by Sam at Management 3.0

Here’s another slight repeat for those of you who subscribe to our newsletter. But again, we thought it was an important enough topic, worth dedicating a blog post to. Today we’re focusing on: How to create successful hybrid teams. So we’ll kick off this post with a quote from Richard Branson:

“We like to give people the freedom to work where they want, safe in the knowledge that they have the drive and expertise to perform excellently, whether they are at their desk or in their kitchen. Yours truly has never worked out of an office, and never will”

While we might not all have the luxury or the desire to never work in an office, today’s reality is that many of us will no longer work in them or will work in them a lot less than before. Work is going hybrid, which means companies will and are already starting to adapt to combining office work with remote work. Employees will be both local and remote. The shift poses advantages as well as challenges for organizations, which is why it’s really important that leaders and managers invest time and energy into making sure they get the pivot right. 

So here are a few ways companies can create successful hybrid teams:

1: Involve remotes like they’re local: Locally based employees are more physically visible, so it’s easier to involve them because they’re there. This is why it’s super important to be intentional about involving remote employees. They need to feel involved in the work and made to feel part of the process so they feel motivated and engaged. 

2: Ask your people for input: Engagement surveys is one way to get employee feedback. By asking employees how they feel about motivation levels, you’re taking a temperature check and this is extremely important when transitioning from a fully office based team or a fully remote based team. Ask people how they’re feeling and also what they’d like to see in terms of their vision of a hybrid team.

3: Manage by results not activity: Communicate expectations so that everyone’s on the same page and focus on results, not how ‘busy’ someone looks. Remote employees, will by design, be more out of sight, which is why it’s important to measure success by output and results, rather than perceived busyness.  

4: Create a strong team culture: For hybrid teams to thrive, there has to be a culture of trust, honesty, strength and the ability to work well together. That requires focusing on and investing in culture. Since the hybrid team is essentially a new way of working, leaders need to make sure team members are on the same page by creating a joint purpose, accountability, goals and metrics. Take time to invest in communicating, setting boundaries and building a culture that makes people want to work with you.

5: Avoid burnout: Burnout is something all companies want to avoid, but it’s particularly important when working with hybrid teams. When you have remote employees it’s important to make sure they’re able to switch off. As a manager and leader it’s key to create that enabling environment for people to decompress. Be sure to communicate to your teams that it’s OK to disconnect and don’t only talk the talk but put it into action. Don’t contact employees after certain hours unless it’s an emergency, respect time off and vacation days and give people time to step away from work.

6: Share purpose: This goes hand-in-hand with culture, but it’s important because people who feel like they share in the purpose and vision of an organization are more invested in the company. When people are more invested they’re more motivated, engaged and work harder.

How is your company adapting to working with hybrid teams? What tips do you have for leaders and managers? Share them with us below in the post or contact us.

Photo credit Sigmund via Unsplash