What is a Hybrid Team?

A hybrid team is a flexible type of work structure where some employees work remotely, and others work from the company’s office or another central location. A hybrid work structure gives employees some flexibility in deciding whether they would like to work in an office or the flexibility of remote work. Employees combine remote work with working from a physical office location. This arrangement allows team members to split their workweek between working remotely (such as from home or another location) and being physically present in a shared workspace.

A hybrid model gives employers and employees several benefits, including the following:

• Allows employees to work where they are most productive
• Reduced commute time for employees
• Improved work/life balance for employees
• Reduced stress levels; lower risk of burnout
• Offices become more collaborative and creative places to work
• Businesses can attract top-notch candidates from anywhere in the world
• Employee engagement and productivity are likely to increase
• Companies save on commercial real estate costs
• The company reduces its carbon footprint

 Key characteristics of hybrid teams include:

• Flexibility: Employees have greater autonomy over where they perform their tasks.
• Diverse locations: Team members might be geographically dispersed, working from home, co-working spaces, or a company office.
• Technology reliance: Hybrid teams rely heavily on digital tools (video conferencing, project management software, collaboration platforms) to maintain communication and coordination.
• Balance: Employees experience the benefits of remote work (flexibility, productivity) while maintaining regular in-person interactions for collaboration, innovation, and team-building.

Hybrid teams have grown increasingly common as organizations aim to balance employee satisfaction, productivity, and collaboration needs.

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What does hybrid workplace mean ?

A hybrid workplace is a flexible working model that combines remote work and in-office presence. Employees in a hybrid workplace split their workweek between working from home (or another remote location) and working in a traditional office environment. This approach aims to balance the flexibility of remote work with the collaboration benefits of face-to-face interaction, providing employees with greater autonomy and adaptability.

What are the 5 C's of hybrid work ?

The 5 C's of hybrid work are foundational principles designed to support successful hybrid work environments:

1. Communication: Clear, regular, and transparent communication ensures alignment among teams, helping to bridge gaps created by physical separation.
2. Collaboration: Effective teamwork through both virtual tools and in-person interactions, enabling innovation and productivity regardless of location.
3. Culture: A shared organizational culture that includes remote employees equally, fostering inclusivity, trust, and employee engagement.
4. Connection: Intentional efforts to maintain personal connections among employees, reducing isolation and ensuring strong interpersonal relationships.
5. Consistency: Clear policies and procedures that provide stability and fairness, allowing all team members to understand expectations and maintain productivity across both remote and in-office environments.

What is the difference between hybrid and remote work ?

Hybrid work refers to a combination of remote and in-office work. Employees regularly switch between working remotely and working in a physical office, typically dividing their time based on personal productivity, tasks, or company policies.

Remote work, by contrast, involves working entirely outside of a traditional office setting, typically from home, coworking spaces, or other locations away from the primary office. Remote workers rarely, if ever, need to physically visit an office location, relying entirely on digital communication and collaboration tools to fulfill their roles.

In short:

• Hybrid work = Mix of office and remote environments.
• Remote work = Exclusively outside of traditional office environments.

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What are the benefits of a Hybrid Workforce ?

​A hybrid work model offers numerous benefits to both employers and employees. Here's an expanded overview of these advantages, supported by relevant statistics and facts:​

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1. Allows employees to work where they are most productive

Hybrid work provides employees with the flexibility to choose their work environment, enhancing productivity:​ A Stanford University study revealed that remote workers outperformed their in-office counterparts by 13%. (Source :​resourcequeue.com)

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2. Reduced commute time for employees

By working remotely part of the time, employees can significantly decrease or eliminate daily commutes: the Office for National Statistics (ONS) found that hybrid workers saved an average of 56 minutes daily by reducing commuting time. ​ (Source : theguardian.com)

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3. Improved work/life balance for employees

The flexibility inherent in hybrid models supports a better balance between professional and personal responsibilities:​ 76% of employees reported that hybrid work improved their work-life balance. ​

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4. Reduced stress levels; lower risk of burnout

Hybrid work arrangements can alleviate stress and decrease the likelihood of employee burnout:​ 79% of hybrid workers feel less drained, 78% less stressed, and 72% less anxious. (Source : ​testgorilla.com)

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5. Offices become more collaborative and creative places to work

With employees choosing to come into the office for specific tasks, in-person interactions can focus more on collaboration and creativity:​ Hybrid arrangements balance the benefits of being in the office with the benefits of working from home, fostering collaboration and innovation during in-office days. ​siepr.stanford.edu

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6. Businesses can attract top-notch candidates from anywhere in the world

Offering hybrid work models expands the talent pool beyond geographical limitations:​ Remote work allows employees and employers to be matched despite major location differences.

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7. Employee engagement and productivity are likely to increase

Hybrid work can lead to higher employee satisfaction and efficiency:​ 63% of CEOs observed increased worker productivity after switching to a hybrid model. ​testgorilla.com

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8. Companies save on commercial real estate costs

With fewer employees in the office simultaneously, businesses can reduce their physical office space requirements:​ 90% of CEOs reported that hybrid working helped them reduce business costs. ​testgorilla.com

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9. The company reduces its carbon footprint

Decreased commuting and optimized office usage contribute to environmental benefits:​ Remote work can reduce traffic congestion and air pollution, with fewer cars on the roads. ​en.wikipedia.org

In summary, adopting a hybrid work model presents multiple advantages, including enhanced productivity, improved employee well-being, cost savings, and environmental benefits, making it a compelling option for modern workplaces.

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Skills for Managing a Hybrid Workforce

Managing remote teams is different from managing strictly on-site employees. Remote employees become used to working independently and collaborating with colleagues who aren’t at the next desk or down the hall. Managers may need to make adjustments to their management style considering the remote work environment. 

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— Make Communication a Priority

When the team is situated in multiple locations, clear and direct communication becomes crucial to its success. Select the collaboration tools that will work best for your hybrid team. Set guidelines for using e-mail, instant messages, video messages, and phone calls. You may also want to add file-sharing tools to the list.

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— Schedule Regular Project Meetings

Keep the team on track by scheduling weekly project meetings. Each new project should have a project kick-off meeting to present guidelines. During these meetings, team members can discuss their progress and ask for help if needed. The manager can clarify action items and deadlines for the entire team.

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— Develop a Strong Company Culture with Virtual Events

Strong company culture is a definite advantage in the workplace since it boosts employee engagement and retention. Strong working relationships are more challenging to achieve when team members work in different locations and possibly even different time zones. 

Schedule some virtual team-bonding exercises so that team members can get to know each other outside of their work. The team members will find it easier to collaborate if they feel they have something in common and everyone feels included. 

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— Prioritize Professional Development

Whether they are working in the office or remotely, all employees should have equal access to opportunities for advancement. An employer can provide online training sessions for interested workers through “lunch and learn” sessions or funding professional development courses.

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1. Establish a hybrid workplace policy

Employees need to know what to expect when their employer decides to allow employees to work in some combination of office and remotely. The hybrid work policy needs to cover:

• company equipment
• cybersecurity
• rules for taking lunch and other breaks during the day
• working hours for remote employees

The standard employee manual should already address these points:

• Jobs that are better suited to being done in the office than remotely
• Number of days employees should be spending in the office on a weekly or monthly basis
• Whether certain employees should plan to be in the office for meetings or to collaborate with team members

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2. Set clear expectations for all employees

Be sure that all team members receive information about projects, goals, and deadlines. It’s easy for those working from home to get missed when deadlines get changed since they are not working face-to-face with the rest of the team.

• To avoid this situation, schedule regular virtual meetings with the entire team to review the progress of current projects. If someone has become stuck or needs help, they should promptly speak up to their manager or fellow team members to get help.
• Remote workers should be online during certain core hours to remain on track with the rest of their team.
• Managers can encourage their team members to suggest topics for discussion during meetings.

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3. Encourage employees to share their thoughts

A hybrid team manager deals with employees who have different working styles. Each person has their work history and personality that come into play. The manager must create an environment where each person feels comfortable sharing their thoughts with their fellow team members in an open work environment. 

Employee collaboration can occur in a team meeting, via real-time chat, or in online social communities where like-minded users post, comment, and like posts on various topics. The Employee Directory is a source for finding people with the right knowledge and expertise for multiple projects within your organization since it includes skills and interests along with professional credentials.

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4. Create an environment of trust within your remote team

According to the Harvard Business Review, two kinds of trust are necessary for people to work together successfully:

• Competence Trust: The belief that other people will do the work they have promised and that the work will be of high quality; and
• Interpersonal Trust: The belief others have good intentions and are acting with high integrity.

As remote work becomes normal, team members spend less face-to-face time together. They don’t have the opportunity to observe how their co-workers prepare for meetings by making detailed notes. They don’t see evidence of fellow workers having burned the midnight oil to meet deadlines with takeout containers littering their office in the morning.

Instead of monitoring team members closely to determine whether they are doing their work, decide to trust them as a default status. Workers who are constantly monitored feel their employee engagement drop with the number of times their manager checks in on them.

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5. Ensure everyone feels included 

One of the challenges of managing hybrid teams is making sure employees feel they are being heard and appreciated as team members. It’s crucial not to treat certain groups differently or “less than”, such as cleaning staff or anyone with reduced mobility. There may also be an unconscious bias against the remote workers on the team, so make sure they have the same opportunities as the employees who work in the office. Work-from-home employees are just as valuable as those who work face-to-face with their co-workers, and they may need to be reminded of this fact from time to time. 

The Employee Recognition Center is a place to recognize workers who have distinguished themselves by going above and beyond at work. It can be used to recognize individuals, groups, and excellent content.

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6. Move away from tracking “hours worked” to measuring progress and deadlines

If you are thinking about best practices for managing hybrid teams, one aspect that needs to go is the idea that everyone must put in eight hours a day at their desk. Someone paid to do a job that involves thinking about or visualizing something doesn’t necessarily have to be at their desk to be “working.” When evaluating their effectiveness as remote employees, consider whether they are progressing on their projects and meeting deadlines on time. 

The LumApps Mobile Intranet app makes it easy for remote teams to make the most of their flexible work arrangements. Employees can jot down notes from anywhere, connect to their co-workers to ask questions or share ideas, and search the company intranet for required information and documents with ease.

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7. Use an integrated communication and collaboration software option

When employees are working in a hybrid model, there is a combination of remote workers, hybrid workers, and full-time in-house workers. All of them can communicate using integrated software like Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace.

This option is one of the best ways for managing hybrid remote teams. It allows employees to access their e-mails and files in OneDrive or Google drive, using Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, etc., from a single platform.

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8. Establish a mentorship program

Mentorship is a crucial part of supporting employees and helping them to develop their abilities. With hybrid working arrangements, mentorship programs can run from a distance. 

To set up a mentorship program, pair new or junior-level employees with top performers. The mentors and mentees then work together to set skill goals and career objectives (short-term and long-term). The mentors are also available to talk about subjects like maintaining a work/life balance when working from home. 

Launch a Leadership Corner in conjunction with the mentorship program. Employees can gain access to company news and initiatives. Allow workers to get to know the company leader through the CEO’s blog.

9. Set aside “meeting-free” time

No one can do their best work if they are over-scheduled with team meetings. There needs to be some time set aside throughout the workweek where employees can focus their attention on their work. 

When there are blocks of time designated as “meeting-free,” it forces workers to think about the necessity of scheduling team meetings at other times. Could e-mail be used instead? The entire team can be more productive when meetings are reserved for crucial or urgent issues. 

During designated “meeting-free” time, employees can still send instant messages through Slack or other apps as needed. The sender can indicate how urgent their message is at the time. 

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10. Help your team understand their work style

Digital platforms can gather all kinds of information about how remote workers do their jobs. Part of managing a hybrid workforce is sharing with employees where they are working well and coaching them in areas for improvement. The manager can point out how the team can improve its communication strategies, improve focus, and work together to increase overall productivity. 

For individual employees, the manager can suggest ways to reduce distractions when working from home or using the online platform more effectively to get the most out of this powerful online resource.

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