Over the last few months, Geri McKenna and I have shared a number of blogs related to ensuring your team is working effectively in a hybrid way. This month, we are focusing on considering your mindset as a manager and will share some thoughts on what mindset will best serve you as a hybrid team manager so that you intentionally support your team and act as a role model.
Let’s start with what, if any, assumptions are you making about hybrid working?
Start with Why
As we work with different teams and organisations, we are noticing that some managers are assuming that being in the office more is a good thing however it is done. If as a manager you are wondering ‘how do I get my team members back into the office more often?’ it is possible you are starting with the wrong question.
Elon Musk has said that workers need to be in the office for 40 hours a week to be productive, but research shows that productivity is predictable – if an employee is productive in the office then they will be at home, and, if employees are told that they must be in the office for 40 hours there are likely to be costly repercussions. For example, among those required to return to the office full time, 64% say this makes them more likely to look for a new job.
AND – if you want your team back in the office because you think employees need to be in the office to maintain a sense of connection and belonging you are only partly right – research shows that hybrid workers report more connection & sense of belonging than in person workers! There are reasons for this and we’ll share more on this in a future blog.
So – rather than assuming that being in the office more is a good thing, it is better to ask the question ‘why do my team need to be in the office?’ or, more comprehensively, “what form of hybrid, remote, or in-person working will meet the needs of the business and my team members?”
Once you’ve worked this out with your team (see ideas from our July blog) Dave Prezzano, managing director at HP UK and Ireland sums up the role for the leader: “Rather than try and push staff back to the office, business leaders would do better to equip and empower people to perform at their best – wherever they may be.”
Effective Manager Mindset
With this in mind, what do you need to be aware of in your thinking and approach to your team in order to support their effective hybrid working?
- Aim to be transparent and show vulnerability
Trying out an approach to hybrid working generally comes with challenges. Being open and transparent about that with team members enables people to speak up when things aren’t working for them. Lee Chambers, business psychologist suggests that ‘managers need to expect the unexpected. There will be times when it doesn’t work, but it’s about how you react that really sets the tone for the whole team. As a manager, it’s actually important to acknowledge that you’re learning how hybrid working works as well. We’re all kind of learning how to do this together.” - Be aware of any unintentional biases
It is easy to think that someone you are seeing in the office is working better than someone you can’t see … or that someone who wants to come into the office more is more productive even if someone that doesn’t works more productively at home. Do you think less of someone who only comes in for the mandatory team day versus someone who chooses to come in 3 days a week? Watch out for these potential biases and give yourself the best opportunity to understand all of your team members and their performance whatever their hybrid working preferences. - Aim to be fair to everyone
Building from point 2, it is important as a manager to take care to be fair to everyone regardless of where they are working as there is a risk of a 2-tier workforce (e.g. in-office ‘insiders’ benefiting from proximity bias). Managers need to evaluate their inclusiveness, state expectations of inclusiveness, and aim to treat team members equally where-ever they are located particularly in relation to:- Development
- Ensuring they are heard
- Enabling them to perform at their best
- Be aware of what you role model
Make sure you understand the potential impact of your presence in the office – just because you prefer to be in the office 4 days a week it may not be the right balance for others (in terms of where they best perform, as well as their wellbeing). Seeing you there that much may impact others’ perceptions of what is most accepted (in office v at home) unless you are explicit about your expectations.
These 4 points are a good start. There are more things that you can consider that help and we’ll share more next month. In the meantime, we’d love you to share how aware you have been of the above and how has this awareness adapted how you work with your team?
Sources:
Forbes – why return to work ultimatums are dangerous
Topia – Adapt to work everywhere
Leading a hybrid team? A manager’s guide to getting it right – CNN
How to Win the Hybrid Workforce Revolution – The Washington Post
Proximity Bias: How to Avoid It | ThoughtExchangehttps://www.raconteur.net/workplace/lessons-from-the-successful-adopters-of-hybrid-working/
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