The hybrid work culture can be the “best of both” work types i.e. remote working and working from the office. But building a strong culture in a hybrid workplace is particularly challenging and involves a lot of planning and work. Let’s take a look at the top leadership strategies that will help you forge a robust hybrid work culture.
Why is it so important now? Why is everyone talking about building a hybrid culture?
Once the pandemic hit the world, all the companies were forced into remote work. Today, as the world is getting back to normal, we experimented with meetups in our office and they were largely successful. People were delighted to meet all of their team members and relive the pre-pandemic work culture. But, they are certainly not ready to work from the office every day. The people are more inclined towards the companies which offer the flexibility to work from anywhere, office or home. Hence, the need for a hybrid setup.
But how does one feel connected to the company and its people if they are working in distributed locations? Hence, the need to build the same culture in a hybrid setup and create a delightful experience for all from anywhere.
Understanding why that culture was so amazing will go a long way in building a new culture for the hybrid setup. The pre-pandemic work culture involved a lot of in-person activities, faster collaboration, quick approvals, or resolutions to blockers. No one had to wait for the other person to come online or get free from a meeting to revert to you. It simply involved just walking up to the person and within minutes your work was done. The pre-pandemic work culture also involved a lot of drawbacks like exhaustion due to work commute, no mental space of deep work, or more talk and less action.
The hybrid work culture can be the best of both work types ie. remote working and working from the office. It will involve a lot of planning and work. Let’s take a look at the top activities you can do to build a hybrid work culture:
Engagement and Meetups
In the past 20 months, people are exhausted sitting in front of the systems with minimal or no regular activity or human interaction. To solve this in hybrid culture-building, it is imperative to have activities where people get to connect and bond in an informal setup. It can be anything from virtual coffee chats to playing trivia online to virtual Netflix binge-watching sessions.
The companies can offer workspaces to the people who would love to work from the office a few times a week. Additionally, people who prefer fully remote work arrangements can be asked to join a week-long meetup once in 6 months where they can align, plan, collaborate, and set timelines for the business goals for the next 6 months. Annual awards, workcations, and meetups could be arranged at regular intervals for the entire company to meet and bond.
Strong Leadership Team
The leaders faced the massive challenges that came with the changes in work culture post the pandemic. They had to suddenly adapt to a scattered team and still ensure the business goals were met. Their expertise in handling in-office teams had to be upgraded to a fully remote team and now a hybrid team.
Now, culture-building and employee experience are on each business leader’s priority list. The leaders can help people by empowering them, keeping their teams engaged, taking care of their well-being, and aligning their personal goals with the business goals which will directly result in better productivity. The leaders can take help from the HR team to organize various fun events and learning experiences too. They need to ensure they are setting up clear goals with stretch opportunities for each and every member of the team.
“The leaders faced the massive challenges that came with the changes in work culture post the pandemic. They had to suddenly adapt to a scattered team and still ensure the business goals were met. Their expertise in handling in-office teams had to be upgraded to a fully remote team and now a hybrid team.”
Meaningful Work with Constant Growth Opportunities
With the increasing emphasis on wellbeing in recent times, the mindset towards work has changed. People are more inclined to take up jobs that provide the scope to do some meaningful work with constant growth or challenging opportunities. They want to spend a consciously defined time on their day job and then also invest their time in upskilling, side-hustles, or even spend time on personal fitness. Whatever time they are spending at work should be fulfilling and provide a lot of freedom for creativity and innovation too.
The companies can plan some innovation projects. They can invest their money in good learning platforms for their team members. A proper rewards and recognition program would go a long way in boosting the motivation of their team members. Continuously learning and innovative culture building in a hybrid setup are important.
“The companies can plan some innovation projects. They can invest their money in good learning platforms for their team members. A proper rewards and recognition program would go a long way in boosting the motivation of their team… Click To TweetPositivity and Trust
Trust is the key to defining your hybrid work culture. Trust will work both ways, leaders’ trust in their team and the people’s trust in the organization and its leaders.
