Managing Hybrid Teams
Communicating matters. Throughout this period, establishing clear lines of communication is integral to the success of your employees. Certain managers may find it helpful to establish a team calendar, where employees will detail their in-office and remote days, in order to create consistency and alignment. Otherwise, set a clear communications plan with your staff members, inclusive of how meetings should be scheduled, what your expectations are for this period, and a space for staff members to ask questions and express concerns.
Additionally, bring your team together with team-wide conversations. Feel free to ask them questions about the period of remote work, to see what specifically worked, and what may need to be changed moving forward.
Some questions to consider:
- How has our work changed?
- How have we adapted?
- What have we learned during the pandemic?
- How will our team need to work together differently as we navigate beyond the pandemic?
In-office versus remote days. Staff members should be aware as to which days they will need to be in the office, and which days they may work remotely. If there are certain events that staff members will need to attend in-person, clearly provide the staff member with these requirements. There may be flexibility within their schedule , e.g. the staff member does not need to be in the office the same day each week. However, if there are special circumstances that will always require their presence, these must be provided to the staff member.
Additionally, if there are activities that as a supervisor, you prefer to happen in person (individual check-in meetings, team meetings, brainstorm sessions) work with the staff member to determine which days they will come into the office, and schedule those activities for those days.
Providing feedback. In weekly meetings with the staff member or team, build in check-ins to determine how the staff member is doing in the current schedule and situation. If the staff member is not performing well, ensure that you are providing feedback that clearly outlines how they can improve and whether their schedule should be shifted at all to support the staff member and team.
Equitable scheduling and designations. HR Business Partners have worked with supervisors across the university to designate employees with the updated designations. These designations have been administered equitably across all positions. As a manager, work with your staff members to ensure that the work schedules across your team are consistent, and can accommodate business needs.
If certain members of your team are unable to work remotely, while others have the flexibility to engage in hybrid remote work, be as transparent as possible. Certain positions require an on-campus presence in order to ensure the university remains operational. However, if staff members must work on campus or on-site, other flexibility may be provided, such as compressed or flexible scheduling.
Consistent performance reviews. Staff members should be judged by similar metrics across positions, whether their position reports remotely or on-campus. If a staff member’s performance is negatively impacted by working remotely, they may not be a good candidate for the hybrid remote or full-time remote designations. In these cases, their hybrid and full-time remote agreements with the university should be terminated.
Hybrid remote work is successful only through clear communication. Managers must enhance productivity by setting clear goals, timetables, and defining deliverables. After a period of time, managers and employees should consider whether the quantity, quality, and timeliness of work has been maintained, enhanced, or diminished.