Best Practices To Manage Hybrid Teams In 2022
The rise of hybrid working models has created a need for teams to be able to collaborate and share ideas, regardless of their physical location. The good news is, this can be achieved through virtual collaboration. According to Adil, MyPrep, the concept of employees working closely with other people who may be on-site, off-site, or moving between the two, is new to most companies and requires careful management.
We asked 34 entrepreneurs what their thoughts on the best practices to manage hybrid teams in 2022 are, and these are what they said:
#1. Build An Intentional Culture
"One of the most challenging aspects of running fully distributed teams is to create an engaging and vibrant culture. To do this, we make sure to design rituals so that all team members get to interact in ways that go beyond their daily work-related activities. We also have created a "fun" channel on slack where employees post memes, pictures of their pets, or even funny videos. Afterward, we are thinking of even hosting digital events, contests, and other ideas that our team might enjoy."
Thanks to Bytensky Shikhman, Criminal Lawyers.
#2. Use a Tool Like Time Doctor
"We are using different tools to manage our employees. Our favorite tool is time doctor which is a remote employee monitoring software. It is an affordable tool for all sizes of firms. The software helps to keep track of employee work hours and shows their productive and idle times to analyze performance. By sending periodic pop-ups, it also allows you to keep employees engaged at work."
Thanks to James, Los Angeles House Cleaners.
#3. Be Available for Your Remote Team
"At Surgeon Network, we use to manage our remote employees by trying to be available for them and listen to their issues 24 hours. There are times when remote employees try to reach their reporting manager and discuss work-related challenges. Whenever they fail to connect with their superiors, they often have to make a decision. It could create management issues, so it’s better for any platform to be available after business hours too."
Thanks to Allison Goodlin, Breast Reduction Scars.
#4. Focus on Trust and Output
"Some people think that the best way to effectively manage remote teams is to install software that records their screen or prevents them from accessing some sites. In my experience, this barely ever works (if anything, it is counterproductive). Instead, we have created a system that revolves around trust, and our team's ability to deliver high-quality work on time. This is the reason for our business related to Leather Jackets to rise to the peak."
Thanks to Megan Hoffman, ARK ETF Stock Holdings .
#5. Keep One on One Discussions
"You won't have time to discuss concerns with your teams because you'll be working remotely. So, give employees more one-on-one time, and allow them to contact you via Skype or any other app without regard to time zones. Turn on your availability because your employees will have no idea when your door is genuinely open. This open communication can help strengthen trust between employees and managers."
Thanks to Chad Brinkle, Toyota Tacoma Accessories.
#6. Trust and Communication With Employees Is Crucial
"Running a successful hybrid model can be simple with a few boundaries set in place. When it comes to hybrid working, trust and communication with employees is crucial. The whole idea of hybrid work in my company is to offer flexibility and a good work life balance. Ensuring workers are both doing this and excelling in their job come hand in hand. In this day and age, providing employees with freedom and comfortability in their job leads to them wanting to do well, instead of having to do well.
To keep contact regular and effective, we optimize all softwares available to us. These include slack and google meetings. We also ensure there is atleast one day in the week where everyone is in the office. I personally think having this day reduces the feeling of isolation, keeps workers in the loop with one another and offers a chance for face to face interaction."
Thanks to Daniel Di Cerbo, Owner, Willowdale Equity
#7. Establish Clear And Open Communication
"We could start with the basics of managing remote teams and then go further. To me, the basics are:
- Establish clear and open communication.
- Create an 'accountability culture.'
- Provide the right tools for your team.
- Empower the team.
These topics above are basic and important, but here at talentify.io and sabido.com- same company, different departments- we also care for diversity. For instance, imagine how good the decision-making process can be when there are people with different cultural backgrounds, gender, religion, and others in a remote team.
They provide the manager with different viewpoints, ideas, and perspectives. In our experience here, when remote teams see their views are taken into consideration, even if the final decision is not exactly in their "way," it triggers that sense of "being part of," so hard to get when working "away" from the company."
Thanks to Stephen Alaimo, Owner Biotech Termite & Pest Control Owners
#8. Facetime vs Face time
"Avoid falling prey to 'proximity bias,' which favours team members with whom you have more frequent face-to-face contact. Proximity bias can also influence our perceptions of productivity and performance, leading us to believe that the employee we see is working harder and delivering more than those we don't. Your attitude and actions as a manager form the team culture, and your perceived bias may increase conflict between remote and onsite employees. Employees were more productive when everyone worked from home, according to research conducted during the pandemic. As a result, the assumptions based on proximity bias are disproved. Keep this in mind when you manage and evaluate each employee's contribution."
Thanks to Lanny Tuchmayer , motorcycle accident lawyer
#9. Transparency and Trust
"Employees feel most secure when they know what's going on and why choices are made. This is especially vital during a time of crisis, when many people are feeling isolated due to physical distance. Even as employees gather on site, managers should be aware of this persisting need. Keep in mind that employees want to know what's coming next, even if it means receiving bad news from the organisation. Employees want more than simply organisational transparency.
They also value leaders who admit when they don't have the answer to a question. Or are willing to share a personal narrative about overcoming adversity or making a mistake. Managers are sometimes hesitant to be transparent because they fear it would ruin their image or cause people to doubt their leadership abilities. Transparency, on the other hand, generates trust, and trust encourages employee involvement, according to workplace studies."
Thanks to Sara Johansson, Findithealth.
#10
As hybrid teams are becoming more commonplace, best practices for managing these teams are becoming clearer. Here are some tips to keep in mind:
1. Start small: Hybrid teams can be too big to handle at first, but it's better to start with just a few people than to have no one at all.
2. Recruit from diverse backgrounds: The best way to ensure that your team has the diversity you want is to make sure that you're selectively recruiting from diverse backgrounds, rather than trying to build everything yourself.
3. Create a culture of open communication: The most important thing about building a culture of open communication is that it's not just about sharing information; it's about creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable being themselves and sharing their ideas as well as their expertise.
4. Listen carefully: It's important not only to hear what people have to say but also how they say it—so that you understand what they mean by "open communication" or "diverse backgrounds."
Deepanshu Bedi, Co-Founder, Exhale Well
#11
Whether working from home or the office, the popularity of hybrid work is increasing every day. What does it take to manage hybrid teams in 2022? First, building trust is vital in a hybrid setup. Leaders and members should have respect for each other in order to work harmoniously on site or remotely. Second, it is important to have good communication. This will be good for both personal and work related needs of the team. Communication makes the team members feel valued and respected. Lastly, investing in the team’s equipment and training would be worth it. This will equip the employees with skills and confidence to work efficiently and ensure that tasks are done with high quality.
Erin Zadoorian, CEO, Budpop
#12 Have well-trained managers on board
Managing hybrid teams is more complex these days. Hence, having well-trained managers to handle employee collaboration and oversee the entity's operation is highly needed. Entities need to hire and train managers in accordance with what a hybrid work setup requires for them to fit the required skills. Investing in this aspect will allow them to have a smoother workflow and efficient management despite the changes in the work setting. Besides, operational managers are great influencers and carriers of success so they should be the first ones to cope and develop skills required in a hybrid setup.
Chris M. Walker, CEO, Superstar SEO
#13 Strengthen internal communications.
Internal communication directly influences your company's performance as such functions as a mediating variable for everyone's inputs and disputes— and an exemplary platform where communication easily takes place demands this. That said, Discord is a viable messaging app that groups teams accordingly, allowing you to pin crucial messages and start video calls anytime you like. Speaking from experience, Discord has allowed the viability of information to be disseminated to specific teams, which heaves more accessible communication and avoids discrepancies in the intended messages, apart from exhibiting more professionalism in the workplace. Regardless of employee count, Discord can delegate any instantaneous communication-related concern, as per my experience with my two previous companies.
Ultimately, it's crucial to conduct monthly stay interviews as they can be used by managers to better understand why workers remain and what can drive them to leave. Managers ask conventional, scripted questions in a rhetorical and conversational approach during an effective stay interview, albeit it can be done written. After compiling answers, it's the manager and the company's responsibility to compress which answers have in common. Scrutinize how they can ameliorate a needs-improvement input—or, on the flip side, scrutinize how they can continuously foster the ideologies of an appreciative input.
Sam Browne, Co-founder, HARO SEO
#14
1. Make sure everyone on your team is clear about their role and responsibilities. It's helpful if they know what they need from each other and who they should go to when they need help or advice.
2. Keep communication open. This is important so that everyone knows what each person is doing and why. This will help everyone feel like they're working toward the same goal.
3. Schedule regular meetings with members of your hybrid team. This is essential so that they can share feedback and talk about goals for the year ahead. It is important that your team has access to all relevant information about their projects so that they can make informed decisions about how best to perform their duties within those projects.
Anton Giuriou, Co-founder, Homesthetics
#15
As businesses become increasingly global, it is becoming more common for teams to spread across multiple countries. It can lead to time zones, culture clashes, and communication difficulties. While there are some advantages to having a hybrid team, it is crucial to be aware of the potential problems and implement some best practices to manage the team. Here are some best practices for managing hybrid teams in 2022:
1. Have a clear vision and objectives for the team. Without this, it will be challenging to keep everyone on the same page and working towards the same goal. Create clear guidelines for communication and decision-making. Establishing ground rules will help ensure that everyone can contribute and that decisions are democratic.
2. Build trust within the team. Do it by setting up regular video calls or face-to-face meetings and encouraging team members to socialize outside work. Use video conferencing and collaboration tools like RingCentral or Zoom to keep everyone connected and ensure everyone is aware of the team's goals.
3. Have a good project management system in place. It will help keep track of deadlines and milestones and ensure everyone is working on the right tasks.
Businesses will be well-positioned to manage hybrid teams effectively in 2022 if they follow these best practices.
Charles Helms, Founder, Tracking Advice
#16
Managing hybrid teams could be challenging, especially if you are new to this type of management. To help you, here are two tips:
1) Conduct hybrid meetings. Collaborating with team members is vital for every business because, through sharing of thoughts, you can gain new ideas to keep the business growing. Since it is challenging to do if you have team members onsite and offsite, you can make it possible with virtual meetings.
2) Use project management apps. Using apps like Trello and Asana can help you monitor your team members' productivity as well as the status of their work. Regardless of where they are working, you can see the progress of your business in just a few clicks.
Loran Marmes, Owner, Medicare Solutions Team
#17
Our best practices for managing our hybrid team resonate to our company's goal to empower and inspire people to lead a happier and healthier lifestyle.
In our team, we first understand what motivates our members. If we don't know how they think or what makes them move, we won't be able to get the best out of them.
We also created a culture where feedback is valued. During the days they are in the office working, 1 on 1 meetings are scheduled. This is so far the best way our members feel safe and productive to give feedback. We make sure everyone gets their say without being afraid to take any criticism. This means removing barriers that stop people from sharing ideas.
Lastly, we allow our members to take a well-being day. This is part of our leave benefits where every team member is encouraged to pause and have a break when they feel things are overwhelming. This is the best time for them to rest, workout or spend time with their loved ones.
Louis John , Founder , What’s Good Online UK
#18
Managing hybrid teams requires more dedication and focus. Everyone in the team should establish open communication, this is one of the vital factors that will push the team to its success.
Let everyone know that you are also within arm’s reach. That whenever there are issues and problems, they can easily reach you.
Communication is a two way process, and as a leader you should do your part.
Also, you should set a clear objective. It helps everyone to be on the right track. Be clear with your directives instead of leaving your team hanging with very little information.
And establish fairness and support for your team. It is also good to check on them from time to time on how they are doing, whether it's about their tasks or life in general. Let them know that you value and appreciate their efforts. All in all, be sincere and have a heart for your team.
Be kind and empathetic. And don't forget to integrate fun, and look for ways to ease the stress and pressure from work.
Shoaib Mughal, Founder, Marketix
#19
Make team and project cooperation a top priority in your business. Create an inclusive workplace environment where remote attendees can enjoy the same benefits and access as on-site attendees. Ensure that expectations are distributed fairly among your employees, regardless of their position or setting. As the employer, you must generate effective and inclusive operations and benefits that develop and maintain internal relationships within your company.
Demand collaborations and team meetings to regular occurrences so that they can use and maintain their bond in order to work as a unit. The expansion of utilities will follow—for your employees to be able to meet both digitally and physically in order to get the most out of the experience from your company. Encourage your employees to step outside of their comfort zones by fostering a culture of risk-taking. This teaches them how to adapt to hybrid situations more effectively and comfortably—to the benefit of your company's operations.
Sinoun Chea, CEO, ShiftWeb
#20. Selecting the Most Effective Collaboration Tools
"Collaboration tools enable teams to communicate more effectively and work more efficiently on joint tasks and projects as a result of their use. The tools that your team will require will be determined by how you intend to collaborate. Teams with in-house employees, for example, might have very basic requirements for collaboration tools, but teams with remote employees will rely far more heavily on them for even the most basic of communications and group tasks.
Unlike any other team communication platform on the market, Slack is capable of transforming instant messaging into a true productivity tool. Google Drive may be sufficient for the most basic document sharing and collaboration needs you may have."
Thanks to Ankit Bhardwaj, Owner of VPN Helpers
#21. Offer Training To Remote and On-site Employees
"As most companies are implementing a hybrid work setup, we as founders must learn how to provide our employees a healthy work environment. Offer training to remote and on-site employees. This will surely help them perform better than letting them adapt without proper knowledge about the tools or systems you provide for them.
Also, make healthy communication be part of your company culture. Encourage everyone to connect with their team members. It will not only build trust but also the cooperation of everyone for every task given to them.
Thanks to Anthony Vaccaro, VP, TimeWatch.
#22. Freeing Company Culture
"To improve remote work experience for employees, I recommend creating a freeing company culture, and tracking results rather than hours. At our company, I've implemented Performance Reviews each month to discuss individuals' performance but also ask those hard questions to figure out if anything is off! Listening is a huge part of maintaining connection with employees. Additionally, I began using goal setting to keep people focused towards the right tasks. This type of strategy can’t be implemented overnight, but just as-long as there is attention towards it, and you follow with action - it will happen."
Thanks to Bob Scott, Owner of sell land for cash.
#23. Employee Obsession
"Be obsessed with your remote employee’s welfare and everything will follow. At our company, I made sure to focus on improving my team’s remote work experience by becoming obsessed with them. I gave them a voice. Understanding what they really wanted was the key. I conducted regular surveys and even set up anonymous suggestions. Listening to them allowed me to see areas that needed improvement. Then I focus on enhancing those areas to build an outstanding remote work experience that results in better collaboration. Once you sort out the real essence of team collaboration, you’ll enable your team to look at the bigger picture.. It’ll not only teach them to go beyond their comfort zones but will certainly let them take your business to the next level as well.
To further improve my team’s remote work experience, I made sure to organize the team to get more things done. I use Proofhub. It enables me to gather everything in one place and gets everyone to work together. With it, everyone is on the same page and confusion is eliminated. And a seamless collaboration and communication is not only your takeaway but an outstanding remote work experience as well."
Thanks to Admir Salcinovic, Co-founder, PriceListo.
#24. Engender Team Spirit
"My best tip is to make sure that you still engender a team spirit as part of your company culture. If you don't do this hybrid workers can easily become demotivated. One way we've done this with our hybrid team is to mandate that everybody come into the office on Wednesdays, and after work we all go for company drinks."
Thanks to Marc Bromhall, Founder, StorageBuddy.
#25. Troubleshooting and communication Optimization
"Troubleshooting and communication optimization are the keys to successful hybrid real-time collaboration. Challenges must be anticipated, and adequate measures should be taken to prevent them. On the other hand, good communication will aid in getting everyone on the same page with new frameworks and process updates.
Enforce Software Access: This is critical because employees must be able to do their duties successfully whether they are on-site or working from home. To avoid continuity conflicts, they must also use the same software."
Thanks to Esther Strauss, Stepbystepbusiness.
#26. Stop trying to recreate the office!
"Accept that this is a new environment, approach it as such and move on—your hybrid team will appreciate it. Instead, ask them what they need to be productive. Is it the right tool or software? Is it 30 minutes daily where everyone breaks down what their tasks for the day look like? Whatever it is, do a little digging, and don't be afraid of the new things you find out about your team and maybe even yourself."
Thanks to Harrison Hosking, Marketing Manager, Keak.
#27. Create Employee Resource Groups for Remote Workers
"Employee would say that Employee Resource Groups [ERGs] are employee-led organisations that bring together employees who share common interests, backgrounds, or demographics. ERGs are an efficient technique to create relationships amongst employees that benefit both the team and the enterprise. Appoint an employee who is enthusiastic about team culture as the ERG leader. They will coordinate meetings with the group to discuss subjects such as efficiently working remotely or participate in team-building activities such as a virtual games night. Along with fostering team culture, ERGs may aid in overcoming the numerous obstacles associated with diversity and inclusion in the workplace."
Thanks to Véronique Raymond, The Good Choice.
#28. Make adjustments to your onboarding procedure
"Hybrid models are often long-term objectives. You must consider the individuals who are now on your team and those who can join your team in the future. In a hybrid team, bringing on new team members necessitates thinking through all aspects of your workplace culture and workflow that could have been communicated without consideration if employees worked next to one other in an office. If a lot of unwritten knowledge is required to be effective, the new team member will ramp up slowly or not find the new role fulfilling, while the rest of the team will miss out on the benefits of having a brilliant new person to assist them in getting the job done."
Thanks to Sergio Diaz, CEO of Keynote Speakers.
#29. Train for replacements
"While hybrid work has many benefits, it is critical to ensure that all responsibilities for the day are handled if a team member is unavailable or on vacation. Cross-training allows individuals to gain competence in new areas while also collaborating with members of other teams. Employees should be paired up and given training on their day-to-day tasks. Request that each employee produce a guide that outlines the procedure for a specific process and send it to the person they are training. This provides a chance for workers to get to know one another better, build understanding, and see tasks from a fresh perspective."
Thanks to Marvin Magusara, ISO Cleanroom
#30. Establish Efficient And Easy To Use Channels Of Communication
"One tip to manage a hybrid team is to establish efficient and easy to use channels of communication that are accessible and used by all members. This may involve utilizing a chat service like Slack, Teams or Zoom to exchange fast messages, scheduling frequent video conferences or phone check-ins, and utilizing a project management tool to ensure that everyone is on the same page regarding what has to be done. Multiple communication channels enables employees to communicate effectively with one another and helps in ensuring that everyone is on the same track."
Thanks to Daniel Di Cerbo, Passive Real Estate Investing.
#31. Set Clear Rules of Engagement And Develop Daily Rituals
"When clear rules of engagement are established upfront, everyone knows what to anticipate, and productivity increases. Team members, for example, must understand which questions require a team meeting and which should be directed to an instant message or email. Managers must be disciplined about checking in even numerous times a day especially when staff is remote. Most collaborative teams need daily stand-up meetings, but they're much more important when they're not co-located. Whatever approach you use (Kanban, Scrum, etc. ), make sure you stick to it and communicate your team's daily routines clearly and consistently."
Thanks to Nurse Beth, Nurse Code.
#32. Requires Correspondence
"Openness is of the utmost importance for beating both those worries, and for forestalling groups telecommuting feeling disengaged, exhausted, and left out in the event that they aren't overseen appropriately. Correspondence cuts across everything in the work environment from the manner in which a pioneer deals with a group, to how a group cooperates and the innovation they're utilizing to do as such."
Thanks to Jennifer Curtis, Owner, She Cooks She Eats.
#33. Use Software That Allows Teams To Communicate
"Hybrid work models are used by 63% of high growth companies. What does this mean? It means that over half of fast growing companies have adopted a hybrid work model. Many developed these models before the pandemic but since the pandemic, even more companies have adopted some sort of hybrid work program. Using software that allows teams to communicate, share work, and work on projects together such as apps like Atlassian and Monday.com.
Having team meetings on Zoom or some other communication platform is key to properly managing hybrid teams effectively. There needs to be a way for everyone to communicate and reach out as needed, even during non-working hours. There are many other ways to manage hybrid teams effectively."
Thanks to Melanie Peterson, Co-founder, ConsumerGravity
#34. Recognize Employee Contributions
"For our online best time-saving tools and techniques, we value remote workers as remote workers tend to log in more hours as compared to in-office employees. They might feel unappreciated even after working hard. Don’t let this discouraging feeling sink in your employees. Make employee recognition your top priority. Regular recognition from managers and colleagues can boost employees’ morale, confidence, and productivity."
Thanks to Andre McNaughton, Simplelifesaver
What do you think are the best practices for the hybrid work model? Let us know in the comment box below
#35. set clear flexibility standards
The best way to effectively manage a hybrid team is to set clear flexibility standards. In a hybrid work model, managing schedules can often become very challenging. So unless you have set clear standards and expectations for your workers. Encourage them to set their schedules in a way that they complete all their designated tasks and get enough time off as well. The best way to keep your in-office and remote employees on the same page is by providing them with the right tools. This goes for both collaboration and communication. One of the best collaboration tools is Google Workspace, while a great communication tool is Slack. With these tools, you can ensure remote and on-site employees stay in touch and there are no gaps in communication.
Irene McConnell, High-performance career coach at, arielle.com.au
#36. tips for managing a hybrid team
As companies reimagine the work environment to incorporate both remote and in-office teammates, hybrid work is evolving. With or without time zones, hybrid team management is a huge shift for some. Here are the tips for managing a hybrid team.
1. Setting key sessions
Team members should be accessible and attentive during key sessions. If you have team members in several time zones, negotiate synchronized and asynchronous work times. Consider the amount of flexibility for asynchronous working time.
2. Scheduling a free-time conference
Appoint free meeting times during the week to let everyone concentrate. This forces everyone to be more careful about whether a meeting is needed vs. an email or other contact. Having team members in separate time zones creates a built-in free-meeting interval.
3. Promoting work-life balance
As a leader, remind your employees that you don't anticipate emails sent beyond business hours. If you need a quick reply, message them. This may help workers feel less pressured to be "always on" and offer them more time to pursue individual interests outside of business.
4. Setting team messaging app rules
Incorporate "silent hours" for a chat app prohibition and status signs to assist team members communicate when they're available for cooperation and when they wish to avoid interruptions. Specify the sorts of interactions the team wants through email vs. a messaging service.
Christa Reed, head of market reserach