How Do You Build A Strong Hybrid Team?

Team Management and Learning have increased over time after the pandemic. The simple understanding of team management refers to the acts, strategies, or techniques that assemble a group of people to function well as a team and accomplish a shared objective. 

Teams are a crucial component of productivity because many tasks require more than one person to complete them. When it comes to tasks, one person from every team delegates the details and sets a pace that the team is looking for to complete that specific task. 

This is similar in the business world where the CEO's mission and vision towards the company is to enlighten the employees to bring those ideas to life. Each team works differently but they all have one common goal by the end of the day. 

Best Practices Of Hybrid Team 

The best practices of a hybrid team will always look at flexibility with employees' schedules and work habits. Also, when it comes to hybrid teams employees have more control in managing their team with a full understanding of their work habits till they are at full capacity. 

1. Develop Inclusivity and Trust 

When it comes to trust and honesty each team member should be treated equally and fairly. The aspect of a remote team but as a hybrid team it can lead to some challenges.  

Each team works and delegates tasks + projects differently. A hybrid team looks for trust and maintains inclusiveness because there are meetings among teams. This looks at all sorts of meetings at level of team building that are: 

1. Employees working from home may believe that individuals in the office have more access to the boss and other team members. 
2. All team members should continue to participate equally in the one-on-one sessions that leaders increased during the pandemic.
3. In a team meeting, leaders should strive to provide psychological safety. 

To accomplish this, leaders, supervisors, and managers must intentionally include all team members and all meeting participants. This will promote a feeling of community.

Sense of belonging matters in any company because it makes any employee working on any team feel included. For work purposes, managers and supervisors need the understanding that working in a team and managing a team takes time. Since they are learning how and what each employee works on or needs improvement. This also starts slowly building an inclusive work environment and helps them develop trust in employees. 

Similar to remote and hybrid employees, according to Zoom's survey which revealed that 82% of users found increased trust in videos used for remote one-on-one and team meetings.

2. Communication 

Communication is vital in any workplace because it helps employees look at personal and practical needs. This can be found in remote or hybrid teams. 

At Litespace, we are a remote + hybrid team supporting each other but communicating on a daily basis helps the team understand how you delegate tasks and as they see improvement they will always. 

To show empathy and real concern, leaders must put each team member's personal needs first. This talent, a result of the pandemic, is essential for maintaining a balance between remote and in-person personnel because remote employees may feel underappreciated.

Leaders must retain "lift and shift" abilities in order to effectively manage remote and in-person employees, ensuring they feel valued and involved in spontaneous workplace dialogues and establishing a happy work atmosphere.

3. Strong Team Culture 

The team culture is another critical and it matters whether it is remote, hybrid, or onsite. The hybrid team is essentially a new team which means we have developed a new term, and leaders can give their new team a successful start by developing a "team charter." 

Here is an example of a Team Charter: 

As seen above we are looking at the “ The Pillars of Team Charter”  but as the company grows team charters are documents that outline the goals, procedures, and expected results for the team. They are "roadmaps" that the team and its sponsors draw up at the start of the journey to ensure that everyone is aware of where they are going and to provide guidance when things become difficult.

The team's leader and members reach a consensus on the team's purpose, responsibilities, objectives, and measurements. They also establish guidelines for conversations and gatherings.

4 - Mental Health 

Mental Health and wellness come together when teams and their leaders look out for the team at certain times. We always look for ways for the team to break the ice and become comfortable working as a team. 

At times we do need to consult or set a time we as a team can figure to understand our team members. Just taking the time to speak to them and creating an atmosphere where the leader is showcasing understanding to see if any support or feedback is needed. And that matters to every single member working. 

Tips to build on Mental Health and Wellness awareness: 

1. Foster Open Communication 
2. Avoid Burnout or Overworking 
3. Emphasize company mental health values 
4. Lead and Learn from example 

Building Hybrid Team Structure 

The hybrid Team structure is exactly like an organizational chart of the company in a “hybrid form organization”.  The hybrid team structure is well-skilled in knowing technology applications such as Slack, Asana, and project management tools. 

We are looking at the Hybrid team structure which is a framework in which different reporting structures are used in the company. Each hybrid company has its handling reports to onboard employees. 

How do you design an effective Hybrid Team Structure? 

That is the question many stumble upon to figure out what needs to be added before setting the actual structure. We still need to consider the following for a hybrid team structure to understand your team: 

• Goals
• Roles
• Responsibilities
• Tasks
• Dependencies
• performance measurement
• Communication and Coordination 

This helps identify essential functions, challenges, and opportunities of working in a hybrid mode.

The Pitfalls of Hybrid Team 

1. Difficulty making a connection

Due to different hours, time zone differences, and in-office work, remote workers have difficulty connecting with their coworkers, which can make interactions with them more difficult.

2. Employee Experience can be inconsistent 

Because communication, meetings, and social activities might change when working in a hybrid environment, this can lead to inconsistent employee experiences. It may be impossible to include remote workers in talks, thus uniform rules must be established to provide a consistent user experience.

3. Establishing in and out groups 

Companies may unknowingly favor in-office workers due to their visibility, resulting in unequal career advancement and a lack of a sense of belonging. According to a Gartner survey, 64% of managers give office-based employees bigger raises, discouraging remote work and rewarding those who do it.

Managing a Hybrid Team 

If the communication aspect is done properly, avoiding the pitfalls described above will also have a positive impact on the team's productivity and collaboration. Small groups have more visibility with a bigger team, and generating a sense of belonging can encourage a larger team to gather in both remote and hybrid settings. 

When leading a hybrid team, consideration must be given to employee experience because a motivating goal can leave a lasting effect on the group. In my personal experience, we must always exercise patience and flexibility in order for any employees to feel at ease working in any setting.