We think hybrid work is going to rule the modern workforce in 2021 and beyond. When workers return to the office, 82% of business executives by Gartner surveyed in 2020 indicated they would let them work remotely occasionally. Furthermore, between January and May 2021, interest in the search term “hybrid work” doubled, according to Google Trends data on web searches.
Any business owner can attest to the difficulties in controlling a remote team. However, managing a hybrid team is presumably considerably trickier. Any business owner can attest to the difficulties in controlling a remote team. However, managing a hybrid team is presumably considerably trickier.
Hybrid Work: What Is It?
For those who are unfamiliar with the term, a hybrid workforce is, as the name implies, a blend of in-office and remote workers.
Work that is hybrid can take many different forms. Employees may spend some time at work and some time at home. Or certain team members may only work remotely, while other team members may only work in an office.
Your hybrid team’s organizational structure should take into account a variety of factors, including teams work, industry, personnel preferences, office space, and resource availability.
4 Hidden Traps Of Managers Of A Hybrid Workforce
The biggest challenge for managers of a hybrid workforce is managing people from different backgrounds who work in different ways. In particular, managers need to be aware of four hidden traps that are common when working with a hybrid workforce:
Believing corporate culture will take care of itself
Company culture is a combination of art and science. It’s a delicate situation that can be affected by leadership, hiring decisions, the workplace culture, values, and how successfully individuals foster relationships outside of the workplace. It’s a complex balancing act involving human capital that is frequently in constant change.
Teams that have hybrid organizational structures may become disjointed. There may be cliques and divisions among office personnel and non-office staff. Naturally, we tend to develop close relationships with the people we work with most frequently.
Neglecting To Think Contextually
Work that is hybrid is subtle. Usually, two major factors dominate how leaders think. First, what proportion of our workers should work from home rather than in an office? Second, how many days should we let each person work remotely?
It’s crucial for business executives to think contextually in addition to these defining issues. Your choice of how to divide your team into a hybrid structure should take into account both everyday circumstances and corporate preferences.
Not Dividing Up Company Data
Teams that perform well are frequently data-driven. Many businesses are utilizing hybrid team monitoring software for developing hybrid workforces, such as employee monitoring, productivity analytics, time tracking, and project management tools.
Interpreting the data from these tools in a mixed setting necessitates a further level of investigation. In other words, you should segment the data to reflect the differences when employees work in and switch between several locations.
Sticking Strictly To The Hybrid Structure
What organizational design is ideal for hybrid work? Are there two days at work and three days away from home? Should I spend two days at work and three days at home? Should one-half of the workforce work remotely, while the other stay in the office?
The answer is that there is neither a single correct response nor a predetermined one. In order to discover the ideal fit for your people and business, a hybrid structure should be fluid constantly reviewed, and altered.
Bottom Lines
In the end, managers themselves are the ones who need to shift their perspectives and learn how to work effectively with a hybrid workforce. Proper training, support, and an internal understanding of the benefits of this kind of workforce can pave the way for more appropriate management of such teams.
