Although hybrid work is the new norm, its implementation is anything from mainstream – at least not yet. At this point, managers must think creatively and strategically in order to truly reap the benefits of a hybrid workforce rather than simply accept it.

The COVID-19 pandemic altered the workplace. Flexible work regulations and hybrid work models are becoming more common. More and more employees are working from home or remotely. Teams have become more diverse as the number of freelancers and contractors has expanded.

Some trends we’re seeing:

• On LinkedIn, as of May 2021, the percentage of paid remote job postings grew 457 percent year-over-year. In 2021, 9.7 percent of listings across all industries involve remote work, up from 2 percent in 2020.
• There has been a 22 percent increase in the number of freelancers since the pandemic, CNBC reports. More than one-third of Americans freelance and freelancers contribute $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy.

Hybrid workforces include an increased number of freelancers, contractors and remote team members. As they adjust to this new work model, companies still need to sustain workplace culture. But there are challenges to doing so.

Pre-pandemic, businesses that operated in offices also cultivated their work cultures there. Now, business leaders must unify scattered workforces. In the new landscape, employers are experiencing challenges like the following.

• New hires make 17 percent fewer connections compared with pre-pandemic, according to a 2021 report Vox report.
• According to Pew Research Center, 65 percent of professionals who are now working remotely most or all of the time, but never or rarely did pre-pandemic, say they feel less connected to coworkers.
• A 2020 study by Society for Human Resource Management found 2 in 3 employers said maintaining employee morale has been a challenge since the pandemic. More than 1/3 of employers are facing challenges with maintaining company culture.

In a hybrid workforce, professionals may communicate less with people from outside of their departments. Back in the office, there may have been opportunities for connecting with people in the cafeteria, in large group brainstorming meetings, etc.

To sustain a strong culture in a hybrid workplace, business leaders can take the following steps.

1. Schedule Social Events

Enable employees to strengthen bonds with coworkers and meet new acquaintances at work. As we’ve reported, company social events can promote higher employee engagement and increased productivity.

• For global teams, host virtual events everyone can attend, like a coffee chat or online happy hour.
• Host off-site excursions and team-building events at mask-mandated places, so employees are comfortable attending.
• Set up in-person volunteer activities employees can attend during work hours.

You can also survey your team to learn what kinds of social events they’re most interested in. When you present those opportunities, let your team know you integrated their ideas and value their input.

2. Nurture Transparency

Transparency results in a stronger company culture and increased employee engagement, according to a 2021 report by Glassdoor. When employees have visibility into company operations, they’re more likely to trust in and be loyal to the organization.

In a hybrid workforce, you can increase transparency using technology. Here are some ideas to help you do that.

• Manage workflows in a digital system, so team members can see each other’s progress and roadblocks on projects.
• Set up an employee communications network, where leaders and other employees can share and comment on company news and updates.
• Use video conferencing to host team meetings and provide check-ins/updates.
• Create a digital repository for items like performance review guidance, training materials, past projects and employee resources.

Be proactive in providing employees with what they need to succeed at work. That can eliminate frustration, save time and increase productivity.

3. Create a Mentorship Program

Career development is a meaningful part of company culture. A July 2021 study by Monster found 49 percent of professionals expect their employers to contribute to their career growth. But 80 percent of workers don’t think their companies provide development opportunities.

Read Also: Top 10 Online Jobs For College Students

Keep employees engaged with their career growth at your company by offering them the opportunity to participate in a mentorship program. Mentorship helps mentees by providing learning and training in-house, which can help them develop skills that benefit your business. For the mentor, participating in a mentorship program can help them be a better leader and manager.

Implement mentorship program goals and measure progress so the program is effective for participants. Additionally, use surveys and gather feedback to evolve your program.

4. Unify Teams with a Strong Mission

According to Glassdoor’s Mission & Culture Survey, 79 percent of adults would analyze a company’s purpose and mission before applying for a job there. A strong company mission and values give employees a sense of purpose. It can guide workforces and teams and drive business results.

Promote your business mission to all new hires and team members. Remind employees how their work contributes to the company mission.

Talk about your company values in team meetings and feature them in marketing materials. Use your mission and values to drive all parts of your business strategy.

5. Support Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) are the efforts a company makes to support a fair workforce. In May 2020, McKinsey & Company reported companies that prioritize DEI are more like to see success in:

• Employee engagement
• Retention
• Revenue

Employees want to feel like an organization enables them to express important aspects of their identity. To support this, employers should hire people from diverse backgrounds who have strong adaptability skills. It’s also important for employers to include diverse employees in decision-making. Workplace processes should offer equal possible outcomes for all individuals, so no one feels left behind or discriminated against.

6. Bring Everyone Together

Successful companies rely on organizational success; not just the results of individual departments. Support cross-departmental collaboration to strengthen company culture in hybrid workforces. You might invite team members from various departments to brainstorming sessions. Or have new hires meet representatives from various teams.

With a hybrid workforce, you can bring more transparency into company operations by hosting an all-team event at least once a year. Fly in global team members so everyone can connect in person.

How do You Create a Positive Hybrid Work Culture?

Putting together a team is a two-way street. On the one hand, your employees commit to use their skills and experience to propel the company ahead. Companies, on the other hand, agree to compensate them for their efforts.

However, there is more to it than that. Setting your team up for success, especially in hybrid situations, boils down to how you support them emotionally, intellectually, and physically. And it’s not as difficult as it may appear—the simplest things may create a happy work atmosphere and leave employees feeling like valued members of the business rather than merely salaried workhorses.

1. Prioritise onboarding and training

There was a time where starting a new job meant doing the rounds of the office, learning where the stationery cupboard is located and feverishly trying to learn all your new colleagues’ names. 

But for those starting their new jobs remotely, onboarding can feel daunting, and if done poorly, can impact retention. In fact 20% of all employee turnover is likely to occur within the first 45 days of employment, and only 59% of Australian knowledge workers feel their organization has onboarded new hires well. 

An employee’s first two weeks are crucial to creating a positive work environment. Just ask Katie Burke, Chief People Officer at HubSpot: “We use Slack to actually nudge people throughout their training and remind them of all the reasons they joined,” says Katie. Team leaders customize a bot to deliver exactly what they want new starters to know and when. Once they’ve settled in, a Slack notification can remind them of important first-day materials, connect them to employee resource groups and give them a heads-up on upcoming HubSpot activities. 

Ultimately, managers need to create opportunities to help get newbies through the awkward initiation phase and help them understand their role in the company. Some strategies include: 

• Introducing a buddy system or internal mentors 
• Sharing clear expectations around behavioral standards and performance expectations. 
• Ask for feedback on the onboarding experience, ideally within the first month.
• Educate them on workplace safety and codes of conduct 
• Clarify how you can work with them as a manager.  

2. Help your employees find a comfortable work environment

Remember back in March 2020 when we suddenly found ourselves WFKT (working from kitchen table)? Wherever your employees are working, they need to feel empowered and comfortable to do their best work. This means supporting them to create comfortable home offices and workspaces. Remember, employees can’t do their best work in a space they find disruptive.

• Hybrid workplaces: If your team is coming into a physical office space regularly, focus on creating a comfortable, productive space. This encompasses everything from ergonomic furniture to temperature-regulated interiors. Adjustable standing desks and well-positioned computer screens can not only alleviate pain but can also affect employees’ emotional well-being and promote focus.
• Remote workplaces: If your employees are working from home 100% of the time, consider providing them with a stipend to spend on home office equipment, as well as a workplace self-assessment and resources on ergonomic safety. 

And beyond physical comfort, it’s also essential to account for your employees’ mental well-being. While working from home can open up work opportunities for those who don’t live in major cities, it can also be isolating and can blur the boundaries between their home and work lives. 

According to the Australian Productivity Commission, some tools that organizations can employ to support their employees include setting up an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) or appointing a contact person in the organization who workers could talk to about any concerns related to working from home. 

3. Conduct regular check-ins

It’s no surprise: People who actually like coming to work do better work. And contrary to popular belief, creating a positive work environment for your team doesn’t have to be complicated. 

46% of remote workers believe the best managers are the ones who check in frequently. And in the case of remote employees, they need to know they are being supported beyond the confines of regular 1:1 chats, especially if they’re used to being able to walk over to your desk and ask a quick question. Err on the side of communicating too much, and use collaborative tools to ensure an open flow of conversation.

You can also include your team in decision-making: send them a quick informal message asking for their opinion. Then show care and attention by following up. You’ll be surprised by how much these small actions can boost productivity across an organization, regardless of an employee’s location.

4. Encourage team collaboration and communication

As a leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure that team members don’t feel left out.

Of course, you can’t always be in the same room to create an inclusive atmosphere. That’s why establishing efficient and effective communication is essential. A few ways you can do that include:

• Using dedicated channels for new projects
• Including coworkers inappropriate email chains
• Making team priorities easily accessible, like pinning them to the dedicated Slack channel. 

Simple, straightforward, and honest communication builds a team’s foundation. It also creates a sense of community that will contribute to the group’s success moving forward. Plus, it can make new hires feel supported, even when the management team isn’t available.

5. Develop a strong workplace culture

Every company’s values and priorities will be different. The main thing is to create a culture that unites employees and sets a clear direction. That said, it’s not always what you say, but how you say it. Here are some of our favourite examples of companies that have developed a positive workplace culture: 

• Square encourages staff to adopt a ‘virtual commute’ so that employees can ramp up in the morning and disconnect in the evening. 
• HubSpot builds a community with four core employee resource groups that are open to anyone, from fledgling HubSpotters to executives. 
• Culture Amp has a Slack channel for every city and encourages local camaraderie through interest-based clubs like knitting, cooking and dog appreciation. 
• Trivago gives employees a voice thanks to a customizable Slackbot called Leo to check the pulse of their employees. Responses will inform what HR and organizational development teams prioritize. 
• Shopify built an app called Rate My Plate that announces the lunch menu an hour before. Rate My Plate also lets employees vote on the tastiness of the meal, data that helps the front-of-house team plan future orders.
• Canva uses an integrated online culture platform Disco so colleagues can give shout-outs to their colleagues. Every time someone gives kudos, the app comes up with Canva’s six values that we can attribute their great work to.  

6. Facilitate opportunities for learning

When it comes to setting teams up for success, it’s tempting to focus on the things that will make them more productive in the short term. Workplace learning and experimentation, however, is equally important. Employees thrive and performance increases when a company becomes a true learning organization that prioritizes professional development.

Providing opportunities for informal learning and knowledge sharing is also key, especially with new hires. A company can save millions in lost productivity by making sure that employees have access to the information they need to do their jobs.