Every day fewer teams work from the same physical place, your team members might be spread around the world or all live in the same city but have different preference from where they work from, some from home, some from the office … some from the beach or mountains. What is most useful to create good working time in this new hybrid environment? Here’s four (of many more) ideas.

Creating set Times to “come together”
Because everyone has different time preferences, it is vital to create times when the entire team (of 3 or of 100) comes together. Creating order and certainty that on that day, every week, at that time, for example a co-creation session will take place, or a strategy questioning time for everyone to voice ideas that need to pivot.

Coach, support and encourage
If there is ONE thing you as a leader of a time need to take time to, is not necessarily to coach, support encourage yourself but to create a system of coaching, support and encouragement. Make sure there is a process in place and people dedicated to these three fundamentals to bring virtual / hybrid to a state of being looked after, being heard, being supported. It will pay the investment you make manifold

Train for exponential skill development
You assume that everyone in your team knows how to use the tools they need every day to perform their work. They don’t. No one in your team is able to use that App or that VideoConferencing or that Team CRM at 100% of its potential. Invest in training your team to make sure they are not just comfortable with, but super stars of that tool they use daily. The result will be that they will want to go there, desire to use it, be motivated by the new doors of knowledge that open to them and grateful to this organization for upskilling them: most sought after need of employees.

Have cool, unmissable offsite co-creation huddles happen
Unless your team is really spread across continents, do make some physical huddles happen. Find a really cool place that fits your team (you might love a session in the forest, they might hate it!) and create great coming together co-creation experiences with them at the very least once per month. A good portion of the physical huddle should be about human relationship, getting to know deeply, appreciating, highlighting of cool factors of each of your team members.

PLUS

Make sure the WHY is really clear. Specially when people work far apart (but also when they are all in the same office): be VERY clear and engage fully your team on why are we doing what we are doing, why are we going down this strategy avenue, why is your role, your action, your being here so vital to what we want to achieve.