www.lucidchart.com Open in urlscan Pro
18.66.97.81  Public Scan

Form analysis
0 forms found in the DOM

Text Content

PINGDOM_CANARY_STRING
 * Categories
   * Education
   * Engineering
   * How Tos
   * Lucid News
   * Operations
   * Product Development
   * Product Updates
   * Productivity
   * Sales
   * Templates
   * Business
   * Customer Features
 * Tech Blog
 * Sign up free




HOW TO OVERCOME HYBRID WORKFORCE CHALLENGES

Reading time: about 8 min

Going out to restaurants, bars, and movie theaters. Meeting up in person with
friends and family. Enjoying live music and sports at public venues. Activities
once taken for granted are being embraced with a newfound appreciation in a
post-pandemic world.

When it comes to returning to the office, hybrid work models are growing in
popularity as people look to balance the advantages of working in-office with
the perks of working from home. 

Studies show the hybrid workforce is here to stay. A recent survey indicates
that 44% of employees favor a hybrid work schedule as do 63% of high-revenue
growth companies.

Despite signs of widespread acceptance, the hybrid work model isn’t free of
challenges.


PROS AND CONS OF HYBRID WORK

Hybrid work offers people greater freedom and flexibility with their schedules
balanced with opportunities to socialize with coworkers and enjoy on-site perks
in the workplace.

Some employees feel more productive at home where they’re able to focus without
the office banter.

However, hybrid communication can prove difficult. Video conferencing tools like
Zoom or Microsoft Teams make it easy to hide in the background and not
participate during meetings. A hybrid workforce can require more discipline when
it comes to coordinating schedules.

These are just the surface-level concerns of a hybrid work environment.
Communication challenges in the workplace for hybrid teams get increasingly
complex as time goes on. 


5 CHALLENGES OF HYBRID TEAM COLLABORATION

Hybrid work can differ by employee, team, or department. Different roles come
with different levels of expectation for an on-site presence. Some work
relationships or team dynamics only suffer when too much time is spent working
independently and remotely.  

Communication challenges in the workplace fall into one of these five
categories: virtual relationship building, work policies, remote-compatible
culture, lack of buy-in, connectivity between home and office.  


1. VIRTUAL RELATIONSHIP BUILDING

Introvert or extrovert, it doesn’t matter. At some level, all people are social
creatures.

What hybrid work from home offers in convenience, it lacks in the impromptu
moments that build trust, foster relationships, and create a sense of belonging
among coworkers. Too much time apart can make on-site interactions feel
strained, awkward, or insincere.

A lack of personal connections can also manifest in feelings of isolation and
loneliness.

Hybrid teams benefit from regular social interactions, whether on-site and
virtual. When a new employee joins the company, plan a virtual meet-and-greet
with the team. Make it easier to onboard people by assigning a work buddy to
show them the ropes, including how to log into different systems, use work
tools, and provide necessary introductions.

For existing employees, encourage the creation of dedicated Slack or Teams
channels.

Whether it’s a group for web devs to talk shop about work-related topics or an
ongoing discussion about shared interests outside of work like sports or movies,
the point is getting to know one another better while laying the foundation for
lasting friendships.

This also promotes a consistent work culture. Employees know what to expect, how
to act within the rules and standards of the organization, and get to see where
they fit in. 


2. LACK OF DEFINED FLEXIBLE VS REMOTE WORK POLICIES

A hybrid work environment doesn’t mean a free-for-all. If anything, the hybrid
work model needs more clarification than a fully remote or traditional
workplace.

For a hybrid workforce, a flexible schedule can mean lots of things. It could be
choosing which two days of the week to work from home: Monday and Tuesday or
Thursday and Friday. Or it may mean participating in the hybrid work schedule as
defined, or not at all.

Some companies find it helpful for everyone to agree on one hybrid work model.
If it’s a company policy for all employees to be in the office Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday, then weekly huddle meetings and client presentations can be
scheduled for those days. This sample schedule would leave Thursday and Friday
mostly free of meetings so people can focus their attention on project work.

Communication challenges in the hybrid workplace exist when there isn’t an
agreed-upon time when remote employees are expected to start the workday or be
accessible. Unlike employees who work fully remote, people on hybrid teams tend
to live within a morning commute of the office and are available at the same
time of day.

Of course, some employees prefer the flexibility to work whenever or wherever
they feel most productive. Working from home makes more sense for someone
writing code into the wee hours of the morning than it would for a manager
responsible for a sales team.

What’s most important is to clearly define the parameters of your company’s
hybrid work policy with all your employees so they can set their expectations
accordingly. 


3. DEVELOPING AND MAINTAINING A REMOTE-COMPATIBLE CULTURE

Apart from tech startups and a host of other nimble organizations, most every
company is new to the hybrid work environment. Back in 2005, 1.8 million U.S.
employees worked from home at least half the time. Today, that number has
increased to 1 in 4 Americans.

That’s approximately 39 million workers! Even with the hybrid workforce being
projected to stabilize at around 13 to 27 million people WFH in the coming
years, it’s a major shift.

Without the onset of a global pandemic in 2020, it’s hard to know how many
companies would have naturally moved toward a hybrid work model on their own
accord. For most businesses, the idea to offer a hybrid work schedule was all
about survival, not choice.

Getting back to normal doesn’t mean hybrid teams will go away. By 2025, the
number of Americans working remotely will still reach an 87% increase over
pre-pandemic levels.

Companies that hope to stay competitive and continue to attract (and retain) top
talent will need to work harder to maintain cultures that are remote-compatible.
To remain agile and rapidly adapt to change requires an investment in training
and development.

Only by establishing effective hybrid work policies will companies improve
productivity and drive stronger business outcomes. 


4. LACK OF LEADERSHIP OR TEAM BUY-IN

Among business leaders, achieving consensus is no small task. For some, the idea
of staying with a hybrid work model beyond its lockdown-forced necessity is
unthinkable.

For those steeped in traditional office culture, a hybrid work environment may
always be an anathema. Never mind that studies show the average remote employee
worked 1.4 more days every month (16.8 more days every year) than those who
worked in an office.

Some managers continue to question the validity of the hybrid work schedule,
somehow equating it with casually sitting around in pajamas and answering the
occasional email.

For the successful adoption and gradual normalization of hybrid work to
continue, tired and unwarranted misconceptions like these must end. Leaders must
strive to grasp the inherent value of their own hybrid workforce and what it
contributes to their bottom line.  

Unfortunately, leaders are not alone in their biases or resentment of today’s
hybrid work environment.

Employees who prefer to work full time in the office by choice, mere force of
habit, or a personal disdain for WFH may find it easier to question the
commitment of their hybrid work counterparts. Remote employees can pick up on
these feelings of resentment, which only contributes to the sense of isolation
and lack of camaraderie with the on-site team.

To overcome any perceived bias against the hybrid work model, managers must
learn to value everyone’s contributions equally. The use of multiple
communication channels, clear goal setting, and proper task delegation also
helps keep teams on the same page.

Members of the hybrid workforce can further reinforce buy-in from their on-site
leaders and coworkers by being more vocal in team meetings, demanding greater
visibility in the decision-making process, and soliciting feedback on
performance beyond formal reviews. 


5. CONNECTIVITY BETWEEN OFFICE AND HOME

Managing a hybrid workforce of any size can introduce a new layer of complexity
to any team’s existing dynamic. Strengthening team communications can help
minimize this complexity. 

First and foremost, organizations need to invest in a video conferencing
platform that everyone can use at home or in the office. Whether it’s Zoom,
Teams, or Skype, agree upon one that will become the standard for all team
meetings. Avoid the temptation to use the free version as they limit usability.
Choose the subscription package that fits.

Messaging platforms like Slack or Google Hangouts, will also prove helpful for
hybrid work from home. Unlike email, they reflect the spontaneity and urgency of
in-person conversations. Their ability to host group discussions is ideal for
impromptu meetings.

When it comes to remote collaboration, Lucidchart is a must. A cloud-based tool,
it’s readily accessible to all team members. Use it to create process maps, UML
models, org charts with one of our hundreds of diagram templates.

Task-management tools are another must for a hybrid workforce as they allow
people to remain accountable, keep organized, and stay on top of tasks or
projects. Enterprise teams will favor more robust (but expensive) options like
Workfront whereas smaller teams might prefer Trello’s user-friendly and
customizable Kanban board interface.

Other task-management tools seem to favor different disciplines, like Jira for
product teams or Asana for marketing. The most important thing is to simply have
one in place.

The success of any hybrid workforce is contingent on building relationships,
defining hybrid work policies, maintaining a remote-compatible culture, securing
buy-in from leadership, and keeping teams securely connected whether at home or
in the office.   

The sooner these communication challenges in the workplace are addressed, the
more quickly your organization will maximize the productivity of its hybrid work
environment.

Ready to elevate your team collaboration?

 



Learn more


READY TO ELEVATE YOUR TEAM COLLABORATION?

Learn more


POPULAR NOW

What Does HR Actually Do? 11 Key Responsibilities

A Feature Comparison of Managed Computer Vision Services

Keeping Pace With AWS Innovation: A Recap of New York Summit 2018


SIGN UP TO GET THE LATEST LUCIDCHART UPDATES AND TIPS DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
ONCE A MONTH.

Subscribe to our newsletter


ABOUT LUCIDCHART

Lucidchart is the intelligent diagramming application that empowers teams to
clarify complexity, align their insights, and build the future—faster. With this
intuitive, cloud-based solution, everyone can work visually and collaborate in
real time while building flowcharts, mockups, UML diagrams, and more.

The most popular online Visio alternative, Lucidchart is utilized in over 180
countries by millions of users, from sales managers mapping out target
organizations to IT directors visualizing their network infrastructure.



 * Get started
 * Pricing
 * Individual
 * Team
 * Enterprise
 * Contact sales

 * Product
 * Lucidchart overview
 * Lucidchart Cloud Insights
 * Integrations
 * Security

 * Solutions
 * Remote teams
 * Engineering
 * IT
 * Operations
 * Product
 * Sales
 * Education

 * Resources
 * Learning campus
 * Blog
 * Templates
 * Webinars
 * Support
 * Case studies
 * Diagrams
 * Partners
 * Newsletter

 * Company
 * About us
 * Mission
 * Leadership
 * Newsroom
 * Careers

English

EnglishFrançaisDeutsch日本語PortuguêsEspañolNederlandsPусскийItaliano
PrivacyLegal
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 
 * 


© 2021 Lucid Software Inc.


This website uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience possible. Learn
more about our cookie policy, or find out more about enterprise security.
✕