Hybrid work: Ways to strengthen teams and boost productivity

Hi all. Found an excellent article that I am sure many will relate to. Hope you get something useful out of this...

The Great Return (to the office) is upon us.

Many businesses, however, are not reinstating business as usual. Instead, they’re going the hybrid work route, where employees will work both on-site and remote. While this appears to be the present and future of work, hybrid also presents its fair share of challenges – most notably, cultivating a cohesive environment that fosters teamwork.

As companies shift to hybrid work, we need to redefine teamwork to ensure every employee is happy and productive, whether they’re in the office or remote. Here are four ways to promote better teamwork in a hybrid world.

1. Design your office to make remote workers feel included

Company culture is hard to project across video calls. And as the hybrid work model becomes the norm, organizations must figure out how to mesh in-office and remote workers to promote hybrid collaboration. Inclusion is key.

Redesigning meeting rooms and boardrooms to make remote workers feel like they’re part of the group can go a long way toward promoting inclusion. Maybe that means investing in higher-quality microphones so remote workers can hear the conversation more succinctly or installing better cameras from higher vantage points so they can get a clearer sense of who’s speaking. Some offices even feature large screens in their conference rooms to display remote participants better.

2. Set up regular ‘meet-and-greets’ for employees

The shift to hybrid work offers a golden opportunity to build camaraderie among your employees through carefully curated meet-and-greets. It may not be as organic as engaging in person on the first day of work, but setting up allotted times for individuals to meet each other one-on-one can help foster that community feeling.

Arrange schedules for employees to meet in person when possible – but if one employee is in the office and the other happens to be working remotely, that can work too. These sessions are intended to encourage colleagues to form relationships with each other. This helps everyone feel more invested in the team and their collective goals.

3. Place more value on the well-being of your employees

Conduct regular well-being sessions with your employees and ask questions that go beyond “Is everything OK?” Consider the following examples:

• What do you need from me and the business to enable you to work effectively?
• Has anything changed from when we last spoke about the support we provide? Is your home working environment still sufficient?
• Which recent company announcements or changes do you have questions about or would like me to clarify?

4. Make it fun for everyone

Company pizza parties, happy hours, attending sporting events together – these are all on the table again. Just make sure that you’re considering everyone.

No one wants to be left out – especially when it comes to having fun. Consider this when you plan social events.

Looks like really useful info, eh? Just click HERE to find out more! If you’d like to share perspectives or discuss how it relates to your business, email me at [email protected].