The COVID-19 pandemic forced many companies to quickly shift to remote work to keep operations running. Even as return-to-office plans are in place, hybrid arrangements that blend on-site and remote employees are becoming more common. To maintain teams’ alignment, engagement, and productivity, business leaders must implement novel strategies for managing this new distributed workforce. Here are some tips:
Create Clear Hybrid Work Policies
To avoid confusion and ensure fairness, create official hybrid work policies that outline expectations, requirements, and scheduling/approval processes. Policies should cover:
- Eligibility: Determine which roles can work fully/partially remotely long-term based on business needs and job duties.
- Work location schedules: Explain standard in-office days or weeks expected for hybrid functions to ensure adequate facetime.
- Work hours: Set expectations for online availability and regular work hours, especially across time zones.
- Application/approval process: Standardize how employees should submit and managers review hybrid work requests.
- Technology and equipment: List any devices, software, cloud platforms, or office furniture provided for remote workers.
Outline goals, performance metrics, and results required from all employees regardless of work location. Update workplace policies as the hybrid model evolves.
Set Up Spaces and Tech for Hybrid Meetings
With some attendees in conference rooms and others dialing in remotely, meetings can be disjointed and complex in a hybrid setup. Here are some tips:
- Dedicate spaces specifically equipped for hybrid meetings, like TV monitors/smart boards and top-quality video conferencing tools.
- Standardize virtual meeting platforms across the company so all employees have access and familiarity.
- Train managers on best practices for hybrid meetings, like sharing agendas and materials digitally in advance, gauging remote employee engagement, and facilitating post-meeting question-and-answer sessions.
Encourage In-Person Gatherings
While hybrid models allow more location flexibility, in-person events are critical for relationship building, collaboration, culture, onboarding, and innovation. Leadership should:
- Organize quarterly or annual off-site gatherings so all employees can connect face-to-face.
- Cover any travel costs for remote staff to periodically attend critical meetings and training on-site.
- Host monthly informal in-office social events for local employees to mingle with leadership and remote workers who can join in person.
- Send care packages or swag to remote workers around company milestones or holidays so they feel part of the celebrations.
Train Managers for Remote Management
Managing remote employees requires different techniques than traditional, in-office oversight. Ensure people managers are prepared through training on:
- Digital communication norms: Expected response times, meeting etiquette, and tools/channels to use.
- Goal-oriented management: Set clear OKRs collaboratively, then give autonomy, emphasizing output and accountability.
- Leading dispersed teams: Foster social connections, inclusive decision-making, and transparency across locations.
- Performance management: Fair evaluation practices for hybrid staff, including best ways to deliver feedback remotely.
- Digital productivity tracking: Oversee work through collaboration software instead of physical observation.
- As your hybrid model evolves, provide ongoing coaching and share manager best practices digitally.
Prioritize Accessible, Cloud-Based Collaboration Tools
Equip hybrid teams to align despite physical separation through cloud-based software, services, and platforms for:
- Chat and instant messaging
- File sharing and cloud document collaboration
- Whiteboarding and design sprints
- Pitch decks and project management
- Automated workflows and paperless contracts
- Virtual meeting and webinar hosting
- Company intranet and social networks
Take time to standardize tools across divisions, offer training resources, and show executives and managers how to embrace and champion platforms as ways to augment in-person work rather than replace it.
Support Work/Life Balance in a Hybrid Reality
Without commute time and with the flexibility of remote work, hybrid team members may feel pressure to be online around the clock. Encourage sustainable routines through:
- Company-wide digital downtime where systems display away messages outside core hours.
- Manager check-ins on workload and encouragement of vacation time.
- Access to wellness resources, self-care stipends, or mental health services.
Discouragement of email/Slack messages outside standard work hours except in emergencies.
Additionally, consider offering compressed 4-day workweeks or voluntary reduced hours to aid work/life balance and combat employee burnout after an exhausting pandemic period.
Revisit and Fine-Tune Regularly
A constant communicative feedback loop will help you refine policies, equipment needs, collaborative spaces, and employee sentiments around hybrid work:
- Send quarterly hybrid workforce surveys to gather insights on challenges, needs, and suggested changes.
- Discuss pain points, best practices, and future goals for flexible work arrangements in leadership team meetings or annual strategy retreats.
- Review hybrid meeting efficacy, remote performance data, and digital collaboration platform analytics regularly at manager/executive meetings to spot gaps.
- Assign a project manager or HR lead to compile feedback, implement suggestions, issue policy amendments, and communicate updates on hybrid work changes.
The hybrid model should not remain static. Continually gather data, ask questions, foster conversations, and issue regular improvements to meet employee wants and business requirements as your organization’s needs evolve.
Conclusion
Managing a dispersed workforce is a complex balancing act, but leaders who embrace flexibility and inclusion will reap immense rewards. Companies can unlock innovation, engagement, and resilience through hybrid arrangements tailored to modern priorities by regularly gathering feedback, providing the latest collaborative tools, and modeling compassionate leadership. Though policies may continually evolve, a commitment to listening and refining at all levels will position organizations for long-term success.
FAQs
Q: What are some critical hybrid workforce policies we need to implement?
Critical policies for hybrid workforces include eligibility guidelines for remote/in-office schedules per role, standardized hours with flexibility options, remote work equipment/tech provisions, travel and expense stipends for off-site gatherings, transparent performance management processes based on outputs, not observation, and regular check-in procedures between managers and reporting staff.
Q: What kind of spaces and technologies facilitate effective hybrid teams?
Dedicate conference and meeting rooms for seamless video conferencing with large monitors, quality mics, and cameras. Choose consistent virtual meeting platforms and collaboration apps company-wide. Cloud-based project management, document sharing, and productivity software keep everyone aligned.
Q: How can we build an inclusive culture across hybrid and fully remote employees?
Inclusive culture starts from leadership’s vocal support and role modeling of initiatives like work/life balance and collaborative workstreams. All-hands meetings, off-sites, and social gatherings should regularly include remote attendees virtually or be funded for periodic in-person participation.