How to be a Manager in the Hybrid Workplace

Much of the hybrid world is uncharted territory – and not just for entry-level or mid-level workers. Managers have been struggling to help workers do their best in person, and technology has been more of a hindrance than a help for many. Opportunities for organic one-on-ones have been taken away and replaced with exhausting meetings, and it’s hard to know what feedback is important enough for a personal call, and what can be relegated to an email. How can we rethink management in the hybrid work world, and how does one become a better manager for remote and in-person teammates alike?

A recent study from Joblist revealed that the longer someone works at a company, the less likely they’ll be to receive feedback from bosses. If you’ve been at your job for less than a year, on average, you’ll be receiving feedback four times a month.

Many bosses also have attempted to hop on the bandwagon of “callout culture,” and give employees public feedback through email chains and in larger meetings. Of this sample, 25% of employees who often were “called out” for poor work in public arenas reported not feeling motivated to work. In stark contrast, 60% of those who received regular informal feedback through small meetings, emails, or instant messages self-reported as “extremely” motivated at work.

It’s hard enough to juggle proper feedback and teammate relations as a manager, but adding hybrid teammates into the mix can feel overwhelming. Luckily, there are probably things you’re already doing that you can simply apply to a hybrid team, and consequently, you can then use those skills as a foundation to build upon.

Things you’re doing well

Managing hybrid teams can be a challenge, perhaps even harder than managing just a remote team. If you’ve got these key points down, you’re on the right track.

1. Consistently improving

Managers that aren’t interested in maintaining the status quo will have more success with their teams, and their employees will both hold them in higher regard and also go further themselves. In Joblist’s survey, it was found that 70% of those who asked for or received suggestions to improve their work performance were promoted at their current company.

Additionally, employees also held their managers in higher regard than those who simply offered impersonal feedback. Those who often heard unhelpful tropes from their bosses like “do your work” or “be better” were more unmotivated at the office. If you’re managing well, you’re not dancing around the specifics, and you’re always looking to help employees tweak their performance little by little until your team is a perfect, streamlined machine.

2. Right place, right time

The right feedback isn’t just about what to say, it’s where and when to say it. Employers who received feedback anywhere from three to four times a month from their managers tended to feel extremely motivated to work. Conversely, employees who only heard from their bosses two times a month tended to feel extremely negatively about their bosses.

Again, you shouldn’t be calling out employees in public forums to shame them into working harder, as that isn’t effective. Even something as simple as telling a hybrid member to turn on their camera in a team meeting might backfire. Take someone aside and offer them words of personalized advice – perhaps ask why their camera is off, as perhaps it’s for a particular reason.

3. Respect and appreciation

You don’t need to throw a cocktail hour or send “company swag” to your employees to let them know that they’re appreciated. Many employees mention that even the smallest things are the most motivated, and they appreciate both hand-written notes, acknowledgments of their hard work, and personalized emails.

Sometimes, your remote workers may feel left out of the burgeoning office culture you’re rebuilding in the wake of COVID. It’s important that you’re making sure they know that their work is being appreciated and that their presence is missed in the break room.

Things you could be doing better

If you’re managing well, then you’re constantly seeking to improve both your own performance and how your employees work together. And if you’re seeking to improve your work environment for everyone, here are some things you could be doing better to overcome the roadblocks of hybrid team building.

1. Don’t neglect your long-time workers

As mentioned previously, long-time workers don’t receive as much feedback as the fresh faces on your team. Sure, this may be because the learning curve has been passed, and the longer you work somewhere, the better you are at the job. But just because you’re better doesn’t mean that you’re beyond growth or recognition. A good manager makes sure that employees are well tended to, like flowers in the garden of your company.

There’s a consistent fear from managers working with hybrid teams about neglecting their remote workers and focusing too hard on their in-person employees. However, it might be helpful to shift your focus around experienced teammates versus new ones. Whether your workers are hybrid or in person, it’s best to adjust your feedback based upon where the bar is set for that individual, and not whether you see their face on a screen or in real life.

2. Be honest, but don’t be mean

It’s never easy to tell someone that they did something wrong – it’s so hard, in fact, that many managers don’t do it at all. Joblist’s poll mentions that almost 50% of managers didn’t give their employees truthful feedback due to “discomfort” around how it would be received. Though many managers seek to shy away from discomfort, in truth it can be beneficial to aid the growth of both an employee and yourself.

By learning how to relay potentially hurtful or negative information in a way that’s received well by the other party, you learn to become a better manager. And by withholding said information from your employee, you’re robbing them of the chance to better themselves for this job and for the next one.

The fear of saying something that comes off as rude or cruel might be an indicator that you have some unchecked aggression about this employee, this task, or the team you’re reviewing. In order to overcome that fear, look inside yourself first and get to the root of your rage before it comes out in ways you can’t control.

3. Know what kind of manager your employee needs

The last tip for managers is that they can’t be the same type of boss for every employee, especially when some are in the office and others are at home. When managing remote and in-person workers at the same time, it’s absolutely vital to recognize that in addition to everyone’s strengths, weaknesses and attributes come to their limitations and flexibility. Not all hybrid teams are alike, and if you’re managing multiple hybrid teams, they might all have different dynamics at play. That’s why it’s important to

To really hone in on how to make your teams as efficient and synergistic as possible, have a one-on-one with each employee, and ask them what it would take to best feel supported. For some, that might mean a helping hand that guides them with tons of check-ins and frequent emails. Others may be interested in a more hands-off approach, and they might work poorly under micromanaged conditions. No matter what, make sure you talk to everyone at least once a week, as that’s what the data dictates is the sweet spot for employee and management relationships.

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