How to Create Successful Hybrid Teams

For many, remote work and office work are in limbo. In addition to health precautions, comfort levels, and new protocols, in-person activities are simply subject to change. Further, because of the pandemic, more employees and clients may simply be working completely remotely.

Consequently, many companies are switching to hybrid teams. But with the mix of diverse individuals, how can you create teams that are successful, no matter where they are?

Tsedal Neeley, a professor at Harvard Business School offers some pointers on how to navigate this new territory for your teams. To learn more, read on.

Remote Work = Productive Work

Although some managers might be reluctant to allow remote work, studies before, during and “after” the pandemic show that remote work actually leads to more productivity, not less.

Managers might not have a tangible sense of “control” that is lent by in-person work. However, “when people come into the office, there’s a lot of stress and strain that we’ve tolerated for decades” and remote work helps alleviate this. Further, remote work allows for more life-work balance and flexibility actually improves outcomes.

So, if remote work leads to more productivity, does that mean that workers should be at Zoom meetings and working on their computers even more? According to Neeley, a critical part of successful remote work is balancing and optimizing tech use.

Tips for Hybrid Team Success

In order to reap the benefits of hybrid team work, utilizing the following tips can help everyone be more successful.

●?????Avoid tech exhaustion. While tech can allow for more flexible, productive work, Zoom Fatigue is a real phenomenon. As a result, it is important to moderate tech use. You can do this with steps as simple as shortening meetings and using optimized software-based solutions rather than prolonged face-to-face interactions or inefficient tech systems.?

●?????Democratize interaction. One reason companies and teams are more successful with remote work is because in-person microaggressions are reduced and teams/interactions are democratized. Since diverse teams are more successful teams, use this opportunity to diversify your hybrid teams as much as possible.

●?????Develop trust that matters. Although the reason people want to work in person is to develop relationships and trust, social science shows that trust can easily be built, even if people are not in the same physical location. Trust develops because of 1.) reliability/competency, and 2.) empathy. If team members know they are reliable, competent, and care about each other’s well-being, trust can grow, no matter where they are.

Now that your hybrid teams are thriving, how should you frame the importance of gathering in the same physical location?

New Expectations

While remote/hybrid work is great for many employees (and your company’s productivity), many of your employees will still want to get together in the office. Remote team work can be done effectively, but there is still value in face-to-face interaction.

As a result, Neeley says you can still foster and encourage these in-person interactions — just don’t make them expected or required. Instead, let in-person interactions work for your employees and meet their needs, rather than being a marker of performance.

Next Steps — No Matter Where You Are

Times are changing, but fortunately, remote work is not only good for your workers, but for the company’s productivity as well. By optimizing tech use, democratizing teams, and helping team members foster trust, your company can enter a new age of hybrid teams with confidence.

At Boston Business Growth, we help you build your business on a proven framework that will strengthen your teams and transform your results. Strengthening people-related elements within your business frameworks are of primary concern. We’ve all heard the Jim Collin’s premise of “first you need to make sure you have the right people, then make sure they are in the right seats.” Well, worker productivity and engagement issues are the next step in that progression.

We help leadership teams define the fundamentals of good employee productivity and engagement practices within companies. To get started, simply contact us at Boston Business Growth.

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