Making Hybrid Working Work Better

As organisations increasingly adopt hybrid working models, we face a constant challenge to maintain the human connections that drive success. In this blog, I explore three critical areas for making hybrid working work better: maximising human connection, creating positive team energy, and building a positive performance culture. By addressing these key aspects, we can maximise the benefits of flexible work whilst preserving the spirit that creates collaboration and productivity.

 

How do we maximise our human connection?

We all need deeper connections than mere transactional communications alone. As Brene Brown puts it, “We are hardwired for connections, curiosity and engagement.”

When working together in a co-located office our informal interactions build connection. Studies suggest we spend up to 10% of our time forming the connections that allow successful collaborations and creative problem-solving to flourish. These opportunities can be missed when we don’t work together in the same place at the same time. Instead, we must make conscious efforts to recreate these opportunities to make hybrid working work better for all of us.

As always, managers need to lead by example. In this case, it is to avoid communications becoming superficial. But we can all make a positive difference. Have you thought about what you could do to generate a greater feeling of camaraderie in your workplace?

  • How could your projects be organised differently, so people have the right opportunities to bounce ideas off each other?
  • How could you develop a greater sense of community?
  • How can you build genuine opportunities for people to interact?

Managing a hybrid team demands an element of over-communication. We need to create the time and space for better quality conversations to take place. This develops that deeper sense of human connection. And it needs persistence because its often one of the first things to slip when people are busy and the pressure is on.

 

How do we create positive team energy?

Our personal energy is enhanced through uplifting, invigorating and rejuvenating team relationships. It’s this relational energy that helps create positive and productive working environments.

Have you ever ‘felt’ the energy of a team when you enter a room? I really believe that team performance generally matches the energy within the team. Where there’s negative energy, teams can perform significantly worse than those with positive energy. How mentally engaged staff are at work, how enthused they are about their jobs and how willing they are to make extra effort, is largely determined by the type of energy generated when everyone works together.

If positive energy is transmitted when we’re in contact with each other, managing a hybrid team requires processes and time for people to ‘get relational’ with one another. To communicate and connect, not just because it’s a good thing, but because it will create positive energy, regardless of where people work from or when they work.

Have you thought about whether it’s feasible to physically get teams together? It only needs to be occasionally to connect face-to-face and generate that positive relational energy? If that’s not possible, how can you embrace video and other technologies? Are there ways that you can capture and enhance the collective energy, rather than drain it?

 

How do we create a positive performance culture?

Regular check-ins with colleagues must surely be a quick win. It could be 30 minutes every day, 45 minutes a week or an hour or so every month. Schedule them into diaries and make them a regular commitment, whether that’s face-to-face or virtually.

Set clear expectations, create a performance management routine, and regularly evaluate progress against goals. This ensures performance is being managed effectively, issues are picked up early, and people are supported to do a great job.

Although it’s certainly more challenging to manage, allowing teams to work varying hours, times, and locations can bring mutual benefits. Hybrid working offers more flexibility. It helps people access the roles they’re best suited for. Hybrid working supports people to stay in jobs they may otherwise have to leave. It generally helps us achieve a better work-life balance. Hybrid working can also enhance employee engagement and wellbeing, increase loyalty and commitment, lead to higher job satisfaction, reduce absenteeism, contribute to better mental health, and lead to improvements in performance, motivation and productivity.

Making hybrid working work better requires a thoughtful approach to human connection, team energy, and performance culture. By consciously creating opportunities for meaningful interaction, adopting positive relational energy, and implementing consistent performance management practices, we can overcome the challenges of dispersed teams. As we continue to adapt to more flexible ways of working, we should remember that the essence of successful collaboration lies in our ability to connect, engage, and support one another, regardless of physical location. With persistence and creativity, we can build a hybrid working environment that brings out the best in our teams and our organisations creating savvy spaces, wherever they are.

 

Want to know more?

Sarah Harvey is Founding Director of Savvy Conversations Ltd and author of the highly acclaimed book Savvy Conversations: A practical framework for effective workplace relationships.

Website: https://savvyconversations.co.uk

Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/in/savvysarah

Instagram: savvysarah

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