In a hybrid work environment, adopting the right employee engagement strategies holds particular importance. Hybrid work brings particular challenges—and opportunities.
Moreover, hybrid work has become the norm. Less than 10% of employees want to work fully on-site, Gallup reports. However, lack of a strategic approach to hybrid work can leave teams feeling disengaged. But when managed well, hybrid teams tend to be more highly engaged than on-site teams, Gallup emphasizes.
Let’s delve into some actionable strategies for hybrid work engagement, exploring how to build connection, foster collaboration, and maintain productivity in today’s flexible workplace. Then, we’ll dig into how to clearly track your results to assess what is working.
Table of Contents
- Challenges of Employee Engagement in a Hybrid Work Environment
- Strategies to Foster Engagement in a Hybrid Model
- Measuring Engagement in a Hybrid Work Model
Challenges of Employee Engagement in a Hybrid Work Environment
While hybrid work brings many benefits, it also poses several challenges. Let’s discuss what each of them entails.
Communication and Collaboration Barriers
Hybrid work can pose communication challenges. Some people feel more comfortable talking via screens than others, for example. For those who already feel insecure about speaking up in meetings, talking on video calls can feel daunting. Struggles with fostering team cohesion can arise for the same reasons. Brainstorming and collaboration may not flow as naturally as they would in person, which can undermine team creativity.
Unequal Access to Resources
In a hybrid workforce, disparities can easily arise between in-office and remote workers. In-office workers may have stronger bonds with supervisors and leaders, for instance. They may also have greater access to opportunities and resources.
“Hybrid working risks creating a ‘dominant class’ of those who feel like they’re central to the organization and strongly committed to it and an ‘underclass’ of those who feel peripheral and disconnected not only from the work, but also from the social life that creates meaning and bonds employees more closely to the organization,” writes Martine Haas in Harvard Business Review.
Risk of Isolation
Remote employees may feel disconnected from their team. Working on a dispersed team can lead to feelings of loneliness and make it difficult to foster a strong sense of culture. Without having built a rapport in person, coworkers may not feel they know each other on a human level.
Difficulty with Disconnecting
For remote workers, it can be tough to fully disconnect from the office. “Flexible work arrangements and extreme employee autonomy can quickly morph into a 24/7 work experience that becomes difficult to turn off outside of normal business hours,” asserts Gallup.
At the same time, a well-managed hybrid team tends to enjoy greater wellness than in-house employees. Plus, burnout tends to be 12% lower, due to the mental health benefits of flexible work, asserts Jennifer Dulski on SHRM Labs’ WorkplaceTech Pulse.
Strategies to Foster Engagement in a Hybrid Model
Let’s explore some best practices for overcoming the challenges described above. By following these hybrid work engagement strategies, you’ll build a thriving hybrid team.
Prioritize Clear and Consistent Communication
Use tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or email to share frequent and transparent updates. Schedule regular check-ins for individuals and teams as well. Holding regular team meetings and weekly one-on-ones with direct reports will greatly enhance camaraderie, clarity on goals, and communication.
During team check-ins, you can each share something about your life to build a human connection, like one fun thing you did over the weekend. Taking a moment to talk about something outside of work can reap big rewards. You can also practice embracing vulnerability by sharing something you found challenging. As a leader, you can set a strong example by naming the difficult feelings you experienced when dealing with a setback, for instance. Or ask a meaningful question, as Dulski suggests, such as, “How do you like to be supported when you’re having a tough day?” Listening to one another’s responses will help employees relate to each other more authentically.
Build a Culture of Trust and Autonomy
Fostering a strong sense of organizational culture holds special importance on a hybrid team. Strive to create a culture rooted in trust and mutual respect.
In particular, show that you trust people to manage their own working hours, rather than constantly surveilling them to ensure they’re putting in the requisite time. Look at outcomes and progress rather than minutes logged. This will boost accountability for achieving ambitious goals, while enhancing your relationships with direct reports.
Design clear feedback loops that allow people to share constructive input with one another, too. By encouraging open dialogue about concerns and ideas, you’ll bolster innovation, problem-solving, and workplace collaboration.
Additionally, bring people together for moments that matter, as Brian Elliott writes in MIT Sloan Management Review. If you live in close enough geographic proximity, hold a monthly potluck to meet up face to face. Team members will build a stronger rapport as they bond over conversation and a shared meal.
Leverage Technology for Collaboration and Connection
Invest in tools like Zoom and Trello to enhance remote teamwork. These virtual platforms can facilitate productive brainstorming and creative work sessions on hybrid teams. You can also use goal-tracking solutions to define and track team goals that you set during these sessions.
Adopt meeting facilitation strategies for promoting more effective workplace collaboration, too. To overcome hesitancy to speak up on video calls, intentionally make space for each person to speak and contribute. For instance, do a go-around to solicit opinions.
Offer Flexibility Without Losing Structure
Allow for hybrid schedules that accommodate different working styles and needs. For instance, some employees may prefer to start work early in the morning, before their children wake up. Others may prefer a traditional 9–5 schedule.
Defining clear expectations for work hours, deadlines, and deliverables will allow teams to prioritize flexibility while staying on track to meet goals. Set core hours for teams to meet and focus on projects together. During these times, employees can collaborate, brainstorm, share updates, or simply be available to touch base with one another as needed. Synchronizing schedules in this way, while still allowing for flexible hours, will enhance project workflow and build team cohesion.
Create clear project timelines with agreed-upon deadlines, storing them in a centralized place. Articulate what success looks like for each deliverable, too. This will help ensure alignment on goals and KPIs.
Promote Inclusivity and Equity
Ensure equal access to opportunities between remote employees and those who work in the office. Leverage an electronic platform for sharing in-house job openings, for instance. When considering potential participants for an exciting new project, make sure you’re considering remote and in-house employees equally. And create a more equal playing field by rotating which days you hold in-person meetings.
Similarly, create a standardized menu of training and mentorship options tailored to different levels and career paths. Discuss these options with all employees regularly. Likewise, ensure that all employees know which resources are available to them, and how to access them. These strategies will all help build a more inclusive and equitable culture.
HR should spearhead these efforts to promote inclusivity, coaching managers on how to prioritize equity. They can also review performance assessments and managerial decisions or recommendations, comparing results for hybrid vs. in-office employees to detect and address any bias.
Invest in Employee Well-Being
Offer wellness programs to all staff, encouraging them to take full advantage of these options. Check in regularly about mental health and workload balance. Providing benefits like these can support overall health:
- Mental health counseling
- Time-management support
- Financial guidance
- Gym memberships
- Nutrition guidance
Further, holding conversations that destigmatize mental health issues can encourage employees to seek crucial support.
Some companies are finding creative ways to embrace wellness. L.L. Bean, for instance, has implemented several paid vacation days, in addition to existing vacation time, that it encourages employees to spend outdoors. This supports employee mental health in a way that aligns with their culture of bolstering appreciation for nature.
Celebrate Achievements and Recognize Efforts
According to Deloitte, 85% of employees want to be thanked in routine interactions. Highlight employee contributions during team meetings, but don’t wait for that moment to share appreciation. Instead, reach out to employees in the moment to share gratitude or acknowledgement of their progress.
You can also feature their accomplishments in company newsletters. Name the specific ways in which individuals guided a project to success. Or, share why you trust them to handle a particular task.
Create a reward system to provide extra motivation and recognition, too. Make sure it values and incentivizes high-quality work handled by both remote and in-office employees.
Measuring Engagement in a Hybrid Work Model
Now, let’s examine how to actually measure the success of your employee engagement strategies.
Use Employee Surveys
Through surveys, you can gather feedback on employee engagement and satisfaction. For example, Primalogik offers anonymous employee survey tools that can uncover insights on the employee experience. By asking insightful questions, you’ll learn whether your employee engagement strategies are working. Inquire, for instance, about how connected they feel to their team and how enthusiastic they feel about their work. Look at survey results on similar questions over time.
Track Key Metrics
Monitor productivity, turnover rates, and participation in workplace initiatives to measure remote team engagement. Using performance management tools will help you track both remote and in-house employees’ efforts. By accurately assessing performance and growth, you can reward it appropriately. Further, you can use analytics tools to track changes in retention, use of benefits like wellness programs, workplace collaboration, and other indicators of success.
Conduct Regular Reviews
Assess engagement through regular employee reviews as well. In addition to performance assessments, conduct 360 feedback reviews, which have enormous benefits for hybrid teams. The insights on personal development provided by 360 reviews will help reveal an employee’s level of engagement and participation.
How often to hold these assessments? Either type of review can be project-based, goal-based, or time-based. For instance, you can conduct them after completion of an important project, following achievement of a personal goal, or on a quarterly basis.
By deploying these hybrid work engagement strategies, you’ll enhance what your employees can accomplish together. As you instill a strong sense of cohesion and affinity, you’ll build a nurturing team culture. Fostering a supportive hybrid work environment will lead job satisfaction and retention to rise in turn. And by strengthening remote team engagement, you’ll prepare your organization to reach higher levels of success.
Learn how Primalogik’s software solutions can boost hybrid work engagement — demo our performance management software!
