Considering that the old ‘normal’ could be rather inflexible and often demanded presence in the office in preference to prioritising performance, will we all be applauding the prospect of a hybrid working environment?
Will agility and flexibility be celebrated?
Will employees be able to combine face-to-face meetings alongside working remotely as appropriate to both the business requirements and their personal situation?
It is certainly a situation which will encourage and enable greater diversity in the workplace.
I, for one, am really excited about this.
And, I also appreciate that there are challenges for both managers and employees when working in this way.
Motivating and engaging remote teams requires consideration, energy and thought.
Encouraging creativity and facilitating an environment for teams to share ideas, build relationships and establish good working relationships can be hard when you’re not all in the same space together or in the same time zone.
How are you preparing for the challenge and opportunity of leading your team in these new hybrid working environments?
Are you envisioning with your people how you all might want this to be and how you can make it happen?
Regular, effective communication is crucial, of course.
Are you establishing clear objectives?
Are you checking in regularly, making sure that formal and informal feedback is being called for, heard and acted upon?
Are you ensuring that the whole team feels valued and is encouraged to contribute?
If you want a thinking partner to explore this with you, expand your ideas, challenge your pre-suppositions and help you create, plan and implement your way into this new era, feel free to connect.