Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trends Index reports that 52% of those surveyed say they’re likely to consider switching jobs for either hybrid or remote work. And the 2022 Work Trends Index reports that the lack of flexible work options was one of the top five reasons employees quit. These numbers point to a new reality that many of today’s workers are willing to make sacrifices or give up their current jobs to fulfill their desire for more flexible work.
As a result, more employers are embracing a hybrid work model everyday. Indeed, from Zippia’s recent study, 74% of companies either were currently using or planning to implement a permanent hybrid work model.
As with all big workplace shifts, it demands we take a look at how we manage, lead and engage with our team.
Along with all the benefits of working from home, come a host of other challenges. When some people are working from an office and others are working virtually from home, it’s easier for misunderstandings to escalate and inequities to develop. Emails get misinterpreted, employees feel out of the loop, and clients may experience a lapse in trust when they are impacted by changes.
Not only are there challenges in how we do daily work, new studies are reporting negative outcomes to watch out for such as increased anxiety and declining confidence, especially with employees who are earlier in their career path.
This makes it vital to be intentional and consistent with how you engage with your team.
It’s important to conduct regular check up and audits. Bring issues to the forefront where they can be addressed. In this more fluid workplace its easy for something to get overlooked or brushed aside until it becomes a much bigger problem that is harder to correct.
From my own experience, my clients feedback and from current research, here are 4 things to pay attention to support your hybrid workplace.
conduct a check up!
1 HOW CLEAR ARE YOUR “TEAM NORMS” and EXPECTATIONS?
You need to set expectations and make accountability clear to all staff in hybrid teams so both home and office-based employees can work together productively and know who is doing what by when. As part of this, you might run daily or weekly brief virtual “huddle” meetings with your entire team to start each day or week on the right foot and stay in sync.
When you have a hybrid model there is a greater likelihood for breakdowns in communication that lead to misunderstandings, information gaps and unfulfilled agreements. Norms and expectations need to be clearly shared. You are NOT being a “mean boss” or a “hard-a$$” by getting clear on expectations. That clarity makes it easier for everyone to operate.
Examples of ‘norms’ or agreements that should be discussed and agreed upon ahead of time:
Regular virtual meetings with the entire team to stay in sync with each other
Process for communicating changes, making announcements
Transparent schedules and availability
Clear expectations for when people are in the office vs. working from home (different businesses have different thresholds and needs for amount of time in office vs. remote working).
Way for someone to have “focused working time” where they don’t have to feel obligated to answer right away. (We all know the allure of that “ping” on your phone or computer with a new message!)
Communicate 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. For example, 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. In a hybrid workplace, pause and hold a video or conference call with the key players or make sure someone is sharing the conversation by posting a message to update and get input from the rest of the team. It may feel like an extra step but in the long run you create a healthier environment.
2. HOW EFFECTIVE ARE YOUR HYBRID TEAM MEETINGS?
Do you have a plan for your hybrid meetings? If yes, how is it working? Do a quick audit to make sure you are sticking to it and that it’s still a good plan.
Many of my clients with Hybrid workplaces have opted for fully in person or fully on-line meetings to insure a smooth, equitable meeting experience, especially for meetings with more than 3-4 people in attendance. If you do host hybrid meetings here are some tips for facilitating effectively.
Publish an agenda ahead of time.
Re-arrange the conference room for better visibility and communication.
Make sure you have the right technology (audio and visual)
Assign a meeting facilitator, separate from the meeting’s leader. This helps insure participation and if technical challenges arise for the remote participant, the buddy/facilitator can call attention to glitches and make sure to fill in any gaps.
Think through group / breakout activities to make sure everyone can participate regardless if they are in the room or remote.
Having a meeting plan protocol will help reinforce good team norms so both remote and in-person team members can participate fully.
3. IS YOUR TECHNOLOGY DOING THE JOB?
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:
Communications and Project Management platform for transparent communication. Find the right combination to support how your team works best (e.g. Slack, Zoom, MS Teams, Monday, Asana, GoogleDocs, etc.)
Extra webcams to capture what’s happening in a conference room and Omnidirectional microphones to 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. If you currently use the Google Workspace, GoogleDocs is available. Other popular digital whiteboarding tools include Mural, Trello Board, Google Jamboard and Conceptboard.
The thing to remember here is that you don’t just want to rely on putting someone on speaker phone and communicating soley via email or text messages.
4. ASK YOUR TEAM HOW THEY ARE DOING.
It’s best not to assume. Ask what they need to continue to be successful. Just like everything else, the workplace is fluid, things will change and new challenges will pop up. Have direct conversations with your team to assess what’s really going on. As leaders, we should do this regardless, and in a hybrid workplace it becomes essential.
Ask each team member about how technology, procedures and communications are working and about any other roadblocks they need help with. Remember, processes and informal communications that used to work easily may no longer be effective.
Recognize that your team members may have different needs to do their best work. Whether we are working at home or in the workplace, we need/want to create a productive place to work.
This is not a one and done exercise, conduct check up’s 2 to 3 times a year (or more frequently if you are in a period of lots of change).
Our traditional workplaces have fewer people in them, as employees have the flexibility to come into the office some days, and then work the rest of the week at home. This can cause the dynamics of teams to change from one day to the next.
As you look forward, take a proactive approach to leading your hybrid team to success. Create systems and ways of working that encourage candid communications, build trust and accountability, and establish team norms that are inclusive of both in person and remote employees.
Are you getting the most from your team?
Need to up-level your communications and meeting practices?
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