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HOW TO KEEP PROCESSES EFFICIENT ACROSS HYBRID TEAMS

Reading time: about 7 min

Years ago, many managers balked at the idea of dispersed or hybrid teams. The
dominant sentiment was that employees must be onsite to monitor productivity,
foster effective collaboration, and ensure that everyone stayed on the same
page. 

 

The pandemic effectively upended that all-or-nothing mentality and proved that
business continuity is not necessarily dependent on everyone being in the same
place. Sure, some companies struggled to adapt to remote work. Still, companies
that made it work discovered managing hybrid teams is not only doable—it can
uncover huge benefits for the entire organization, including more diverse
workforces, better work-life balance for employees that lead to improved
engagement and longevity, and cost savings in the form of commute benefits and
office space rental fees. 

Of course, making sure that team members have the resources they need and are
comfortable communicating with other teams is vital to ensure processes are
efficient and projects get completed. Leading a team that's dispersed across
multiple places can create a unique set of management challenges. However, by
establishing expectations and holding teams accountable, hybrid teams can work
efficiently together. 

Companies that are intentional about providing resources and tools to encourage
distributed teams will help prevent lapses in productivity and engagement and
continue to see success and improvement. 


SETTING EXPECTATIONS AND ACCOUNTABILITY FOR HYBRID TEAMS

A hybrid team refers to a working model where some employees work remotely while
others work in the office. As many teams have been given more flexibility within
the past year to choose their work environment, it has pushed project managers
and those who hold management positions, to find ways to close the communication
gap and ensure processes are carried out effectively. 


4 TIPS FOR MANAGING A HYBRID MODEL

The key to managing a hybrid team is to make sure employees are focused on the
right objectives and understand how their work contributes to the company. Those
two pieces of information are the foundation for keeping teams engaged and
aligned. Beyond that, here are a few actionable tips to help ensure your hybrid
teams move forward in the right direction.


FOSTER A REMOTE-FIRST CULTURE

Many companies across the globe are now 100% remote or remote-first—and proud of
it. For example, Zillow, Twitter, and Spotify have taken their workforces to
hybrid or fully remote environments to take advantage of the benefits. A recent
Accenture study found that hybrid models are used by 63% of high-growth
companies, and according to a recent Mercer study, 94% of employers say
productivity has remained the same or increased compared to pre-pandemic levels.

You can foster a remote-first culture by ensuring that the technology and
processes are in place to accommodate onsite and remote workers. For example,
placing key objectives, project plans, and assignments in a virtual
collaboration space ensures a single source of truth for the whole team. Teams
can easily access this information no matter where they are.

Check out these tools for remote collaboration.

 



Learn more

Employees also need to feel that they can access managers, team members, and
essential information when they need to. That kind of dependability helps remote
workers feel fully supported and engaged, and it's a signal that the company
expects remote and onsite teams to contribute equally.


TRUST YOUR EMPLOYEES TO FULFILL EXPECTATIONS

If the last year taught us anything, it’s that direct, visual managerial
oversight is not imperative to productivity or business success. The hybrid
model, however, does require more trust between managers and employees.

Many managers are accustomed to "just stopping by the desk" to ensure employees
are working, focused, and on task. With hybrid teams, impromptu check-ins are
less feasible, and you don't have the benefit of seeing exactly what someone is
doing at any given moment. It's also likely that some employees have shifted
when they work, and so you may see productivity ebb and flow at different points
in the day. 

Fortunately, there are other signals you can use to determine employee
engagement and ensure the work is getting done. Pay attention to performance
indicators such as if employees are meeting deadlines. Are they responsive to
inquiries from you and other team members? Is the quality of work as expected?
These aspects of employee performance can help you determine if team members are
meeting expectations while still giving them space to fulfill expectations
independently.


REGULARLY OFFER AND SOLICIT FEEDBACK

While the impromptu check-ins may be a thing of the past, regular 1:1s are now
even more important in a hybrid work environment. Commit to spending time each
week with direct reports individually so that there is dedicated space for
offering and receiving feedback. This time allows you to emphasize team goals,
highlight individual performance, and clarify expectations. It's an opportunity
for team members to raise any questions they may have about work or key
objectives and to identify places where they may need additional support from
you.


PROVIDE OPPORTUNITIES FOR SOCIAL CONNECTION

Engaged employees are happy employees. While employee happy hours or
team-building activities are more difficult to pull off among hybrid teams,
collaborative technologies make it easier to host events that keep your teams
acquainted with each other and provide welcome respites from work. A couple of
pro tips, though: Make sure whatever activity or event you host provides time
for actual connection—Zoom-weary employees won't find much fun in yet another
video meeting. Also, whenever possible, host these events during normal working
hours. 


HOW TO KEEP PROCESSES MORE EFFICIENT ACROSS HYBRID TEAMS

With hybrid environments, there's a risk that efficiency will go down as some
employees return to the office and processes adjust accordingly. But there are
some things you can do to ensure continuity as your team makes the switch.


INVEST IN TECHNOLOGY 

Technology is your best friend in a hybrid work environment because it can align
teams from all locations quickly and efficiently. Take, for example, visual
collaboration tools. Features such as project management timelines, virtual
whiteboards, and communication maps can help steer teams on project priority and
keep them accountable on deadlines. They can do the heavy lifting of keeping
teams on track throughout the arc of the project.

Project timeline example (click on image to modify online)


FORMALIZE COLLABORATION POLICIES 

Team members both onsite and remote will feel much more oriented during the
shift to hybrid if they know there is a plan for which team members to reach out
to, how to reach them, and which platforms are available for outreach. A
communication plan can help you map out these details, and it can also help you
think through any adjustments you may need to make to the collaboration process
as your team transitions to hybrid.

Communication plan example (click on image to modify online)


BUILD A STRONG TEAM CULTURE 

One of the benefits of remote-only was that everyone was remote, so the team
culture accommodated remote workers. As some team members go back into the
office, teams will need to be intentional about looping in remote coworkers on
developments and collaborations that happen onsite. 

Team-building exercises should be constructed to be easily accessible by remote
teams to ensure they can contribute and benefit fully from the experience.
Managers should schedule something even as simple as a team lunch in advance to
allow remote team members to join in person if desired.


ENSURE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

As a manager, it might be tempting to locate all of your major events onsite.
But that can sometimes limit the opportunities that your remote team members
have to showcase their work, take advantage of training, or learn from other
team members. Try to maintain a virtual component to whatever major
presentations, events, and learning sessions you organize so that all team
members can benefit from the experience.


SET EXPECTATIONS AND CREATE ACCOUNTABILITY 

Businesses, and their goals, constantly evolve. As a manager, it's your
responsibility to communicate those goals to team members and ensure they are on
track to meet them. With a hybrid workforce, it's best to take a remote-first
approach to set expectations and establish accountability. 

You can start by employing virtual tools and platforms that can serve as a
single source of truth for your team objectives and a convenient channel for
measuring accountability. From there, leverage 1:1 meetings and team events to
solicit feedback on what support the team needs to continue to work well
together.

The benefit we have in the Next Normal is that we don't have to transition our
workforce overnight. Use the time you have to think through how your processes,
communication, and collaboration need to change to ensure your teams make a
smooth transition. With a remote-first approach, you can help your teams
maintain their productivity gains while adjusting to a post-pandemic world.

Ready to take the next step toward process improvement? Digitize your processes.



Learn more


READY TO TAKE THE NEXT STEP TOWARD PROCESS IMPROVEMENT? DIGITIZE YOUR PROCESSES.

Learn more


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