The pandemic has radically altered the office environment for many businesses. Companies discovered very quickly which positions worked as remote or hybrid and which did not. While the crisis phase of the pandemic for most companies is behind us, the changes in how we work and the options employees expect to have still remain.
Now, to be competitive in the job market, offering a remote or hybrid work option is likely a necessity for scoring the right candidate. With these new realities, it is time to pay attention to how we engage with our team, particularly if your team includes a mix of in-office, remote, or hybrid employees.
Seek to understand your employees
Engagement needs for employees working from different locations will vary. From communication to social interaction to community engagement, it is our job as employers to consider the unique needs of our various employees and define what those things look like in each context.
Think about your values
A company’s values and corporate culture define who they are to employees, to clients, and to the community. They are also the markers we use to evaluate employees and their fit within the company. Now is the time to rewrite the playbook on what we will expect of those employees. Sometimes remote and in-office employees will have the same expectations related to values, and sometimes they will have two different expectations. This is especially important if you have company values that were developed with a traditional in-office culture in mind and now need to adapt how remote employees demonstrate those values.
Be intentional about engagement
Socially, the remote worker misses out on opportunities to be a part of casual, daily conversations. When these conversations pertain to work matters, their voices can easily be lost in the decision-making process. It is time to be intentional and creative about building opportunities for your entire team to interact when not directly working on a project or work task.
Consider how you want community involvement to look in a virtual setting. Will you create opportunities to participate in community service virtually, or will you encourage your employee to represent your company in community service where they live? You may need to get creative in what these things mean to your company, but the most important part is that you take the time to define what you expect and share that with your employees.
Having a workforce that is a combination of in-office, remote, and hybrid workers is here to stay. It’s time for company leaders to be sure they are equipping their employees for success by meeting everyone’s engagement needs.
If you need help training your managers and leaders on how to engage employees across hybrid teams, reach out to the WhyHR team to discuss how we can help.
