Getting the hybrid working model right

While the idea of remote working has been heavily discussed and, in some cases, offered by some organisations prior to the pandemic, overall it has never been as universally accepted and adopted by organisations as it has since March 2020. 

The hybrid debate is still far from settled

The push to try and mandate a return to the office by some organisations has not only made headlines but has been met with resistance and strong criticism. Organisations offering workplace flexibility are becoming an increasingly attractive proposition for highly-skilled and sought-after workers. So for many organisations, the hybrid working model has become the buffer against employment instability. 

A recent Australian study of work arrangements after work-from-home directions were lifted by the government showed fewer than a quarter of workers had returned to commuting five days a week, and close to half were dividing their week between days in the office and working remotely. 

It’s this greater flexibility around where and when you work that has seen an improvement in people’s work-life balance that makes the hybrid work model so appealing. According to data from Indeed’s Workplace Happiness report, 23% of working-age Australians say employers could improve workplace happiness by offering more flexible work schedules. Being able to fit your job in around your life, rather your job dictating your life, has led to less stress and greater wellbeing without compromising productivity. 

Developing a hybrid work model that serves your organisation

The hybrid work model is still in its early days, and it will be a while yet before various experimentation and implementations show which hybrid environments produce the best long-term results for businesses and their employees. But in the meantime, there are some key elements that can help ensure your hybrid workplace delivers benefits all round for both your organisation and your employees.

Trust is key

When our face-to-face interactions are reduced, we miss those subtle human cues that build our trust in each other. When there’s a high level of trust in your team it leads to better collaboration, more openness about ideas or mistakes, and more successful conflict resolution. This is particularly important when everyone is not sitting together in the same office every day. Building trust is a two-way street. But moving forward in this new hybrid workplace, leaders need to lead the way. That means giving people more autonomy and accountability to do their job.

Communication is everything

Zoom meetings or catch-ups make it hard to read body language which is key to how we interpret messages. While meeting virtually is a staple of a hybrid environment, make sure that you’re being clear, open and unambiguous, and encourage the same from your team. Be aware of your own body language in virtual meetings and those of your team. If you suddenly turn your camera off in a virtual meeting, your team may interpret that as disinterest or indifference. Explain why you did that, or that the reason you suddenly seem to be more interested in your laptop than the person speaking is because you’re searching for some pertinent information to share. Make regular times for face-to-face meetings, as a team and with individuals, to ‘check-in’ on how things are going. But be wary of unintentionally creating an ‘always-on’ culture. Expecting prompt replies and constant availability is a recipe for burnout. Make asynchronous communication the norm, keep unexpected video calls or voice calls to a minimum, and respect other people’s time.

Always be clear about expectations

A successful hybrid work environment should empower people to manage their time and productivity better. It’s essential that leaders and employees alike can be trusted to get their work done and deliver on their various responsibilities. Be clear about the goals and expectations around roles and deadlines. Shift the focus to the quality and timeliness of the work, rather than whether it was done between the hours of 9am and 5.30pm. If your team are working well and meeting expectations you shouldn’t need to monitor them. Avoid the temptation of micromanagement and excessive monitoring, as it’s more likely to have a negative effect on productivity and performance, and any trust you’ve built will go out the door. 

Nurture a connection with the workplace

It can be too easy for people working remotely to start to feel disconnected from the workplace and lose a sense of belonging. When people are in the office, side conversations can arise naturally that change priorities or strategies that those working from home aren’t privy to. Being left out of important decisions can quickly lead to a sense of mistrust. Keep communication channels open throughout the day to ensure everyone on the team knows what’s happening and to prevent a ‘class system’ developing between in-office and remote employees. This is particularly important when hybrid teams are collaborating. Avoid endless email chains and keep all communication on your chosen centralised platform. Sending chats outside of working hours when everyone is working to their own schedule is also best avoided.

Share the love

When people are collaborating in a hybrid environment, recognition for a job well done can be a powerful way to tie a dispersed team together in a sense of shared purpose and achievement.

It’s also important that professional development and opportunities to attend conferences and events are shared equally between members of your team, regardless of whether they work in the office or remotely. There is also a real risk of remote workers getting overlooked for promotions, simply because ‘out of sight, out of mind’ is a very common human bias. Acknowledging when any employee, remote or in-office, hits specific milestones and celebrating their achievements, is essential. Doing so sets the stage for promoting the best person for the job, regardless of their proximity to the office.

Make time to get together

Remember pre-2020? When everyone was in the office, we didn’t just talk about work all the time. We got to know each other personally. What we did on weekends, great movies or TV that we’d watched, what was happening with our families. It all played a part in building strong relationships and a cohesiveness within your team. To help maintain these bonds, be sure to find opportunities to bring everyone together, face-to-face, for special collaborations or team building, to welcome a new team member or just get-together socially. If your team is spread across different cities or different states, then virtual get togethers, even if it’s remote afterwork drinks or virtual trivia night, can go a long way in maintaining human connection and a shared sense of purpose within the team.