Hybrid work may be the new norm, but there’s nothing standard about its implementation — yet. At this juncture, managers need to think creatively and futuristically to fully reap the benefits of a hybrid workforce rather than just tolerate it.

As hybrid work transitions from a temporary pandemic-era band-aid to the normal way of working, many leaders are wondering how they build an inclusive hybrid culture. When it comes to hybrid work cultures, even leaders who are committed to having an inclusive organization struggle to put the right policies and procedures in place. Rather than trying to get it “right,” leaders need to manage three tensions:

  • Allowing employees to work when and where they want vs. expecting constant availability.
  • Employees feeling isolated vs. invaded when working remotely.
  • Which practices are possible in a hybrid environment vs. which are rewarded.

Leaders that recognize that there are tensions to manage along these dimensions will be a step ahead in building an inclusive hybrid culture that works for their organization and their people. Experiment with different practices until employees appreciate one another’s contributions and collaboration.

In addition to managing tensions, leaders will need to keep an open mind and rethink what types of work require collaboration and which ones don’t. This is key to fending off two potential pitfalls of having a hybrid workforce: in-office employees who feel resentful of or impatient toward remote workers, and remote or hybrid employees who feel alienated from decision-making.

To navigate this terrain successfully, here are seven tips for leading teams that are partially or fully remote:

  1. Look at outcomes, not output. Allow teams to work nimbly and asynchronously, with less focus on process and more on the big picture.
  2. Be deliberate about interactions. When meetings are stacked back-to-back, serendipitous moments evaporate. To counter that phenomenon, managers should leave room for chatter.
  3. Read the virtual room during remote meetings. Ideally, public chats should offer an automatic, transparent archive of feedback and added value, including shared links and references. Leaders can intentionally pause to allow for feedback and to ensure that participant comments are heard. They can also offer alternative venues for disagreement if people are uncomfortable pushing back online.
  4. Be strategic about teamwork. Not every topic requires groupthink. Projects with standardized metrics and routine tasks are ideal for individual work; creative work typically requires more team-based interaction. Leaders shouldn’t invite everyone to a meeting merely to broadly share information.
  5. Use virtual tools to highlight humanity, not to create fatigue. At their worst, virtual meetings are exhausting. However, they inject a shot of humanity into business proceedings that leaders should work hard to continue (i.e., people give more of a candid, authentic view of who they are).
  6. Prioritize autonomy, alignment, and diversity. Bosses should be more cross-functional, striving to be part organizational psychologist and part engineer. They should enable autonomy, alignment despite dispersion, and diversity of thought.
  7. Pick up the phone. A team doesn’t need to always rely on high tech just because everyone is remote. There’s a “psychological cost” to asynchronous communication; people can get bogged down replying to text and emails and wading through Teams. Good leaders will make themselves available for direct, real-time conversations as much as possible and foster that culture among their employees.

The pandemic and transition to hybrid work may have exposed organizational inequalities, but the future of hybrid work can be one where more employees belong and thrive in increasingly inclusive organizations. Carefully and thoughtfully take stock: In the changes you’ve made, have you created a foundation for the future that everybody in the company will find engaging, fair, inspiring, and meaningful?

To learn more about managing a hybrid team, consider taking a virtual class from Learning & Organization Development. Click HERE to register for the July 26th offering of Raising Accountability while Managing a Hybrid Team.


References:
Harvard Business Review (2022, February 3) Bobbi Thomason and Jennifer Franczak: 3 Tensions Leaders Need to Manage in the Hybrid Workplace
SHRM (2021, November 29) Kate Rockwell: How to Collaborate with a Hybrid Workplace
MIT Ideas Made to Matter (2023, March 14) Kara Baskin: Hybrid Work is Here to Stay. Here are 7 Ways to Manage Your Workforce