Maintaining Work Culture in Hybrid Workplaces

During the pandemic, employees realised that working from home is enjoyable and has many advantages, such as increased flexibility and time savings. Naturally, many people have come to prefer the option of working from the comfort of their homes.

According to a Gallup poll of some 140,000 Australian workers, roughly half of the jobs available to the workforce are remote-capable, or in other words, able to be done from home at least part of the time. Before the Covid-19 pandemic, roughly 60% of jobs were considered strictly on-site.

According to Gallup, nine out of ten employees who can work remotely prefer some level of flexibility in the future, and six out of ten favour hybrid employment.

“The 2021 Accenture Future of Work study found that more than 80% of people want the choice of a hybrid workplace because it’s the best of both worlds. Those who worked in a hybrid model during the pandemic had better mental health, felt less burned out, and felt overall better off, according to the study. “

While employees and supervisors have proven they can maintain productivity regardless of where they work, the new normal requires changes to how things operate. Leaders, managers, and employees alike will have to adjust how they operate to ensure their workplace culture translates to a hybrid work environment.

What is a Hybrid Work Environment?

Just to be clear, a hybrid work environment is when a business with a physical office also allows employees to work from home part or all of the time. If an employee works from home 100% of the time, they’re a remote employee.

What is Work Culture?

The phrase “work culture” might sound like jargon, but it is an integral part of the decision-making process of creating and running a business. A business’s culture is propagated through how its leaders choose to exemplify and convey its values as an organisation.

A company’s distinct approach to work is where culture starts. Think about the essential elements of your ideal workplace culture and how to implement them. A transparent, independent corporate culture can be developed, for instance, by giving employees freedom and trusting them to complete their work from home.

Research by John Kotter shows that businesses that build an effective culture see results in the form of retention, increased revenue, net income, and stock price.

While it is challenging to convert a company’s culture to a hybrid environment, it is possible through the application of several sustained, thoughtful actions.

Why Is Maintaining a Good Work Culture in Hybrid Work Environments So Challenging?

Companies and the people within are used to being able to build work culture in person. It’s a big adjustment for people to develop and maintain the same kind of connections through a screen that they are accustomed to building at meetings and in the break room.

Embodying a company’s culture is complicated in person, and building a constructive and productive environment can feel complicated when people are working all over town and perhaps all over the country.

It will take conscious, thoughtful effort, but for companies that want to keep moving forward and accommodating their employees’ needs, it will be possible to adapt their culture to a hybrid environment.

Ways to Maintain A Good Work Culture in Hybrid Environments

Start with Leadership

Your leadership team must serve as an example of your company culture. Whatever your organisation values most, be it customer service, creativity, kindness, ingenuity, or whatever else, your executive team should be paving the way.

To ensure your leaders do this, allow your employees to submit anonymous feedback. That way they can report back to you on whether your leadership team is showing up without fear of reprisal.

Shared Company Goals & Purpose

Whether your hybrid employees are new hires or veterans at your company, you will want to regularly reestablish your company’s goals. Share what your short- and long-term goals are during meetings, events, and more, and make sure people know how you plan to accomplish them.

Knowing you are united around a common purpose brings people together. That can go a long way to establishing camaraderie despite not being in the same building.

Prioritise Onboarding & Training

About a third of new employees quit after six months of working in a new position. Employers in various industries have begun focusing on bonuses, incentives, and anything they can do to entice quality employees to stay on in the wake of the Great Resignation.

One of the most important parts of the retention of new employees is establishing processes for onboarding and training, especially when employees are remote or hybrid. According to an article from Slack, a messaging program designed specifically for the office, 20% of all employee turnover happens in the first 45 days of employment. When onboarding makes an employee feel uncomfortable or anxious, they’re less likely to stick around.

Managers should allow new employees to get past the uncomfortable instructional period of onboarding and learn how they fit into the organisation. Clear expectations of performance and behaviour, education on workplace safety and codes of conduct, and asking for feedback on the onboarding process within the first month of employment can help new hires feel more certain and comfortable as they settle into their new position.

Trust

A hybrid work environment necessarily requires high levels of trust in your employees. You have to trust that they are staying on task, being productive, and performing the duties your company needs to keep moving forward.

However, if trust is conveyed by company leadership to its employees, that has its benefits. According to a 2021 McKinsey study, high levels of team trust are associated with lower staff turnover, higher stock market returns, and higher levels of customer and employee satisfaction.

Those who feel trusted by their companies report less stress, more energy, and more productivity, according to the Harvard Business Review.

Clear Communication

It’s better to err on the side of too much communication, especially when dealing with employees who can’t just pop into your office and ask you a question.

Communicating frankly and regularly about the expectations, requirements, and needs of the company will prevent misunderstandings and discomfort. When employees are happy, they are more productive and interact better with other employees.

According to a Harvard Business Review study of remote workers, the best managers are those who check in regularly. While introverts may thrive in the quiet of their homes, some workers may feel isolated and left out when they work from home. Regular check-ins, whether via email or Slack, may help those employees feel included.

Including your working-from-home employees in your decision-making process can help them feel included as well. Ask their advice, then follow up and let them know what you decide.

You can also consider making regular surveys of your hybrid and remote employees to get an idea of how they feel about various aspects of their work. For example, you could ask employees to briefly describe your company culture.

These phrases should ideally align with the overarching mission of your business. However, if they don’t match, the words will, nonetheless, reveal how your employees feel about the company. You have two options: either you can build on this foundation, or you can take advantage of this as a chance to reintroduce and reinforce the culture you wish to foster at your place of business.

Connect Virtually

Experts suggest once-a-week meetings one on one with your hybrid or remote employees. As long as you are providing relevant and engaging topics in your meetings, they should be welcomed by your employees.

There are a growing variety of communication tools meant for connecting employees who aren’t in the same building. You can use Google’s Meets, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to have virtual meetings. Applications like Slack allow easy, intuitive communication to take place without clogging up your inbox.

If members of your team are still working one-on-one with customers, there are tools like Salesforce, LiveChat, and more to organise and streamline your customer support process. If you have a need for your hybrid team, chances are, there’s an app that can help organise the process.

Conclusion

While it may take some effort, it is possible to provide the same values and mission to employees who work a hybrid model as those who come into an office every day. Finding the right resources and tools will go a long way toward making your hybrid employees happier and more productive. Clear communication and regular check-ins can help encourage employees who are not in the office setting.