easily lose their tone when we have to write it down. Communication tools like Slack can be really effective, especially when conversation stays in the public channels. If too many conversations are happening in private direct messages, it reduces transparency and trust.
2. Have a plan for your hybrid meetings.
A well-run hybrid meeting involves balancing all the moving parts, from re-arranging the conference room to rethinking group activities to ensuring equal participation.
Assign a meeting facilitator, separate from the meeting’s leader, to ensure everyone gives input and is called on to participate and/or pair up remote attendees with an in-person attendee. Not only does this help insure participation, if technical challenges arise for the remote participant, the buddy/facilitator can call attention to glitches and make sure to fill in any gaps.
Redesign your conference room to create a more equitable environment for your online employees. If you have a screen to share presentation slides, consider adding another screen(s) that can project large images of your remote participants during the meeting. This keeps remote attendees front and center.
Think through group / breakout activities to make sure everyone can participate regardless if there are in the room or remote.
3. Invest in hardware and software.
This goes hand in hand with redesigning our conference room space. If you are committed to a hybrid workplace, technology matters. Decide what works for you and your team. There are many options to consider for all levels of budgets. Here are some things to assess for your team:
Extra webcams to capture what’s happening in a conference room. Position one camera to face in-person participants, allowing remote attendees to see who is speaking. Another camera could capture flip charts, wall charts, etc.
Omnidirectional microphones that can be positioned at the conference table and pick up sounds in all directions. This will allow your remote employees to hear in-person participants clearly. (Or handheld microphones can be passed among in-person speakers)
Digital whiteboards allow everyone in the meeting to collectively draw or write from individual devices. Online whiteboarding sessions help everyone participate equally and have easy access to the information after the meeting. Popular digital whiteboarding tools include Mural, Trello Board, Google Jamboard and Conceptboard. If you currently use the Google Workspace, GoogleDocs is an option to which you already have access to.
4. Employees have different needs for their physical workspace.
Whether we are working at home or in the workplace, we need to create a productive place to work. Understand your own strengths and what you need in your physical environment to do your best work. Recognize that your team may have different needs to do their best work.
Consider both ergonomics and individual Kolbe A Index results to determine what is needed to be most productive. It will help you set up an optimal workspace and improve performance.
We are just at the beginning of this journey as we learn how to manage and lead in a hybrid workplace. As leaders, it’s important that we remember that we are all human. We will inevitably have conflicts and misunderstandings but we can create systems that support the whole team, encourage candid communications, and establish team norms that are inclusive of both in person and remote employees.
