Managing a team of people comes with its challenges, but when members of your team are in and out of the office - working from home or doing a mixture of hybrid working, your management skills could be put to the test.
A hybrid model comes with many advantages. Your employees could be more productive as they are able to work hours that are more suitable to them, they can reduce their stress and financial commitments of commuting to work and find themselves enjoying a better work/life balance. As an employer you can also reduce your overheads. However, managing a team of hybrid workers requires awareness and plenty of planning.
Our expert Employment Lawyers at Lamb Brooks share some tips on how to best manage your team and get the most out them…
- Motivate and Encourage
Some workers will thrive working at home and will be very capable of self-motivating, whereas others may need additional support. Ensure that you get to know your team and their different motivators and ways of working to provide them with the best support.
- Be Inclusive
One of the most important issues to address for managers is to treat everyone fairly and make sure that the whole team is included in communications and group decisions. It could be easy to have a discussion with the team members who are in the office and unintentionally leave out workers who were not in the office. Try to save any announcements for when the whole team are together or communicate via email to all.
- Re-Think Your Meetings
Consider how you will hold team meetings. Will you insist on staff coming in for a group face-to-face meeting? Will this be practical under your new ways of working? Will a virtual meeting be more time-efficient? You may wish to avoid zoom/teams fatigue by holding a mixture of both virtual and face-to-face meeting, or use calls, emails or memos to communicate. Ensure that those working away from the office are not excluded from meeting invites.
- Check in Regularly
Whilst many people have accustomed to working from home over long periods of time, it is still important to check in with all members of your team regularly, to ensure that they have all the support they need, whether that be the right IT equipment or access to information, or HR and/or emotional support. It would be advisable to set review meetings to check on a regular basis if the working arrangement is still working for them and the business.
- Support Your Leaders
Ensure that your management teams have the right support and training to adapt to managing a hybrid workforce. Knowledge sharing between other managers or heads of departments could also benefit, as they can share best-practice, new ideas and help each other to solve problems.
- Make the Office Fit For Purpose
Make any adapations needed to have a productive and efficient workspace. If you are hot-desking or desk-sharing then make sure spaces are clear, clean and easy for staff to set themselves up at and use. Ensure work kitchens are stocked and that facilities are available and suitable for those who are in the workplace.
- Use IT
Make the most of useful IT solutions to help keep your team and workload organised. Use online calendars, work-flows, portals and of course, communication tools such as Skype, Microsoft Teams and Zoom. It may be the perfect time to organise refresher training for certain software to ensure all staff members have the tools to work as efficiently as possible.
- Still Socialise
Be sure to inject some fun into the workplace. Many have continued to hold after work drinks or quiz nights virtually, however, it is important to get real face-time to build rapport, make friendships and encourage better working relationships. Organise events to bring the team together for team bonding or socialising.
- Have the Right People
Hybrid working can open up the workplace to attract the best talent. People who live further away from your company’s offices, have mobility issues or commitments outside of work may now be able to offer something to your team. Equally, not everyone thrives under a hybrid workplace and there may be people that are not happy with the changes or decide to move on.
- Have Clear Targets and Expectations
It can be complicated when you have teams working flexibly. It is important as a manager to be very clear and direct when giving instructions, expectations or setting deadlines. Does ‘end of the day’ mean 5pm or does it mean 10pm to someone working flexi-hours from home? for example.
Updating your Policies, Employment Contracts and Procedures
It is important that all your paperwork compliments and supports how your business operates. If you have transitioned from a typical office environment to a hybrid or completely home-working structure, then you must ensure that your employment contracts, policies, handbooks and procedures are all updated. This will help to protect you should anything go wrong and will help you to set clear expectations that truly reflect how your business runs now.
If you need help reviewing your suite of employee documentation or need advice on any disputes over flexible working or restructuring your business, then please get in touch with our specialist Employment Team.
Get in Touch
To speak to our Employment Law Team, please call 01256 844888, email enquiries@lambbrooks.com or speak to our online chat assistant via the website, at any time of day.