How to Manage Hybrid Work Model Team: 4 Things you should Notice

Learning to manage a hybrid team can be tough if you don't have the appropriate information. If you are not well-prepared with the correct data, then the hybrid workforce management will not be as successful as you want it to be.

Hybrid working has become more prominent in the latest years, so more employers are emphasizing the essential aspects of managing a hybrid workforce.

Previously, it was possible to manage the whole team as everyone was required to work at their respective workspaces. However, as the world has been evolving non-stop, more work models have become popular such as office hoteling and hybrid working.

Now, you will find people who prefer to work their shifts remotely, while others would rather attend the workplace on a daily basis for whatever reason. It is also possible to alternate between two options, which makes leadership a bit more complicated than before.

Therefore, learning how to manage a hybrid team is necessary if you want to assure your company's future.

What is a hybrid workforce?

A hybrid team is composed of two parts: employers who are working directly from the office or remotely. Thus, employees are able to work in different places to enhance the autonomy, versatility, and collaboration of every member of the staff.

However, please note that employees are not forced to choose between one of the options. It is possible to alternate between both choices based on their schedules or needs for the moment. That's why a hybrid workforce is an option.

Therefore, it’s safe to say that there are multiple variations of a hybrid workforce. Learning to manage a hybrid team should be done based on the preferences of the staff and how they think they would do their jobs better.

According to a survey conducted by Envoy in collaboration with Wakefield Research, about forty-seven percent of people would look for another job opportunity if the employer is unable to offer flexible work models. Let’s find out how to manage hybrid work model below!

4 Tips to consider while managing a hybrid workforce

Most employers nowadays are switching to this innovative way of working for multiple reasons. However, as an employer, there are certain things you should be aware of if you want to make sure that your team is as productive, efficient, and happy as it should be.

The following hybrid work team management tips will be useful for you if you want to lead your enterprise to a brighter future.

1. Give priority to working remotely.

When you’re first learning how to manage a hybrid work model and manage a hybrid team, you'll realize that working remotely is a safer option. Therefore, it should be the primary option that your staff members should have, even if most people prefer to work at the office at first.

You will always have people present at the workspace, but focusing on remote work will grant you more opportunities to discover what your team needs to deliver high-quality work.

There are multiple ways you can start implementing this at your workplace, such as:

• Establishing a platform where you’ll manage the communication between the members of the staff
• Making sure that your team has access to multiple tools, and also ascertain them as universal.

To sum up, every member of your personnel should be granted admission to the same pieces of information, tools, and every other resource you may think of using at your company.

2. Trust is the foundation of any successful work relationship.

You will have employees working from different parts of the city while hybrid working from home (and the world, if possible). Thus, it can be extremely overwhelming to keep track of everything they do – and how they’re doing it.

Not only is it exhausting, but it also compromises the autonomy of your team. Therefore, a great part of managing a hybrid workforce is to build a bond with your employees based on trust. If you often find yourself trying to control where and how they get their work done, something is failing.

It is important to trust how your employees choose to complete their tasks. Instead of focusing on “how” they are doing so, emphasizing the results is what works best if you want to manage a hybrid team successfully.

3. Promote the feedback exchange between you and your employees.

Most employees have no idea how to ask their supervisors for feedback when they need it. Therefore, what's recommended is to conduct a hybrid work from home schedule for individual meetings (or one-on-one reunions) with each one of your employees to discuss the current state of their productivity, goals, and challenges they may be facing right now or soon.

It is important to get to know their needs deeply by asking specific but open questions, like questioning about their results on their preferred work model.

You may not acquire the information you need, but you'll know how your employees feel about their work and how they think they're doing. Plus, it is an excellent opportunity to get to know possible inquiries, problems, and other inconveniences that may be happening in your company without you realizing it.

4. It’s important not to overlook the social connections.

It is hugely important for you to make sure that your employees are getting to know each other and form bonds. Work relationships are known to have an influence on our performance, stress, and overall mood; thus, it encourages camaraderie and teamwork.

Providing your team with opportunities to get to know each other, for instance, by offering different channels of communications where they can get to know each other for work-related situations and personal business. For instance, you can create a message channel or group chat dedicated to sharing things they enjoy or like whenever they feel like it, such as movie recommendations.

Conclusion

Hybrid work models like office hoteling or hot desking have come here to stay. As most employers are now trying to make their workplaces more comfortable and flexible to their employees to better manage a hybrid team, it will be possible to achieve a future where jobs are richening places where experiences can be lived instead of depicting them as the nightmares we often see on TV shows.