Is Your Team Ready to Succeed in a Hybrid Workplace?

by Kevin Eikenberry

The hybrid workplace, for many of you is coming.  Perhaps you are already there. Perhaps the timeline keeps changing, but if you see a hybrid workplace in your future, the question posed in the title here is critical.  Is your team ready for this new working arrangement?  Are individuals ready for it?

This is a post meant to get you thinking about the readiness f your team and team members for a hybrid workplace.  Since I don’t know exactly what your version of hybrid is/will be, and I don’t know how successful your teams/individuals have been recently, I can’t be prescriptive beyond this – you must think about this question and act on your answers.

So rather than prescribing, let me provide you with the questions that will help you determine your team’s hybrid workplace readiness.

Questions to Consider

Ask these questions of yourself, among other leaders, and with the team/team members themselves.

• What has been successful/challenging during remote work?  While remote teamwork isn’t exactly the same as the hybrid workplace, looking at our skills successes and gaps now are a good starting point.
• What processes will we need to change moving forward?  Chances are you adjusted some procedures/agreements/work processes when you moved from the office to remote work.  What will need to change now, and what must be done to prepare people for those changes? Are their skills gaps identified here?
• What skills are necessary and missing (or lacking)? This is the straight skill gap question – one we should always be asking, but as we prepare to drastically transform our work and workplace again, we must consider this question for the new hybrid workplace.
• What skills will help the team thrive moving forward?  This goes beyond the gaps identified in the previous question and might identify skills we are strong in that we might double down on for maximum future success.

Next Steps

Armed with insights from considering these questions from different perspectives, I urge you to take these next steps.  After all, if you don’t act nothing will really change.

1. Talk to internal resources looking for solutions.  This might be your HR Business partner, your Learning and Development team, your own coach and more.  Bring internal resources into your conversation, as they may be equipped to help you take the right next steps.
2. Confer with the team again.  Hopefully you asked them some of the questions above; but now that you have all of the perspectives, beyond theirs, share all your results with them.  Ask them for their suggestions or see if they have recommendations on how to be better prepared for a hybrid workplace.
3. Ask for our help.  If you need more help on next steps, we have resources, tools, training, and experience that might be helpful.  You can reach out to us for a conversation or risk-free consultation.  We would be happy to see how we can help.
4. Build a plan – now.  If you have already transitioned to hybrid, you need to give people the skills they need.  It is possible you are in a holding pattern before going to your future working environment.  If so, now is the perfect time to preemptively equip people with the skills and knowledge to support their future success.

… 

Want to build your hybrid team with greater success and confidence?  Want to help your team members succeed and be more productive and collaborative in a hybrid workplace?  The Building an Effective Hybrid Team Master Class is your best next step.  Learn more about how to build your hybrid team -and get greater hybrid team collaboration.