Hybrid working is here to stay. Letting your staff work from the office and from the comfort of their home is no longer a work perk for many, but a requirement for employees and employers alike.
How do you cultivate a work culture that allows for honesty and trust, and ensures that your team maintains a healthy work-life balance? Here in this article, are 5 tips for keeping your staff morale high during hybrid working advised by TANK Team Development Director Louise Stewart.
Regular communication is a must
It’s invaluable to foster a culture of constant communication in a hybrid working environment. Lead weekly team meetings which explain not only what’s happening in the business, but also celebrates the success of your staff. You could also use this meeting to give people the chance to talk about what they’ve been getting up to outside of work. It’s important to focus not only on the team, but also on the individuals.
During the pandemic, there has been so much uncertainty. A quarterly business update allows the team to see the bigger picture of where the company is heading, fostering an open and honest culture and helping people feel more secure in their roles.
Take ownership of team development
Your staff should always know that they have someone that they can talk to, whether they’re work-related or personal concerns. Whether you employ a team development manager, or one of the company directors or line managers takes on this responsibility, there must be a point of contact for all of your employees to feel that they can relay any questions or issues that they have. These dedicated people, separate from the line manager structure, will also make sure that the culture of the company stays strong.
Regular one-on-one meetings with each team member encourages trust and will allow your team to feel they are being listened to. And don’t forget about personal development – just because they’re working remotely, your staff shouldn’t be at a standstill with their career progression.
Encourage your team to take breaks
Without the commute, it’s all too easy to sit in your home office and continue working over lunch or late into the evening. With video meetings now taking over the face-to-face chat, make sure your staff take the time to have regular breaks away from their laptop.
Just as they would in the office, encourage them to regularly step away from their computers and to try and finish on time. It’s important to get a good work/life balance and when your home is your office that can be more difficult.
Know your team’s opinion on returning to the office
After 18 months of working remotely, people may be hesitant to return to the office – even if they used to be happy coming in five days a week previously. Obviously, it depends on the needs of the business as to whether you are happy to consider flexible working in ‘normal times’, but consider a staff survey to gauge how they’re feeling about returning to the office.
Being transparent about these results helps to build up trust and shows the team you are listening to their views and putting procedures in place or making changes to meet their needs.
Go the extra mile for your new staff
New starters can find it harder to work from home, as they can’t just lean over and ask questions regularly. They may also find it difficult to bond with the people who previously formed connections in the office.
Ensure you have a well-thought-out onboarding process, so they feel welcome and can get to know various members of the team – even if they won’t be working with them often. A dedicated colleague to look of for new starters is important as it gives them someone they can turn to with any questions. Also, if anyone else in the team has started with your company remotely, it’s useful to put them in touch. Weekly team drinks, whether remotely or in person from time-to-time, will help employees to connect and get to know each other outside of the work environment, which will also help boost staff morale.
