3 Keys to Managing a Hybrid Workforce

Almost overnight, the pandemic forced U.S. businesses to keep their operations running by allowing their employees to work remotely, usually from a home office. Hybrid working is the structure of the future; some employees work remotely, some in the office, and some alternate between working in the office and at home.

If all your employees were in the office full time or working remotely full time, you’d only need one approach to managing your workforce. But a hybrid workforce means that you must manage each group differently, and that’s where the challenge increases.

3 Essential Steps to Managing a Hybrid Workforce

When you have a hybrid workplace, your challenge is to keep everyone aligned to the mission and vision even though the in-office and remote groups need different daily management styles. When you take these steps, you’ll be on the road to making the hybrid workforce work for you.

1. Build Trust with Your Hybrid Workforce

It’s more challenging to build trust when you don’t see some portion of your workforce in person on a regularly. Make sure that you give remote employees visibility to management and consider establishing a mentorship program. Transparency and communication will prove that remote employees’ work is recognized and that their career paths are still intact.

Setting clear milestones and deadlines will help remote and in-office employees understand that they’re both on the same schedule and eliminate conflict. It’s also important to communicate openly and often. You’re embarking on a new theory of work, and you need to be open about how it’s going. Be sure to share successes throughout your organization showing, how in-office and remote employees have pulled together.

2. Promote Team Engagement

Your remote employees may feel left out if you aren’t actively reinforcing their role in achieving shared goals. Create teams that include both in-office and remote employees, set team goals, and recognize the contributions of everyone on your teams. 

You can do things like include team-building exercises into regular team meetings. And make sure you give all your employee’s access to the same resources.

3. Provide Communication and Collaboration Tools

One of the most critical things you can do to ensure success is provide all employees with the proper communication and collaboration tools. Employees working remotely should feel communication is easy, just as they would if they were working in the office. Utilizing EOS® L-10 meetings are the best way to ensure employees know exactly what tasks need to take priority, or what issues and resolutions specific departments may be working through. Maintaining an effective Meeting Pulse within your L-10’s will ensure the meeting will start and end at the same time with a productive outcome that everyone is clear on.

Technology and collaboration tools such as Microsoft 365 and Teams, Ninety or Traction Tools will keep all your employees on an equal footing when it comes to communicating.  Specifically, Ninety and Traction Tools allow for a seamless integration between your company’s vision, goals, and activities.

Manage the Hybrid Workplace to Achieve Business Goals

A well-run hybrid workplace will let you attract skilled employees, reduce overhead costs, improve communication and collaboration, and increase agility in the marketplace. But you need a seasoned executive to ensure that your move to a hybrid workplace is successful.

Reach out to us (GCE) to learn more about how we can help you better manage your hybrid workforce.