Managing Hybrid Teams: Insight to Action Takeaways

Professor Connie Wanberg and Florie Ellwein, Chief Human Resources Officer at Jostens, kicked off the fall start of Insight to Action, the webinar series by Carlson Executive Education and Carlson School Alumni Relations. The discussion for this episode centered around building and sustaining culture in hybrid teams by ensuring equity and managing performance. 

Professor Connie Wanberg discussed the elements of hybrid work and highlighted some emerging concerns of this “new normal”. Florie Ellwein expanded on these elements and provided real-world examples and challenges of the hybrid work at Jostens.  Read these five key takeaways from their conversation and then access the full recording. 

Create equity between workers who can and cannot work remotely

Not every member in the organization gets the opportunity to work remotely, so it’s imperative that there is equality between remote and non-remote workers. With the uncertainty of conditions amidst the pandemic, organizations have struggled to determine who gets to come into the office and for which days of the week. To ensure equity between all employees, Jostens has implemented a policy that requires a minimum of three days in the office and two days at home. Each team decides which days they will be on-site, which minimizes confusion on who will be in the office and assists with productive collaboration. 

Means of communication need to change

Remote work has the ability to reduce opportunities to touch base on less urgent, yet still important questions. Instead of peeking your head into your colleague's office to ask a quick question, these quick interactions now require emails. However, this additional volume of email is now flooding inboxes and these quick questions now take hours or days to answer. Organizations need to get creative and get clarity around how teams communicate. A solution might include a chat tool like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Google chat. Jostens has encouraged employees to share their personal cell phone numbers to connect with their colleagues on these urgent matters. 

Encourage new hires to be proactive and reach out to others

As a new member at an organization, it can be intimidating to reach out to other employees with questions and concerns, but it is imperative to take the time to connect with them right away, or you may be forgotten. With hybrid teams, it can be especially easy for new employees to isolate themselves and only contact their immediate team. Our experts encourage new employees to understand who the stakeholders are in their organization, and develop relationships with them proactively. 

Remind employees that they are valued at your organization

In any organization, it can be difficult for employees to remain motivated to do outstanding work if they are not being recognized for their efforts. With many employees working remotely, it’s even more important that managers demonstrate gratitude for employees. It may seem insignificant, but saying a simple “thank you” to your team goes a long way. Make sure to thank your employees individually and use specific examples to demonstrate your appreciation for the work they’ve been doing. 

Create culture improvements that are tangible and long-lasting

During the pandemic, it has been a challenge for organizations to create and sustain an environment that keeps everyone engaged and excited about their work. Showing daily gratitude and avoiding transactional relationships will make your employees feel appreciated and keep them motivated. To develop a more inclusive and equitable culture at Jostens, they have launched a CEO video that is sent to all employees as an update on how the company is doing to make sure everyone is on the same page. Jostens has also been able to create a sense of community throughout the pandemic by hosting company-wide events outdoors. Designing in-person events that follow the COVID-19 safety guidelines is a great opportunity to create relationships and develop culture at your organization.

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