Hybrid working

Coarse, agitated conversations. Trivial gossip. Lethargic performances that are laced with unresolved conflicts and delirious confusion. The roadmap to creating a thriving hybrid working team is filled with these potholes and dead-ends.

This article shows how to build togetherness in your team during your transition to hybrid working.

The future is hybrid working

In just two years, white-collar professionals have been tossed from the open plan office to their kitchen table, to a combination of both.

Before COVID-19 struck, just 17% of American employees worked from home five days or more per week, compared to 44% during the pandemic¹. In the UK, 25.9% of people worked from home at least once a week in 2020, compared to 12.4% in 2019, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Consequentially, staff and company attitudes have shifted. More than three quarters (79%) of employees want more flexible working from their employer². Also, more than two in five UK companies (41%) will have hybrid working in place by 2023, according to a poll.

Employers and staff are divided

Many employees believe they are far more productive while working from home, but their employers disagree³. They also want the uplift to wellbeing that comes from less time spent in cars and train carriages commuting to work,⁴ while employers are desperate to regain the in-person collaborations that strengthen company culture and innovation.

Then there’s the question of logistics. How many days should employees be allowed to work from home? Who picks those days? Should all employees be in on the same day? How does a manager decide what is fair and unfair?

A failure to resolve these issues will lead to a shoddy transition into hybrid working. Poor change management increases staff turnover and lowers their trust and job satisfaction.⁵ With 41% of people already trying to leave their jobs in 2021, leaders can’t afford to get hybrid working wrong.

How to build togetherness in your hybrid team

In addition to building trust and accountability, leaders should:

Set clear policies on hybrid working

Leaders can adopt either formal rules or free-flowing guidelines. Nevertheless, these hybrid working policies should be clear and obvious to everyone, with documents easily accessible. Additionally, employees should be made fully aware of the penalties that apply if these terms are violated.

Clarity is important for employees because it provides strong guidance for decision-making and their behaviour in the workplace. Also, mistakes in the hybrid working process will be easier to identify and address quickly.

Agree psychological ‘contracts’ with your team

Create mutual agreements⁶ between employees and leaders on what the core hybrid working processes should be. This could be an agreement that the whole team should be office-based between Monday to Wednesday, or that people working from home must check in with their manager at the end of each day.

These agreements should leave some space for adjustment, however. Leaders should continually review hybrid team performance and revisit the agreements to see if the conditions need to be refined to better meet the needs of the employer and employees.

Build an optimistic mindset for your team

Challenge your team to view the change to hybrid as an opportunity for improvement rather than a blocker. Research shows employees with a growth mindset are more collaborative, committed, and adapt to change.⁷

Ask individuals to reflect on how they have previously reacted when faced with rapid change. In situations where they responded negatively, guide your people on how to adopt an optimistic, solutions-focused approach for future challenges.

Looking for help with hybrid working?

Discover the science-backed solution to developing a productive hybrid workforce by watching our free webinar Happy with Hybrid.

References:

1 Mlitz, Kimberly. 2021. “Remote Work Frequency Before/After COVID-19 2020 | Statista”. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1122987/change-in-remote-work-trends-after-covid-in-usa/. 2 The Adecco Group. 2020. “Resetting Normal: Defining The New Era Of Work”. London. https://uploaded.adeccogroup.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/09142729/Reset-Normal-UK.pdf. 3 Parry, J., Young, Z., Bevan, S., Veliziotis, M., Baruch, Y., Beigi, M., Bajorek, Z., Salter, E. and Tochia, C. (2021) Working from Home under COVID-19 lockdown: Transitions and tensions, Work after Lockdown 4 Webarchive.Nationalarchives.Gov.Uk. https://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukgwa/20160105231823/http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/wellbeing/measuring-national-well-being/commuting-and-personal-well-being–2014/art-commuting-and-personal-well-being.html. 5 Bordia, Prashant, Simon Lloyd D. Restubog, Nerina L. Jimmieson, and Bernd E. Irmer. 2011. “Haunted By The Past: Effects Of Poor Change Management History On Employee Attitudes And Turnover”. Group & Organization Management 36 (2): 191-222. doi:10.1177/1059601110392990. 6 Hansen, Samantha & Rousseau, Denise & Tomprou, Maria. (2015). Psychological Contract Theory. 10.1002/9781118785317.weom110075. 7 Dweck, Carol S. 2012. Mindset. [Kennett Square, PA]: Soundview Executive Book Summaries.