Manager's guide to hybrid working

Hybrid working is a combination of remote and collaborative working.

Remote working is where an employee's work is done outside of our main offices. It's not dependent on having teams in the same workspace or exclusively in an employee's home.   

Collaborative working is where people come together at available locations for work needs, networking, team meetings, training or for those roles who require access to a site for work purposes.

We know from our research that most people prefer a combination of remote and collaborative working. Given the range of services at the council, we know the models of hybrid working will differ in each team.

Every employee and every team is different. In leading your team, you'll need to meet the needs of your service as well as the needs of your team. 

Things to think about before beginning hybrid working

Roles at the council will fit into one of four workstyles. There are some things you'll need to consider for each workstyle when planning your team's move to hybrid working:

• will your staff be working or reliant on other employees who have a different working style?
• how can you make sure everyone is engaged and feels connected to the rest of their team?
• will space be available at the work base when its needed?
• what types of activities would take place at the work base? Can these be done anywhere else if necessary?
• do you have a plan for team collaboration and meetings – for example, will all meetings be online? 

Think about where, when and how your team works

This section is about what's important in getting the work done when your team isn't all in one place.

We're adopting a 'remote first' approach. This means we assume meetings will happen remotely, unless there is an exception.

However, humans are social creatures and some level of physical human interaction can be beneficial. 

Decide when it would best to work in the same location

Being together in person helps build and develop better relationships. Physical meetings can help:

• team development
• conflict situations
• introducing a new colleague for the first time
• in the early stages of working with a partnership organisation

Being in the same space helps us read body language and non-verbal cues more easily. It's helpful when you want to encourage:

• creative sessions involving idea generation
• sharing and collaboration
• successful project kick-off sessions
• good preparation for longer periods of working together
• when there is a need to access specific equipment or resources

For example, if it is important to run a full day workshop it would often be best to do this in person as it's less tiring for all participants than delivering virtually. 

Decide when might it be better to work remotely

Remote working can be useful:

• for work that requires individual focus and deeper concentration
• when you need to bring together people who are located across a large geographical area

There are no hard and fast rules, and what works for one team might be difficult for another.

As a manager you need to decide how your team works based on:

• the needs of the service you work for, and its users
• the individuals involved – their personalities, preferences, level of skill and their roles
• the maturity of the team and the dynamics between team members
• what you're trying to achieve
• the type of the meeting or session
• your own confidence and leadership skillset

​Be flexible about when the work gets done

Some people are more productive at particular times of the day or might want to incorporate some non-work activities in the traditional 9-5 day.

How far you can support this will depend on the team member's role

Think about:

• what needs to be done during traditional work hours and what can be done at any time of day
• what work can be done remotely and what might need to be done in person
• whether the team member needs to interact with others during the day or not
• making sure flexible working arrangements are fair and available to all team members
• how one person's arrangements might affect the workload of other team members
• a trial period. Be willing to have an honest conversation if the arrangements don't work, or if they need to be changed

It's important to make sure information is shared fully and good communication channels are established so everyone is included.

Find out your team's views on when and how you use different communication channels, for example, email, Teams, meetings. Agree some rules that everyone can commit to.

Part of your role as a leader or manager is to adapt your approach and style to get the most from your team. They're all individuals and will have different preferences, styles and home lives.

Differences in team members' circumstances may make it harder for some people to work remotely. The experience of remote workers can be affected by the:

• physical space they have to work in
• quality of internet access
• demands of parenting and caring 

Think about the maturity of your team

Newer teams can struggle more with not being together in person. It can even lead to team conflict, lower job satisfaction, less knowledge sharing. The overall performance of teams increases the longer they work together.

Older teams tend to have greater knowledge about their teammates and understand the how their work fits into and affects other areas of the service. 

Plan your time

Remote working can mean more meetings, and less time to do everything else.

Time set aside for focus and concentration allows us to think and reflect deeply on our work, but also helps us to switch off from work

Managing time well and making sure there's enough space in the day for focus and concentration can help prevent burnout. If there's  too much work, your role as a manager and leader is to help team members address this and find solutions.

It's possible to protect your time and make sure people respect this. Ways of doing this include:

• encouraging your team to set boundaries when they need to do deep thinking. Tell them it's ok to log off from Teams and Outlook or change settings to minimise interruptions
• use the calendar or Insights feature in Outlook to create 'Focus Time' slots in your diary two weeks in advance
• suggest to your staff that they create a boundary between their work and home life to help them unwind. For example, suggest they close the door to the work area, or put their work things away at the end of the working day
• go out for a walk if possible or have a routine that signifies the start and end of the working day, possibly during what would have been commuting time

As a leader, you should try to model these practices with your own behaviour, not just with your words. This sends out a powerful message. 

Build in social time

Human beings are social creatures who naturally seek the companionship of others as part of our basic wellbeing.

With hybrid teams it is more important than ever to think about how you keep the team connected on a social level. Social time will not happen naturally, so will need to be planned.

Here are some areas to think about specifically when planning social time or events:

• think about the individuals within your team. What do you know about what they would enjoy? How much/little of this would be welcomed? Remember, no one like forced fun so keep it optional
• give longer meetings a more social feel by introducing some light-hearted activities either at the beginning, middle or end
• plan in dedicated social time – such as themed lunches or regular diarised social time so people can talk about their latest Netflix obsession or how they spend their free time
• team learning: think of social ways for the team to learn together and independently. Create team feedback opportunities, where you can learn from failure and celebrate success

Work together with your team to create strategies that will make hybrid working work for all – and if in doubt, ask.

Further support and guidance

The Managing in a Hybrid World Hub on My Learning has been developed to support managers and leaders at ECC.

The thriving in a hybrid world playlist on MyLearning has been collated to help support and enables employees to thrive in a hybrid world.