How to manage hybrid employees for better productivity

As the workforce adapts to a new era of hybrid work, organizations must update their policies and practices to align with the evolving standard. With 66% of HR leaders already implementing a hybrid work model and another 30% planning to do so, it's evident that the future of work is flexible. However, to ensure optimal productivity and engagement for employees, employers must provide the necessary support to help them navigate the challenges of hybrid work. Here are some essential tips to help organizations provide employees with the support they need to thrive in a hybrid work environment.

Identify values

According to Gartner, 87% of HR leaders acknowledge that employees expect a customized work environment catering to their individual needs. Since managers interact with employees regularly, they influence their daily experiences significantly. It is essential to prepare managers to communicate clearly with their team members and ensure that the organization recognizes and respects their unique work values. To enable effective conversations, provide managers with tools such as value statements, discussion guides, and organizational resources to help them identify what employees value and tailor their experiences accordingly. This approach can enhance employee engagement and boost productivity.

Focus on flexibility

As more people adapt to the hybrid work model, organizations must adopt a radical flexibility approach considering various factors like work hours, collaborators, and tools. It's no longer about adhering to a standardized daily in-office work model but rather providing employees with the autonomy to determine when and how to work for optimal productivity. Although transitioning from a daily in-office model to a hybrid work model may seem daunting and could lead to productivity and performance issues, Gartner’s research shows that organizations with an extreme flexibility approach have 40% more high-performing employees than those that don't.

Encourage connections

Culture is a top concern for CEOs when implementing hybrid policies. Intentional moments of connection must be facilitated without sacrificing flexibility to maintain a strong organizational culture and high performance. While periodic in-person meetings and on-site work with managers effectively foster connection, performance, inclusion, and engagement in a hybrid model, only 40% of organizations implement these practices.

Support employees

In today's rapidly changing world, employees are reassessing their personal and professional priorities. This may lead to burnout and disengagement if they feel unsupported by their organization. To counter this, companies should demonstrate a commitment to their employees' long-term well-being.

Organizations often spend considerable effort creating and promoting their core values, focusing on providing excellent employee experiences. Highlighting the current programs and benefits that support these values is crucial while investing in new initiatives that encourage employee personal and professional growth, skill-building, and career development.

Build a culture of trust

As the work environment shifts towards a hybrid model, some managers may feel uneasy about losing the constant visibility of their employees, leading to the temptation to micromanage. However, this counterproductive approach can lead to employee disengagement and burnout. To mitigate these risks, managers should trust their employees and provide them with a support structure, including clear expectations and performance management systems. Understanding each employee's unique circumstances and needs will help managers foster a more positive work environment and build a culture of trust and collaboration.

Increase visibility

In the hybrid work model, employees have less visibility into their colleagues' work lives, which increases variability in working processes. Thus, setting clear expectations and transparency become more critical organizational best practices. By enabling employees to spend more time doing work and less time figuring out how to do it, performance, engagement, and inclusion in a hybrid model can be improved. One way to achieve this is through visibility into colleagues' schedules, but surprisingly, less than half of organizations implement this practice.

Foster innovation

Despite the belief held by some leaders that returning to the office is necessary to spur innovation, the truth is that asynchronous collaboration can be just as effective as synchronous collaboration in fostering innovation within teams. Organizations must learn to balance different modes of collaboration to unleash the full potential of their employees in the new hybrid work landscape. This requires a deeper understanding of employees' unique work styles and preferences. For instance, extroverted employees may thrive in a collaborative, in-person work environment, while introverted employees may excel when given the space to work independently. New hires may benefit from on-site collaboration with their peers, while caregivers may prefer virtual collaboration due to its flexibility.

Amplify recognitionFormun Üstü

Recognition is a powerful tool that can motivate employees and encourage positive behavior. It's important to note that recognition doesn't always have to come in the form of monetary rewards. Simple gestures such as public acknowledgment, tokens of appreciation, high-visibility development opportunities, and low-cost perks can go a long way in making employees feel valued.

In a hybrid work environment, where visibility may be reduced, it's important to gather data and feedback to identify opportunities for recognition. Simple pulse surveys asking specific questions or tracking output can effectively gather this information. Additionally, meeting with employees and asking about the barriers they've overcome or how their peers have helped them can help identify behaviors worth recognizing. Recognizing and sharing the accomplishments of teams and individuals can help build a strong culture of recognition and drive engagement.

Utilize the right tech and tools

Providing employees with more than just a mobile phone and laptop may be necessary to enable effective remote work. Even if you don't have access to an extensive set of technology and collaboration tools, you can still equip employees to function remotely and on-site. However, don't assume that everyone automatically knows how to operate in a virtual environment or is comfortable working that way.

Recognize that virtual communications differ from in-person communications and may not always be perfect, but they should still be professional and respectful. Also, be aware that some employees may be less comfortable and effective with virtual communications and establish norms for escalating ineffective virtual exchanges. For example, if an issue has not been resolved within six emails, it may be time to shift the conversation to a virtual meeting to ensure resolution.