How to manage teams in a Hybrid work environment

Hybrid working is here to stay. ONS data in April and May 2022 showed nearly a quarter (24%) of all UK workers split their working hours between home and the office. 42% of the US workforce had a hybrid work arrangement in February 2022, according to Gallup and in Australia, Swinburne University of Technology’s March 2022 survey showed that 44% of employees who could work remotely were doing hybrid work. It’s easy to see why hybrid work environments are popular. Splitting time between remote and on-site work may be the best for both managers and employees. More Australian hybrid workers report being happy (94%) with their working arrangement than workers who are either fully remote (86%) or entirely in the office (71%).

Fifty-nine percent of US workers say the hybrid model is preferable over 100% remote or 100% onsite arrangements. Managers and leaders in Gallup’s surveys who are hesitant over fully remote working because of adverse effects on team performance and culture are more optimistic about hybrid arrangements.

But hybrid work environments introduce new challenges for managers. The most effective leaders will maximize the benefits of hybrid working models and minimize the downsides. Let’s look at some strategies to successfully manage in the hybrid era.

Effective hybrid teams can be defined with this three-word mantra:

Working. Flexibly. Together.

Working

Hybrid teams need to be productive and they need the right environment to increase productivity.

Suitable spaces: Onsite workers will need spaces designed to help them work individually, work with onsite team members, and work with remote colleagues. Finding and booking an appropriate area depending on who they will be working with needs to be simple so teams can work together no matter where the members might be.

Suitable metrics: Productivity needs to be measured in new ways. Hybrid working is the perfect opportunity to prioritize performance over presenteeism. Managers must thoughtfully create metrics that measure and reward employees who produce valuable outcomes.

Suitable skills: Not every employee is a right fit for a hybrid team. Now more than ever, managers need to consider their team’s soft skills. Problem solving, discipline, accountability, and self-motivation are critical competencies for hybrid workers. Managers need to make sure new hires are the right fit for the hybrid team and support the development of existing team members who struggle with soft skills.

Suitable training: Training new hires or upskilling existing employees is crucial for hybrid teams. While remote training may not be everyone’s first choice, it can be surprisingly effective. Screen sharing to walk an employee through a task they are learning and then allowing them to share their screen the next time they do the task while you watch is a terrific way to build confidence and upskill on the job. Don’t neglect training just because workers are remote.

Flexibly

This is the great benefit of hybrid work for employees, but it comes with challenges.

Autonomy: Team members need the freedom to decide where and when to work to be most productive. Deep work may require a day at home. Certain work needs tools that are only available in the office.

Other times face-to-face collaboration is preferable. They also need smart workplace scheduling solutions for reserving desks and conference rooms for maximum flexibility while preventing double booking surprises.

Clear boundaries: Along with autonomy, managers need to set clear boundaries and expectations for their employees. Team members need to know how much flexibility they have to decide when and where to work. Still, managers need to clearly communicate when employees need to be available or in a particular location.

Clear goals and accountability: Gone are the days of helicopter managers hovering over employees’ shoulders, watching them do every little thing. Managers of successful hybrid teams proactively communicate priorities, deliverables, and deadlines but let employees figure out the best way to get there.

Regular communication: With this greater flexibility and autonomy comes a greater need for communication. Team members must be accountable for communicating where and when they will be working. They also need to let everyone know how to contact them. Teams depend on one another, so ensuring employees coordinate and collaborate is a key to successfully managing hybrid teams.

Together

The danger of hybrid teams is that people get lost in the shuffle. Ad hoc communication and decision-making risks overlooking people working from home because they’re not “in the room.” Remote workers can start to ping other remote workers with quick questions because it’s easier, or their working hours are similar, not because they are the right person to ask. These habits and others can quickly create a them-and-us mentality that must be avoided at all costs.

Regular connections: Managers can reduce this risk by creating specific times for the team to be together. This may be a physical get-together once a week or a team catch-up call each morning to map out the priorities for the day. A framework of regular communication keeps teams on the same page.

Appropriate connections: Technology can help too. We used to walk past a colleague’s desk to tell them a meeting time had changed. Now we need tools that communicate in real-time where a teammate is working today, so we know if we need to drop by physically or drop them a Teams message. Location should never be a barrier to collaboration.

Automated connections: Consider technologies that seamlessly integrate remote and onsite employees. Smartway2’s Outlook integration automatically lets everyone on the team know if a meeting time or location changes, reducing the chance someone gets forgotten because they’re not working where or when you expected them to be.

Social connections: Finally, hybrid teams need social get-togethers too. Gathering as a team for a chat or a fun activity helps break down barriers. This is especially true if some team members are in the office more than others. Managing a social get-together if you can’t meet in the same location can be challenging.

Still, there are plenty of creative ideas like team quizzes or having a team lunch and ordering food for remote teammates so everyone can participate.

Manage your hybrid teams the smart way with Smartway2

Smartway2 helps hybrid teams work flexibly together. Our smart office booking software automatically communicates all the necessary details to the whole team, whether they’re in the office or working remotely. And our Outlook integrations make it easy to automatically keep everyone in the loop.

 See how Smartway2 keeps hybrid teams working flexibly together with a free demo today!