Here are the first three of six ways to manage a hybrid workforce. The last three ways will be discussed in next week’s blog: make sure nothing falls through the cracks, build trust, and watch out for burnout.
- Emphasize inclusion. The biggest risk in a hybrid working model is that one group feels increasingly isolated. You need to consciously plan how you’ll interact with each of your teams.
- Schedule regular check-ins and make sure you include the entire team in meetings.
- Establish the basic ground rule that all-team meetings take place over Zoom, even though some team members may be together in the office.
- Avoid impromptu meetings and decisions that leave out remote staff.
- Focus on communication. Communication is another thing that can suffer in a nontraditional work environment. In-person or video meetings are more difficult to coordinate.
- Have an explicit discussion about how and when you’re going to communicate, who has access to what information, who needs to be in which meetings, and who needs to be in on which decisions.
- Take advantage of communication tools like collaboration software that features videoconferencing, instant messaging and automated notifications so you and your team can contact each other at any time and place necessary.
- Come to an agreement on norms for communicating — Should people always include the entire team? Must recipients acknowledge every message? — and set guidelines for when to use what channel — email, Slack, phone, etc.
- Minimize uncertainty and anxiety during a crisis. Communicate regularly even if you don’t have new information to share.
- Foster a remote-first culture. Being remote-first requires a mindset and behavioral shift. It means that the employee experience should be the same, whether they’re in an office one day a week, five days a week, or never.
- Position remote work as something you encourage, not just something you allow.
- Include video links in meeting invites so team members can choose where to participate.
- Focus on results based on key performance indicators and objectives and key results instead of hours worked.
- Set some guidelines but, within reason, allow for flexible schedules.
- Allow team members the freedom to work wherever they feel most productive.
- Create a digital space where all employees can come together and collaborate, regardless of where they’re physically located, so they have the same access to the same information at all times.
Question: Which two (or more) actions can you take in your organization?
#hybridworkforce #hybridwork #management
For more information on how to manage a hybrid workforce, see: https://www.linkedin.com/business/talent/blog/talent-management/best-practices-for-successful-hybrid-work-culture and https://www.calendar.com/blog/8-ways-to-manage-your-hybrid-team/
