During the height of the pandemic in Australia the majority of employees found themselves working remotely. But as restrictions ease and many organisations are given the green light to allow a percentage of their employees to return to work, a “hybrid” model of working may become the new normal for some time. A hybrid workforce refers to one where on any given day some employees are working in the office and others are working remotely.
It is important to remember that the experience of your remote teams is very different to that of your team working on-site. Your employees in the workplace commute, have conversations with colleagues in the kitchen and can visit one another’s desks. On the other hand, those working from home might be looking after children, have virtual meetings and the only real life conversation they have might be with their local barista.
A hybrid structure poses a new set of challenges for managers, as they need to take the individual needs of both remote and on-site employees into account while also creating a cohesive team that is able to maintain effective communication, collaborate and perform at its best, no matter which location employees are in.
If you are about to start managing a hybrid team or might in the future, there are a few things to consider. Though it takes some adjusting and planning, when done well it can provide the flexibility needed while still achieving high performing results from your team. Here are five important considerations to help you effectively manage a hybrid team.
Set up your team for success
Establishing your hybrid team effectively from the outset will have a big impact on how well it functions later down the track. Decisions managers need to make about who works in the office and who works from home will be guided by a combination of factors, including business need, team requirements, individual circumstances (such as chronic illness or care giver needs) and personal preference. It will also be guided by the number of people who are able to be in a workplace in line with the organisation’s COVID safe plan.
More generally, it is important for employees to feel as though they’re in an environment where they can perform their best work. While some employees may thrive in a buzzing office, others might be better served in their quiet home where they can focus more deeply. For some employees it could be a combination of both modes of working.
It is important for managers to speak with their teams to better understand their needs, preferences and requirements to get the best possible idea of how their hybrid team might function.
Establish strong communication habits
If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s that communication is key when it comes to effectively managing teams, especially those working remotely. However, with some employees now in the workplace, this is a lesson that could be easily forgotten. For this reason, establishing a consistent communication rhythm will be important, consisting of individual employee check-ins as well as scheduled weekly meetings with your team as a whole. For collaborative teams, this might mean a daily morning meeting to discuss the day’s priorities and tasks, or a longer bi-weekly meeting to deep dive into ongoing projects. It is important to be flexible and be willing to adjust your communication plan should it not be as effective as it needs to be.
It goes without saying, but another component of effective communication is ensuring all employees have the correct technology set up to allow for all the necessary meetings, tele-conferences and emailing to occur. Though many staff may already be set up in a home office, if some employees are moving to a more long-term remote working arrangement, it is important to check in and make sure they have all the software and hardware they require, have a good internet connection, and are set up according to Work Safe standards.
Involve remote workers like they’re in the workplace
Typically, it’s a lot easier for local team members to become involved in new project opportunities and cross-functional work because they’re more visible and therefore considered for inclusion. In most instances, this will be simply a case of convenience and familiarity, where as those working remotely might fall victim to the old adage “out of sight, out of mind.” For this reason, it is important for a manager to provide opportunities equally to both on-site and remote workers, resulting in fairness and engagement across the team.
This strategy will also most likely naturally lead to a crossover of remote and on-site employees working together in different projects and initiatives. This kind of cross-communication will be important for employees in maintaining their relationships with each other, and will allow remote workers to continue to “be seen”, albeit virtually, across the company.
Establish goals and set priorities
One of the most important things to consider when managing a hybrid team is how to keep everyone on the same page, something which could be quite challenging with employees working form different locations. For example, if your remote employees were not present for an important conversation that occurred in the office which changed your team’s priorities, they will unlikely be aware that they may need to shift the focus of their work.
This is where it will be important for managers to make sure both short and long term goals are established and communicated to their team, and employees are aware of their priorities and tasks, from most pressing to least. If something should change, managers will need to effectively communicate this to those employees working remotely so they are kept up to date and able to complete what is required.
Watch out for bias
A key to managing hybrid teams is gaining a greater awareness of the individuals in your team, the different experience of your remote and on-site employees and making sure yourself and others aren’t hindered by any unconscious bias. Though it may not be deliberate, unconscious bias could create resentment from some employees and a rift within your team between those working remotely and those in the workplace. Some common bias or imbalances that may occur when managing remote teams are:
- Distance bias: this is the tendency to favour people who are physically closer to you at a point in time.
- Similarity bias: a tendency to favour those who are like us. In this instance, it could be a manager favouring remote workers as they are also working remotely.
- Communication imbalance: this is when there is greater communication occurring outside meetings or in the workplace kitchen that remote workers might not be privy to. While this is to an extent unavoidable, it is important to include everyone in as much team communication as possible.
- Connection imbalance: this happens when those who work together create stronger connections and can result in team members feeling isolated and left out.
Being aware of the unconscious biases that might play out or the imbalances is the first step towards overcoming them and levelling the experiences for all employees regardless of where they are working. Though communication and connection imbalances are to an extent unavoidable, it is important to include everyone in as much team communication as possible. This could involve hosting all of your meetings via video call (even for those in the workplace) and ensuring remote workers are also involved in all team building events and activities.
If you are looking for staff to work remotely or within your workplace, contact Bayside Group today and speak with one of our specialist consultants.
