Managing a Hybrid team might seem much simpler than managing an all in-person team. Your employees will only be in-office part-time, and will otherwise work from home. You’re saving on business costs because of it. And your team’s productivity is soaring thanks to a greater work/life balance.

However, Hybrid Teams like these don’t happen overnight. Creating and managing a successful hybrid team involves much more than allowing employees to work from home sometimes and requiring them to attend virtual meetings when they do.

Before we explore how you can implement and manage a successful hybrid team, let’s talk a bit more about the feasibility of a hybrid work model.

Is the Hybrid Model Feasible?

The short answer to this question is yes. The hybrid model is absolutely feasible in today’s workplace. Advancing technology, workers’ evolving needs and wants, and the hybrid work model’s proven success in many companies leads many experts to believe it is the future of work.

Any hybrid team can thrive if management is adequately trained and prepared for the obstacles a hybrid team presents, like Communication challenges or how tough it is to build a positive company culture remotely. Also, when employees are properly trained and prepared alongside their managers, the hybrid model is much more feasible.

Hopefully, you’ve got a bit more confidence in the hybrid model. Now, let’s look at how you can implement the hybrid work model successfully in your company.

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How to Build and Manage a Productive Hybrid Team

Here’s what it takes to implement a feasible hybrid team:

> Ensure Managers are Prepared to Lead a Hybrid Team

Whether you’re leading a remote project management team, managing an entirely remote operation, or, in this case, heading a hybrid team, management is the glue that holds the team together.

Managers must be prepared to lead their hybrid teams with empathy and compassion. A hybrid work model isn’t easy for every team member to maintain. It’s crucial that managers have excellent communication skills, are gifted motivators, have high emotional intelligence, manage risks, and develop effective policies for their hybrid teams to succeed.

As a manager, ensure you’re prepared to lead a hybrid team by:

• Polishing soft skills like communication, problem-solving, organization, and time management.
• Leaning into your weaknesses as a leader and strengthening them.
• Learning from other managers leading a hybrid team.
• Working with upper management to ensure your hybrid team is supported adequately.
• Studying teamwork and collaboration techniques.
• Educating yourself on how to deepen work relationships.

Next, set goals for your hybrid team’s productivity.

> Set Team Goals

What does a successful hybrid team look like? Better yet, what does YOUR successful hybrid team look like? It’s wise to have a vision and direction for your team. Be sure to set team goals so that you’re striving for the highest level of productivity.

Write them down and make sure they’re visible to the entire team so that everyone remains focused on the goals that drive the team and overall business success.

Also, track your team’s progress on these goals. Tracking your team’s performance enables you to identify the goals you have trouble meeting. You can then adjust your team’s working style to meet them in the future.

Aside from team goals, you should also establish communication expectations with your team.

> Establish Communication Expectations

Your hybrid team is nothing without communication. Hybrid team members are usually working in different places and often on various projects. This makes communication incredibly important to ensure effective collaboration, teamwork, and cohesiveness.

Because your team’s success is riding on effective communication, you must establish communication expectations with your team. Having communication strategies and expectations in place is essential for hybrid teams because they ensure:

• Your team is working together productively.
• Team members can have respectful conversations.
• Your team can collaborate with other departments.
• That your team can honor and appreciate diverse perspectives.
• Each project meets a high-quality standard and is completed.
• Your team members are engaged in their respective roles.
• Everyone is receiving the support they need to perform at a high level.
• You can minimize misunderstandings.

To establish communication expectations, answer the following questions:

• What communication channels will you use?
• What communication tools and apps is your team using?
• How fast can an employee expect a response with each channel?
• What is the proper etiquette for each communication channel you use? For instance, is it okay for team members to send multiple emails back to back, or should they reserve consecutive messages for the instant message tools you use?
• When is the workday over for everyone?
• What is the latest time an employee can reach out and expect a response the same day?
• What should an employee do when they have an issue with a coworker?
• What’s the process for a general complaint?
• What is your conflict resolution model?
• What is the communication structure in team meetings?

Furthermore, your entire team must be comfortable with the communication tools and apps you use daily.

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> Provide Training For How to Use Your Communication Tools and Apps

Many employees struggle with learning new communication tools and apps. It can be so frustrating that they never know how to use them correctly. Even if just one team member is unable to navigate your team’s tools, it can negatively affect your team’s communication and productivity.

It’s best to offer formal training on all the tools, software, apps, and devices your team uses. Ensure this training is continuous, as most of these tools come with constant updates that must be learned.

In addition to training your team on how to use the communication tools and apps you’ve implemented, ensure everyone has equal access to these and all of the tools they need to do their jobs.

Hybrid work models assist employees in creating a solid work/life balance, but they also can result in employees overworking themselves and essentially burning out. So, beware.

> Beware of Burnout

Burnout is real, even in a hybrid work environment. Although many workers see the hybrid model as an opportunity to create balance in their lives, a massive pool of workers struggle with setting boundaries when working from home.

It can be difficult to clock out when working from home. The “one more email, one more phone call, one more paragraph” mentality can turn an eight-hour day into a 12-hour day like that.

Encourage your team to set a clock-out time when working remotely, preferably the same as when working in the office. Also, familiarize yourself with the following signs of burnout so that you can initiate a supportive conversation with any team member displaying them:

• Consistently late clocking into work
• Calling out frequently
• A declining performance
• Slowing professional development
• Isolation
• Lack of engagement in team meetings
• A shift in how they socialize
• Physical signs of fatigue
• Zoning out
• Emotional outbursts

You can also implement weekly check-ins to prevent burnout.

> Implement Weekly Check-Ins

As a manager, you must take an interest in the well-being of each member of your team. When an employee doesn’t take care of themselves, it affects the way they feel and work. Implementing weekly check-ins can help you gauge how each employee is doing personally and professionally.

Set up a recurring time each week to meet with the entire team and each person individually. In these meetings, ask questions like:

• How are you feeling today?
• How are your projects going?
• What’s your favorite part about your work?
• What goals do you have for the week? The month?
• Do you have project ideas you’d like to discuss?
• Are you getting the training you need?
• What resources do you need?
• Do you need a break?
• How is life outside of work?
• Are there any struggles you’d like to talk about?
• How can we better support you this week?

To manage a hybrid team, you’ll also need to ensure your supporting staff is in place.

> Ensure Your Supporting Staff is In Place

Your hybrid team must be backed by more than just management. Ensure your supporting staff is in place and equipped with all they need to drive your hybrid team forward.

For instance, an HR specialist plays a crucial role within any company, but especially in one that uses a hybrid team. They can:

• Educate hybrid workers on policies that affect their type of work and benefits that can assist their performance.
• Familiarize themselves with the challenges a hybrid team might face and can help employees and managers deal with them.
• Recruit and hire top talent that can excel in a hybrid workforce.
• Lead initiatives that support personal and professional growth.
• Create virtual and in-person team activities that support connection.

Lastly, offer resources to your team that support their hybrid schedules.

> Offer Resources That Support Hybrid Workers

If you want your hybrid team to succeed, provide them with resources that allow them to do so. Resources that support hybrid workers include:

• Personal and professional development opportunities
• Ongoing upskilling training
• Mental health resources
• Public transportation discounts
• Commuter resources
• Access to various tech tools
• Quality in-office support
• Stipends to design an at-home office
• Childcare resources

Ultimately, the success of your hybrid team is highly dependent on how well your workers are physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Therefore, providing them with resources specific to navigating a hybrid work schedule will help them achieve ultimate wellness and, in turn, give their all in their respective roles.

Conclusion

All in all, hybrid teams are perfectly feasible, if managers lay the proper foundation and look after the wellness of their employees.

While implementing a hybrid work model is far from easy, the tips above can help you create and manage a hybrid team that is most productive for your business. If done correctly, hybrid work models can incite a more outstanding work/life balance for many workers and a more productive operation for company leaders.

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How Feasible Are Hybrid Teams In Reality? was originally published in ProofHub Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.