3 Ways To Practically Manage A Hybrid Team

It's something that is now the norm. Something that is expected, and something that is constantly on the rise. 

49% of UK workers now have the option to work from home at least some of the time (Forbes). And whilst it's a topic that is particularly linked to employee wellbeing and work-life balance, employers are also reporting on its perks. 41% of employees say that homeworking has increased their organisation's productivity or efficiency (probably due to employees being happier with better wellbeing and flexibility.)

However, go on to say that it's not all positive. 18% of employers say hybrid working has decreased productivity (CIPD). This is on a 5% decrease though so it's clearly improving, but how?

It's not uncommon to see employers who are having a hard time motivating hybrid workers just take it away and expect everyone to be back in the office 5 days a week. But that just brings you right back to the problems that you solved by implementing hybrid working in the first place. 

How else will you support:

• Employees with limited childcare?

• Employees with health issues?

• Employees with neurodiversity?

And there's the other obvious point that some employees just simply find hybrid working better for their well-being, work-life balance and productivity.

It's up to you as the manager to manage your team in a way so they thrive professionally and personally... regardless of them being in the office at all times or not.

More managers must be learning how to support hybrid workers and reap results - hence the earlier stat - and a large part of that comes down to intentionality. The age-old (i.e. pandemic-old) thought amongst managers is that employees who work from home don't work. But surely they're only not working if you're not managing them to a high standard? 

And no, that doesn't mean micromanaging. But an employer who is intentional to support their employees, even when they're not with them in person, is a manager who can be confident that their employees are working, motivated and improving.

Here are 3 practical and intentional ways to manage a hybrid team whilst keeping the balance of achieving optimal results while supporting employee well-being:

1. Set Clear Expectations

Make it known that whilst employees have the autonomy to work from home, your expectation of the quality of their work and the amount of time they put into their work is the same.

So when it comes to work quality, deadlines, and performance, emphasise that while employees have the flexibility to work remotely, you will hold them to the same standard.

When managers are facing problems due to hybrid working, a large part of that may be because they simply aren't managing and ensuring employees maintain that same respect and understanding of authority for them.

Yes, hybrid working is a great bonus, and you will be there to support them, but they should also be there to support you by doing their work and doing it well. By setting these transparent expectations, you provide genuine direction to your team, leading to real accountability and productivity.

2. Plan In-Person Meetings

If in-person working is important for true collaboration and culture, there's no harm in organising in-person meetings, training or socials however frequent you feel is necessary (and reasonable).

Especially when you have a hybrid team, people may be in the office at different times so this is a good idea if you want a good amount of people in at one time to ensure the company culture doesn't suffer by people not seeing one another. 

You could also consider implementing "office days" where team members are encouraged to come in if possible. For instance, you may say employees work from home 3 days a week, but it would be great if the 2 days they are in were on a Monday and Wednesday. 

3. Keep Communication Open

Just because you have a team that works from home doesn't mean you don't communicate with them.

In the same way you would stay informed with in-person employees about their progress, challenges and how you can be of support, you're responsible for doing the same with hybrid workers. A great way to do this is by scheduling regular check-ins, 1-1 meetings, or team meetings to discuss projects, provide feedback, and address any concerns. 

This also opens up conversation to talk about how they're finding working from home, if anything is getting in the way of their productivity, and what may help them move forward. There may be conversations surrounding time management, distractions, or even employees wanting to change their working-from-home schedule - something you won't know if you don't have the conversations.

- Written by Oliver Howson

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