In Part 1 of our corporate insights into hybrid working, we shared the highlights of our recent roundtable for Timewise Partners, at which we explored how two organisations are approaching the principles and design of sustainable hybrid practices.
But of course, the work doesn’t stop once these have been agreed; it’s equally critical to understand how to implement the changes, and to do so in a way that is both fair and inclusive. This second part explains how our two organisations are approaching these issues, and shares their answers to some specific questions from attendees about making hybrid a reality.
How can companies equip managers and teams to deliver hybrid well?
Our speakers agreed that it was important that all members of a team are clear about what their responsibilities are, and how they will collaborate to make it a success. They also noted that line managers need specific training on how to manage, connect and develop a team which is not together all the time. Their advice for leaders and managers includes:
- Ask teams how they want to work. One speaker mentioned a toolkit which included a flow chart which helped employees plan their week and decide where best to locate themselves based on the work they had to do.
- Create checklists to define team ethos and day-to-day ways of working such as having regular stand up meetings, bringing people together for workshops and one 2 ones.
- Consider the best way to use the tech. Some companies are even investing in VR headsets to help everyone feel in the same space.
- Think about how to manage meetings when half the team are in and half out. Many organisations are asking everyone to join meetings virtually, even if they are in the office, to avoid those who are physically present from dominating.
- Explore the best way to configure the office, including spaces and opportunities for collaboration and bonding.
- Find ways to facilitate remote connection. Set up virtual ‘working rooms’ that team members can drop in and out of to chat and bounce ideas around.
- Implement ways to help teams collaborate informally with other parts of your organisation. One speaker mentioned a platform used within their London office which connects random people every six weeks for a coffee.
- Provide advice and guidance on how to stay healthy, such as encouraging people get up from their desks and log off at the end of the day when working from home.
How can leaders ensure that their approach is fair and inclusive?
Our speakers also highlighted the challenges that hybrid working can create regarding inclusivity and fairness. There was a consensus that these should not prevent companies adopting a hybrid model, but that they do need to be addressed if the model is to succeed. Insights shared with attendees include:
- Mind the influence gap; avoid a disparity of access to managers and leaders between an office based ‘in-crowd’ and their more remote-based peers, by creating protocols around when and how often people attend the office. Failure to do so will disproportionately affect women, carers and people with health issues.
- Think specifically about how to support people for whom virtual interaction is not preferable; for some with disabilities, for example, too many Zooms can create problems. Create guides for the full spectrum of communication channels and remind team members to use a mix. Bring back the old-school phone call, and empower people to block out Zoom-free time in their calendars.
- Be mindful about how formal virtual meetings are run, so that everyone’s voices are heard. Create protocols around participants introducing themselves before they speak. Assign responsibility for bringing in people who are not contributing. Circulate an agenda with clearly assigned roles in advance and follow up in timely manner with notes and actions in case anything gets missed.
- Get creative and consider wellbeing opportunities for more informal interactions such as walking meetings, or offer wellness classes or psychotherapist sessions so people can unwind and download.
- Think about how to schedule client meetings or other social and learning events to include parents and carers, for example avoiding evenings where possible.
- Engineer opportunities for ‘community collisions’, where colleagues can bump into each other informally, within the working week.
- Ask employees what is working for them and share their ideas across the organisation.
What else should be considered?
Our speakers also shared a few of the other issues that they have started to consider as part of their hybrid working implementation. Their snapshots include:
- There is a need to put extra time and thought into induction processes for new starters, to ensure the relationships and trust that are made easier with physical proximity aren’t being overlooked. This might include facilitating 121 conversations with their key stakeholders; scheduling regular check-ins with their line managers; creating an expectation around open and frank feedback. Start from a position of trust, with a ‘trust now, confirm later’ mindset.
- Not everyone will immediately buy into the concept of hybrid working, so it’s important to work to bring more cynical or traditional managers on board. Talk to managers in their language and find ways to tie in the move towards hybrid with the ongoing success of the business. Find champions at management level and use them to talk to their peers; use case studies, featuring real life examples of how it has worked elsewhere in the business or externally.
- While some leaders are concerned that a hybrid model means a double investment in tech, this doesn’t have to be the case. Many hybrid workers use the same laptop at home and in the office, sometimes with monitors and keyboards; with increased agile working becoming the norm, it’s worth some investment to get ahead of the curve.
Instead of looking at it from a purely cost perspective, consider re-framing the question around the types of work people will do in different spaces, then set up the office space to facilitate more collaborative work, networking and making connections. Priming employees to think in these ways about where they do particular pieces of work will help get the best from both.
And the last word goes to one of our speakers, with a final, spot-on principle: “If you rush and stumble into this, it will go badly wrong very quickly.” If you need help getting it right, take a look at our hybrid working workshops, or get in touch to find out more about our bespoke consultancy services.
Published May 2021
