Hybrid working is here to stay, but many organizations are struggling to engage hybrid employees, reporting issues with low productivity and poor collaboration. A recent survey found that 47% of employees prefer hybrid working (with 11% choosing fully remote work as their top choice), as it provides a better work-life balance that promotes wellbeing and reduces burnout. So, even if you’ve had issues with hybrid working, it’s vital to acknowledge these challenges and find solutions. We’re here to guide you through that.
Some may think that dropping flexible working policies altogether is the solution here, but it’s not as simple as that, especially when top talent may be drawn to competitors who are committed to making hybrid working work.
So, how can you tackle employee turnover while keeping hybrid employees engaged, motivated, and connected with their teams, all while maintaining the flexibility they need in their busy lives? We’ve got several strategies and tools to help. Let’s dive in.
Why Employee Engagement Matters in a Hybrid Workplace
No matter what your working set-up is, in-office, hybrid, or fully remote, strong employee engagement is a key factor in getting company culture right. It impacts everything from profitability and productivity to absenteeism and staff turnover.
The need to develop an approach to employee engagement that resonates with your employees doesn’t disappear when hybrid working is on the table. While flexible work options can increase engagement and positive sentiment toward an employer, more effort is needed once employees are working in a hybrid structure.
Hybrid teams might appreciate the chance to work from multiple locations, but they face unique challenges that can affect engagement too. Some employees struggle with isolation and lack of communication, while others feel like they get less recognition for their work, which can lead to disengagement and employees seeking opportunities elsewhere.
Before making improvements to hybrid employee engagement, it’s important to understand current engagement levels and how they differ across your team. This can feel like an overwhelming task with many factors at play, but that’s where we come in. Our psychometric assessments are designed to capture and analyze this data, giving you a baseline to work from and a strategic direction to improve engagement efficiently and effectively.
Key Challenges of Engaging Hybrid Employees
Understanding the heart of a problem is key to addressing it, so let’s look a little more at the challenges you might face when it comes to engaging hybrid employees.
- Communication gaps: Hybrid teams can struggle with information silos and lack of real-time interaction. They rely heavily on digital communication channels like email and Slack, which can lead to miscommunication, unclear messages and misinterpreted tones.
- Isolation and lack of belonging: Remote workers may feel disconnected from their in-office colleagues. Missing out on casual day-to-day conversations, company jokes, and the spontaneous interactions that build culture can lead to feelings of isolation and disengagement.
- Zoom fatigue and digital burnout: Over-reliance on virtual meetings can reduce engagement. Research shows that 55% of people are more likely to become distracted in an online meeting than an in-person one.
- Lack of visibility and career growth concerns: Hybrid employees often worry about being overlooked for promotions and career development opportunities. This is especially prevalent among those needing flexible work patterns, such as working parents or caregivers, who might already feel that their work-life balance is affecting their career growth. Addressing these concerns is crucial to retaining experienced employees.
- Balancing flexibility with accountability: One of the toughest challenges for managers is maintaining productivity without resorting to micromanagement or excessive check-ins. Employees engage best when they feel trusted and respected, so finding the right balance between flexibility and accountability is key.
10 Proven Strategies to Engage Hybrid Employees
Here are ten actionable ways you can engage hybrid employees:
1. Empower Communication for Hybrid Workers
Make a variety of communication channels available, such as instant messaging, video calls, scheduled in-person check-ins, and set clear expectations about how each of these channels should be used. Get your leadership teams active on all of these channels so they’re accessible to your hybrid employees and encourage them to be responsive and proactive with their use.
2. Give Hybrid Employees a Voice
Engage hybrid employees by giving them a voice and encouraging them to participate in decision-making and company culture discussions so their needs and problems are understood. Gather regular feedback through pulse surveys, open forums, and suggestion boxes (set up an email inbox for suggestions from remote workers) and be visible about how you’re acting upon the feedback so hybrid employees know they’ve been listened to.
3. Combat Zoom Fatigue
Keep concentration and motivation levels up by reducing unnecessary Zoom meetings and video calls. Encourage employees and managers to consider whether a meeting is necessary or if another channel can be used for discussion, and introduce asynchronous communication methods like recorded updates and written summaries. ‘Camera-optional’ policies can also help tackle the overwhelm of constant digital meetings.
4. Engage in One-on-One Interactions
Managers have a responsibility to support their employees’ development and foster personal connections so they feel valued. To effectively engage hybrid employees, managers must prioritize one-on-one interactions. These personal touchpoints help remote workers feel connected to their team and company, reducing feelings of isolation. Managers should make time to discuss career development, hold informal check-ins, and avoid simply rushing through project updates. Building a genuine connection is key to ensuring this strategy is successful.
5. Build a Strong Hybrid Community
Many hybrid workers opt for part-remote work because it allows them to balance family and other commitments with their work, but this can leave them feeling like they’re missing out on the spontaneous elements of in-office camaraderie like chats over coffee and after-work drinks. You can address this by creating hybrid-friendly bonding moments like virtual coffee chats and online team-building. Peer mentorship and buddy systems with regular check-ins between hybrid workers can also help create a sense of community.
6. Recognize and Appreciate Employees
Implement structured employee recognition programs such as Employee of the Month and make sure they’re open to employees regardless of their working patterns. Celebrate the contributions of your hybrid employees publicly and provide tangible rewards or perks for high performance, such as bonuses or gift vouchers.
7. Foster a Culture of Well-being
Although many employees like the work-life balance offered by hybrid employment, some get burnt-out as the lines between home and office blur, and it becomes hard to switch off. Encourage your employees to take breaks away from their screens, getting outside if they can, and to use all their time off with work devices switched off. Take this one step further and set up mental health resources such as access to therapy or wellness initiatives that encourage physical activity and eating well (and away from desks).
8. Set a Clear Company Vision and Goals
To engage hybrid employees and combat feelings of disconnection, provide them with something meaningful to connect to. A well-communicated company vision, where every employee understands the value of their contribution, no matter their work schedule, makes a significant impact on engagement levels. A vision with clearly defined objectives gives everyone something to strive for, and regular updates on progress and successes highlight how valuable each person in the company is.
9. Promote Employee Development and Growth
Create a culture that promotes employee development, offering continuous learning opportunities such as training, mentorship and leadership programs. Ensure hybrid employees have equal access to these opportunities (online learning channels are excellent resources for this) and make sure they’re included in any conversations around promotions. Use skills assessments to identify strengths and development areas so training can be tailored to the needs of each person and how they work best.
10. Leverage Technology for Seamless Collaboration
Hybrid working isn’t all about Zoom. Slack and other IM channels are ideal for quick questions and check-ins with remote workers, and project management tools like Monday and Asana keep everyone up-to-date on project progress and timelines. When making these tools available, be sure to train everyone on how they’re used and what they should be used for to ensure efficient collaboration between all workers.
Final Thoughts: Creating an Engaged Hybrid Workforce
Hybrid working is a popular choice for many employees who value creating a better work-life balance, but it can lead to burnout and disconnection from company values. To engage hybrid employees, you need to be proactive and use our ten strategies to avoid issues with low productivity and loss of collaboration.
Businesses that take these steps and manage to engage hybrid employees benefit from a motivated workforce, improved productivity, and lower turnover rates. If you’re ready to up your engagement with hybrid workers, take a look at our psychometric assessments - you can use these to get a measure of existing engagement levels as well as insight into work preferences and communication styles. Don’t forget to evaluate and refine your approach regularly, especially as new tools and resources become available to support hybrid employees.
Get in touch with our experts today, and we’ll help you re-engage your hybrid employees.
