Managing a hybrid or remote team is hard. There’s no sugar coating it—balancing multiple work personalities over multiple locations over multiple technologies is a lot to juggle. 

How do you hire and retain good hybrid talent? How do you build a culture and keep your team tight knit? And how do you communicate with and manage your team from assorted geographies? We designed our new guide with these questions hybrid leaders ask in mind.

The state of the workplace

Remote work isn’t new. Let’s repeat: remote work isn’t new. WFH and hybrid teams have been around for decades, from telecommuting to Zoom. As hybrid workstyles become more widespread, businesses have new considerations to make—and historic successes from other companies they can use as a starting point.

From reimagining floorplan and office design to enacting stronger hybrid work policies, work culture is shifting. Companies that don’t adapt will get left behind.

The competition for top talent has never been higher, and employers who want to build successful organizations with dedicated employees need to listen to their teammates in order to thrive.

2021 remote + hybrid work statistics

Employee expectations have made a major shift as new generations of employees prioritize family time, work/life balance, mental health, and job happiness. In fact, 80% of employees want more flexibility in where and when they work. This is why hybrid work and flexibility are so important. Catering your office culture around employee needs will enable a culture of collaboration and productivity.

Some other stats when it comes to hybrid workplaces:

• 76% of employees report that the option to work from home post-pandemic would make them happier
• 75% of employees feel that remote work is better for their mental health
• 84% of employees said working remotely after the pandemic would make them happier
• 29% prefer to work from the office full-time
• 27% prefer to work on a hybrid schedule (using the office 1-4 days/week)

It’s clear that employees are seeing and feeling the benefits of remote work, but there are also drawbacks—long hours, increased stress, and of course, burnout. Managers and employees must work together to overcome these challenges.

The importance of remote + hybrid workplace policies

When it comes to building a hybrid or remote policy, it can be tough to know where to start. Thinking about the impact of these policies will help you build a framework. 

When leaders and managers can point to specific flexible workplace policies, they can better encourage and enforce rules that lead to improved work-life balance, reduced burnout, and lower organizational costs (among other things). Building out a policy that encourages autonomy, celebrates flexibility, and targets business goals will lead to a supercharged employee base that delivers outstanding results.

Communication strategies for hybrid team leaders

The saying “out of sight, out of mind” can often apply when it comes to managing remote and hybrid employees. Leaders need to be on top of their employees' needs and experiences. That’s why communication is key. Here are a few tips from our guide:

Meetings

Implement regular meeting cadences to ensure consistent communication of important initiatives, strategic developments, or organizational changes. In tandem, establish a culture of spontaneous video chats— they help employees feel connected and mimic the mental breaks that exist in the physical office. Encourage Zoom coworking sessions, happy hours, or coffee chats.

Asynchronous vs synchronous expectations

There are more communication considerations for flexible teams of employees who work from an office, on-the-go, or from home when it comes to when employees are expected to be available. Remember that teammates may be in different time zones and have different working hours from each other. Asynchronous and synchronous communication strategies enable teams to work together efficiently with just a bit of smart technology and a few team guidelines to make it happen.

Key hybrid communication terms every manager should know:

• Asynchronous communication: Anything that happens in a staggered format, with back-and-forth and no expectation to respond within the day. This means emails, using project management software, or leaving voicemails or Loom messages.
• Synchronous communication: Communication that happens in real-time like instant messaging, live video chatting, team meetings, or live collaboration using platforms like Canva or HubSpot.
• Core hours or working hours: The time that an employee is “online” and available for synchronous communication

Become a great hybrid leader

The benefits of hybrid work are undeniable for employees, managers, and companies. Let’s contribute to a future workplace that puts employees first and creates opportunities for all.

Want to learn more? Our guide ‘Effective Hybrid + Remote Leadership Strategies’ has all the information you need to lead a successful remote team.