Drained. Tired. Detached. The mist of negativity is unavoidable, as simple managerial tasks become painstaking.
Manager burnout is rampant and the widespread adoption of hybrid working threatens to make it worse.
This article shows how to build a hybrid working environment that supports the wellbeing and performance of managers.
Managers are overwhelmed by hybrid working
Two-thirds of managers are experiencing greater demands today than before the COVID-19 pandemic, with more than half (55%)1 finding their work overwhelming since their teams have become dispersed.
The emotional and psychological pressure is taking its toll. Some 63% of managers say the move to hybrid working is disrupting their work-life balance – affecting their health and wellbeing.
Transformational leaders are struggling with hybrid
Coined by sociologist James V. Downton in 19732 and later developed by James Burns3, transformational leadership uses inspiration and company vision to motivate employees to drive business growth and innovation.
Managers that adopt this style use empathy and enthusiasm to build team identity and belonging. However, the effectiveness of transformative leadership is being disrupted by hybrid working.
A study of separate remote and office-based teams within the same organisation found that their performance levels were similar, but the human costs of remote working were significantly higher.4
Teams spread across different locations experience higher levels of task conflict – disagreements about what work they are doing. They also experience greater interpersonal conflicts, which are staff disputes about how the team works together to achieve their goals.
These conflicts damage workplace relationships, leading managers and employees to become hopeless and struggle to cope with their daily tasks.
How to support your managers’ health, wellbeing, and performance
Create a pleasure-purpose balance
Coined by Professor Paul Dolan, the ‘pleasure–purpose balance’ proposes that people thrive most from work that is both enjoyable and meaningful – although the balance between the two depends on the individual.5
Purpose improves performance
Research shows that when we’re closely connected to our purpose, we perform better.6
Purpose is essential to align and energise managers and teams, also, improving happiness and wellbeing in the process.
During the transition into a hybrid working structure, a strong sense of individual and collective purpose can be the vital direction needed for managers and teams to stay united and on-track to achieve their goals.
Types of purpose to drive your managers
Purpose should be at the core of projects, meetings, and discussions. Used correctly, it will provide the motivation and direction needed to keep remote teams motivated to work in unison to complete tasks.
However, different types of purpose will resonate with people differently. Therefore, leaders are advised to spend time with their personnel to find out the purpose(s) that is most effective to motivate and protect the team. This includes:
- Social purpose – ‘My work has a wider impact.’ The feeling of contributing positively to society or community
- Collective purpose – ‘My work contributes to others.’ The feeling of a strong affiliation and connection with a team or the organisation
- Task purpose – ‘My work counts for something.’ The feeling of making progress
- Personal purpose – ‘My work matters to me.’ The feeling that what we are doing is meaningful to us as an individual.
If you would like more science-backed advice on how to develop cohesive and productive hybrid teams, watch our free webinar Happy with Hybrid.
References:
- "The American Worker Pulse Survey". 2021. Advisory.Kpmg.Us. https://advisory.kpmg.us/content/dam/advisory/en/pdfs/2020/american-worker-pulse-survey-report.pdf.
- Downton, James V. 1973. Rebel Leadership. New York: The Free Press.
- Goethals, George R., Sorenson, Georgia Jones., Burns, James MacGregor. 2004. Encyclopedia of Leadership. Sage. p. 1558.
- Hinds, Pamela J., and Mark Mortensen. 2005. "Understanding Conflict In Geographically Distributed Teams: The Moderating Effects Of Shared Identity, Shared Context, And Spontaneous Communication". Organization Science 16 (3): 290-307. doi:10.1287/orsc.1050.0122.
- Dolan, Paul. 2015. Happiness By Design. [London]: Penguin Books.
- Ariely, Dan, Emir Kamenica, and Dražen Prelec. 2008. "Man's Search For Meaning: The Case Of Legos". Journal Of Economic Behavior & Organization 67 (3-4): 671-677. doi:10.1016/j.jebo.2008.01.004.
