Team Building Activities For Your In-Office or Hybrid Team

Almost every client I work with has some variation of a hybrid work model; it is the new normal for most businesses. There is no doubt that in our post pandemic world, employees’ expectations have changed. Or should I say the dreams employees had for the last 30+ years for a hybrid workspace are the same, it’s just that employees whose work was able to pivot during the pandemic now have confidence and proof they can work remotely and be high-producing. 

But whether the dream team you are part of has any remote qualities or not, all of our workspaces have become faster paced and more isolating, not to mention that more and more our teams are made up of unique, wonderful individuals from different generations and different backgrounds. So, in a workspace where much of our communication is by email or some type of instant message system, it has become more important to put plans in place to intentionally create a sense of community that invigorates a high-functioning and very enjoyable workspace. This means including team-building activities into your strategic plans. 

What’s In It For The Company
When individuals and teams feel a sense of connection and are part of an inclusive, supportive, trusting workspace, they typically create higher quality work, are happier (find joy) with their work and are more loyal to the company. And the old saying two heads are better than one still rings true, especially when it comes to creativity and problem solving. Even introverted people want and need to feel they fit into the company culture, they need to feel they are important to the team, their boss and their product / service.  

What’s In It For The Employee
The benefits of working / connecting in-person for the employee can actually quite important to an employees longer-term career success. Especially if you are new to your career, know that the more time you spend in-person with your coworkers, the greater the likely benefit to the experience you gather, your learning and therefore your career. I will address this more comprehensive post later this year. Feeling a sense of belonging and caring are big parts of our successful lives at work… and with or family and friends. Even the most introverted or independent people need to feel care for and cared by others - and in this case their teammates, suppliers and customers / clients. 

We Can Do More Than a Get-Together
With hybrid work teams becoming increasingly popular, we must take extra effort to create opportunities for our teams to come together as we move away from more traditional in-person work environments. But we can do more that get them to come together for a lunch or for a meeting and hope for the best. We can build team connections and promote learning of each other and their professional expertise which is great for the company and the employee. And let’s face it, in today’s workplaces, our younger employees are looking for the companies they have chosen to work for and invest their career hours / years in, to invest back into their professional success, whether remote or in-person 

Hybrid Activities Are Possible
When your team building activities include people who are remote, there is a risk of a bit less ‘connection’ being made than if they were in-person, but with the right planning, the right technology and the right event it will still add value. And, it’s still better than doing nothing at all. It is likely hybrid team building will also take a bit more effort and logistic coordination. Side note, if you are going to upgrade your tech in the next year or so, look for flexibility and ease and maximum remote participation engagement opportunities. As someone who has gone into many offices over the last few years, some systems are so complex they need an IT person on hand while others are easy plug in and play options. 

Team Building Activity Examples
The following are 17 team-building activities, many of which I’ve used or seen being used that can build familiarity, harmony and trust. And to be honest, some I like, some I like a lot and some are not my cup of tea. Most of these activities can be done on a budget, ensuring that your hybrid employees remain engaged and connected on an ongoing basis! 

I find team building activities as often having two main approaches. Both approaches build connection, but they do it in slightly different ways:

  • One where the primary focus is to help people get to know each other and discover how much they have in common

  • One has a primary focus on people accomplishing a task or problem solving together. 

Finding the best activities for your team largely depends on what you are trying to accomplish and how big or small your team is. When planning to make team building a regular event, my preference is to often use activities that can be set up, competed, and taken down with ease as well as activities that cost little or nothing. This allows them to be repeated with your team again and again. And then, once or twice a year include a more elaborate event like training events or external group activities where food, travel, conference fees and/or hiring an external facilitator or corporate trainer may be required. And if there is a cost, invest wisely, show your team that their wellbeing, education, and career development is an investment you take seriously. 

How do we build a sense of belonging within a hybrid or partially hybrid work model? 

1. Explore and / or Re-energize Your Team / Company Values.
I like this team building activity a lot since it explores what your core values mean.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take much preparation.
There is a lot of variability with this team building activity. How you do this largely depends on your goal(s), how large your team is and how much time you can spend in one session. The more people discuss what your values mean (or what values they think should be adopted), the more they will believe them and use them to make strategically aligned, and mutually beneficial decisions. For large groups, split participants into smaller groups of 4 or 6 people. When you have limited time, choose only one or two of your existing values to discuss. Do one or two others at a later meeting. Give your (or each) team 30 minutes to discuss what a value means from the following possibilities:

  • Your clients / customers

  • Your product

  • The customer service you offer

  • Instructions / user guide

  • As you would reference them in sales material or a sales call

  • During internal decision making if there are two or more opinions

  • To employee training

  • To hiring / onboarding 

If you have multiple groups, when everyone comes back together, each team shares their ideas / input. Then, the whole group can find consensus. Listen for new approaches, solutions or even if new values arise. Encourage people to share their experiences or stories they have heard from other employees, customers and/or suppliers. Make note of those stories. It may not be important where the stories came from – and it may be better from a privacy perspective. Most often it is the story not the source that matters.

A follow-up option is to select one person from each group to form a sub-committee and over the next few weeks develop recommendations based on everyone’s input. Then, distribute this back to your broader team for their input.

 I like this exercise because it can be used multiple times as you discuss all the values in your company / team. Once done about discussing what each value means you can start again and discuss how to improve on that behaviour / action given that value from a strategic review point of view.  

2. Have a Week of Team Meetings
I like this team building activity, but you may miss some people on vacation or ill.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
There is a lot of variability you can do with this team building activity. As the name says, book development meetings every day with your team. I recommend planning meetings at the same time – preferably first thing in the morning to discuss a specific topic (like values), or do an activity like play croquet in the hallways, make puzzles, or go for a walk, or on one day run a group croissant, bagel and coffee breakfast.. Most people are most creative and strategic in the mornings. Mornings also focus participants before they get busy with other priorities. The great part of this approach is your team does a lot of team building in short time. The unfortunate part is people who are sick or on vacation may be missed. Thia would be a good time to encourage virtual employees to come in the office on some days. Have fun with this. It is a good way to get a new team to know each other. 

3. Find 4 Things in Common
I like this team building activity a lot.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
Divide your group into subgroups of 4 to 6 people. I like to arrange people who work together and/or collaborate. This exercise builds familiarity. The idea is that the more your team members start realizing how much they have in common, the more they are likely to trust each other, collaborate, and communicate more effectively with each other.

Start by splitting participants into smaller groups of 3 or 4.  Use larger groups if you have more time – and to add complexity. Ask each team to find 4 things they all have in common… outside of work. Ask them to be somewhat specific. For example, everyone eats lunch is too broad, but if pizza is everyone’s favourite food or none of them like pineapple on their pizza, that works. The beauty of this exercise is that not only do they find a few things they have in common; the process means they also discover so much more information about each other. When this happens instead of seeing Bruce as the Finance or IT guy, we suddenly start seeing him like someone who we have something in common with. 

4. Go To Events Together
I like this team building activity a lot.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation other than coordinating the event.
If you have teammates going to a conference or an event, try to get them to walk down together or sit next to each other on the flight, and for sure, experience workshops together. The shared experience will help them create a bond, and they will likely have casual conversation and get to know each other on the way. They will also likely have conversations specific to your industry or a project they are both involved in and together discover new approaches by talking with each other or from one of the speakers.

5. Shared Expertise
I like this team building activity a lot.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is usually easy, not physical but does take any preparation for one person or one team..
There are countless shared experiences. Not surprisingly I like the idea of bringing in an external speaker for skills training (like leadership, email etiquette or difficult conversations). If you decide to keep things internal, you can have a group meeting where different people or different departments share a 20-minute overview of something important in their department or specific focus or expertise.

For example, finance may want to give a refresher about how to prepare for the upcoming year end. Your people have a lot of expertise that they may not always be able to share – or easily share. You can also encourage your team members to showcase their unique skills and hobbies. Each month, give a chance for one team member to host an hour-long virtual “master class” on a topic they’re passionate about.

This allows team members to not only express their personal interests, but also learn new skills from one another. 

6. Have a Leadership Fireside Chat
I like this team building activity a lot.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and usually doesn’t take much preparation.
This is all about building trust and feeling like your leaders are part of the team and approachable.
The set-up can be variable to suite the location and/or the number of participants, but typically you will want to have one or a few leaders being very visible at table or on a few tall chairs.  It may look like they are having a panel discussion. This is an opportunity for team members to ask questions either in person or they could submit them in writing in advance. Usually there are no restrictions to the questions if they are respectful and not overly personal. So, someone could ask what their favourite pastime is. They might also ask work-related questions, which is fine and should be answered clearly if the responses are not gossip, HR related about them or someone else, or some strategy related aspect that is not confirmed or not yet out in public. 

7. Book Club or Movie Club
I like this team building activity.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and takes very little preparation.
Book or Movie clubs are a great way for team members to learn about each other. This doesn’t have to be an all-in or nothing activity. For example, if you have a team of 10 people and 3 like to read, I’d encourage the 3 to form a club. They can start with selecting a book or movie. Then twice a month they can book a conference room or schedule a virtual call to discuss. I specifically like the idea of getting together over lunch – perhaps even bring in a special meal – this lets others see how much fun it is. And, if your team is hybrid, this gives club members an extra special reason to come into the office that day. There are many benefits to an entertainment club for your team, including having fun, bonding and improved trust.

Book Club With A Twist
I like this team building activity, and it can go a few ways.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and takes very little preparation.
Let’s say you have a direct report of 6-people including you. Every two months (or whatever timeline you choose) one person recommends a book. The only criteria is it has to do with work. For example, it could be on Leadership, Time Management, Difficult Conversations.

The company buys one copy each for all 6 people who report into you and one more for the larger team library.

Then, for the first 4-weeks (as an example), everyone who reports into you is expected to read the book.  On the 5th week there is a team meeting to share and discuss what each person has found most relevant about the book / the message. These points may be written up and placed with the book in the team library.

On week 6 there may be another team meeting about how to implement something from the book. Then, on week 8 or 9, it all starts over again with a new book.

Your larger team can each ‘check-out’ the library copy of the book out for 2-weeks. They can also recommend books for the library and/or the leaders.

8. Hybrid Scavenger Hunt and/or Clue Solving
I like this team building activity.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
Divide your group into subgroups of 4 to 6 people. I like to arrange people who work together and/or collaborate.

Scavenger hunts should be a fun team-building activity and are great if you have people who are remote and in-person.

If you have people who are both remote and in-person, it works nicely to design teams to include both.

For your scavenger hunt or clue solve, have identical lists of both physical and on-line things and/or information to find, so both in-person and remote team members can add to the game.

These activities are usually great because they are mostly fun, support teamwork and collaboration, leadership, creativity, problem solving and most definitely… effective communication and managing expectations and problem-solving skills.

9. Play Jeopardy
I’m not a fan of activities like this that require a lot of set-up or potentially external software.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical.
Jeopardy is a classic game that most people know how to play.

You may want to divide your group into subgroups of 4 to 6 people. I like to arrange people who work together and/or collaborate.  It is now possible to create a custom game of Jeopardy by using solutions like Fact Tile

10. Play Bingo
I don’t mind this activity, but it does take a bit of set-up.
Can be done in person or virtually if people download bingo cards.
This exercise is easy, not physical. This game is all fun but is sometimes difficult to bring back to team learning or education.
You might want to divide your group into subgroups of 4 to 6 people. I like to arrange people who work together and/or collaborate.

Bingo is a classic game that virtually everyone knows how to play.

It adds to a bit of the fun if you can arrange prized for Bingo winners. It can include company or supplier merchandise to a half-day off to fun / joke gifts. IIt is now possible to find free online bingo cards using solutions like bingo blog post! Although I have not used it they also have an online Bingo number generator.

11. Don’t Peek, Blind Drawing
I like this team building activity because people learn about communication.
I’ve done it with clients, and it works well.
It costs virtually nothing and is easy to implement and/or scale up.
Pair up your team into pairs of  2 o r3 people. I like to arrange people who work together and/or collaborate. The beauty of smartphones and laptops allows this activity with people who are remote.

This fun activity reinforces the importance of listening and creativity and clearly demonstrates that two people can interpret information and instruction in very different ways, therefore the importance of responding and/or sharing back. It also is important to note that verbal communication is often far more accurate than just writing – but still has its challenges.

I like finding black & white drawings that are simple but will still be a bit of a challenge. I recommend giving instruction to participants that if they need to describe a flower, they cannot use the word flower. If they are drawing a wheel or a plane, they cannot use those words specifically either.

Have participants sit so they cannot see each other. Also, you do not want the speaker to see what the other person is drawing since that may influence their in-the-moment instruction. One person instructs and the other person draws. When they are done, and before they do a show and tell, I like to switch and have the drawer give instruction on a completely different picture. When all is done, reveal, laugh and discuss what they learned about communication.

12. Take A Walk
I do like this team building activity.
Can be done in person or virtually.
It costs nothing and is easy to implement and/or scale up. You can even turn it into a fun competition.
Pair up your team into pairs of two or more. The beauty of smartphones allows us to share a walk and have a conversation even when we have remote people so, it’s your option to create pairs of people who are both in-person, both remote or a mix of both. Why not have all three?

Have your pairs go for a walk together… with camera on. They can be looking at each other, or show / share where each other is walking and talk about what is interesting to them. If you are remote, perhaps take a walk around your garden and show it off. If you are downtown, take your partner on your favourite places for lunch, coffee – or a tour through the gym you go to. Spending time together helps create a bond and trust in the days and months that follow.

This team building activity builds familiarity, understanding of each other and trust which are important elements in any relationship. 

13. Cooking Classes
I like this team building activity because people learn to communicate and usually have lots of fun.
It will be difficult to do in a hybrid environment.
It can cost a lot and be difficult to scale up.
It can take a fair amount of coordination.
I did one of these with one co-worker years ago. We planned it and paid for it on our own. I also did another with friends years later.

Cooking classes are a fun way to spend time getting to know other people and deepen relationships with coworkers and even friends and family. Usually, they require coworkers to take some time out of their own schedule The good thing is that usually people learn something, have fun and it cooking is often an activity where everyone is on a somewhat similar ability scale.

14. Potluck and or Cookbook Creation
I like this team building activity because people learn about each other.
Can be done in person or virtually… but for a taste experience it would be best if people could come into the office.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
I did one of these when I was in college and two when I worked at an office.
I like this activity because it creates a level of familiarity and curiosity. If you end up creating a cookbook, you now have something you created to give to suppliers or customers which may increase the familiar relationships from this activity. Or you could invite suppliers or customers to participate.

An in-office potluck can be a lot of fun and you can make them theme oriented like desert or breakfast. One twist I did with friends at college was to have everyone bring in a main dish traditionally from their culture or that was a special / favourite dish from their family. A potluck can be a fun team-building activity where people get to know each other and build trust, but is a challenge if team mates need to stay remote.

15. Lunch Club
I like this team building activity, but it can take a fair amount of coordination.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
I did one of these when I was in at work.
Block off time in your team’s calendars for an in-person, virtual or hybrid lunch club.  You can each go your own way and pick up food or bring it in. Some of the fun of everyone bringing in whatever they like, people may learn about restaurants around the office they didn’t know about – or they may learn how good a cook you are. This can be a fun team-building activity where people get to know each other and build trust. 

16. Casual Pre-Meeting Chat
Not my favourite team building activity.
Can be done in person or virtually.
This exercise is easy, not physical and doesn’t take any preparation.
Allow the first 5-minutes of meetings to be time where people talk casually. It is a low-key, casual way to develop familiarity with each other. This is not my favourite because I also value time management. I like meetings to start on time, stick to an agenda and end on time – or early.  Pre-meeting chats also gives people permission to come to a meeting late because they know the official meeting will start late.

I like casual chat to happen more organically, so I would encourage people to walk to get a coffee together or have lunch together or spend the first 5-minutes in a day asking a coworker how their evening or morning was. A variation of this meeting idea that I do like is when people do arrive at meetings early, use this time to chat casually vs. picking up your smartphone and answering non-urgent email. I find this a very productive use of time until the meeting starts.  

17. Ice Breaker Conversation Cards
Not my favourite team building activity.
Can be done in person or virtually.
There are professional cards like ‘Talking Point’ cards that can be purchase that have questions written on them. The conversation cards are meant to foster deeper connections and meaningful conversations between people / groups. The idea is you flip a card or choose a card and answer the question. It is a decent game to play to get to know the people on your team – however, for people who are reserved, new or who don’t fully trust the people they are playing with, it may feel a bit intrusive. A few examples of questions are:

  • What is inspiring you right now?

  • What do you wish you knew?

  • When do you feel most like yourself?

  • If all jobs paid the same, what job would you like?

Conclusion.
Have fun with these and most of all, let your people have fun. And like I said earlier, I like to try to get activities that build familiarity and trust as well as invest in their education and career by helping them learn. 

NOTE: When I break teams into groups for discussions, I think about what my goal is. Sometimes I want to bring existing teams closer, so I arrange group members this way. Other times I want to build relationships between teams, so I make sure I mix up my group members with people from each company division.

Thank you for reading about Team Building Activities For Your In-Office or Hybrid Team. I know - it was a long post. I look forward to hearing from you if you have any questions.

Bruce

Other articles in this series include:

About Bruce and Bruce Mayhew Consulting.

Bruce is Corporate Trainer, Keynote Speaker and Executive Coach.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting specializes in customized Difficult Conversations, Crucial Conversations or Conflict Management Training, Email Etiquette Training, Leadership & New Leadership Development, Generational Differences, Time Management Training and other soft skills training solutions in Toronto and across Canada. Bruce is also an Executive Coach to a few select clients.

Bruce is an experienced motivational speaker in Toronto and has inspired audiences across Canada and within the USA and the UK. Bruce works hard to always make sure your training event, conference, retreat, or annual general meeting is a success.

Difficult Conversations: Never Easy – Always Worthwhile

 Conflict is everywhere and impossible to avoid. And that’s OK,

Even the most confident people don’t see difficult conversations and managing conflict as easy, stress free and certainly not the highlight of their day. But we can all learn how to manage difficult conversations so that we reduce overall stress and improve overall outcomes.

To help us manage difficult conversations I believe it’s important to accept that not all conflict is bad or inherently negative – in fact sharing constructive feedback and resolving conflict often builds stronger relationships, new ideas, greater respect and greater trust.

Imagine you have an employee who isn’t performing or whose behaviour is making work unpleasant for others. I propose it’s better to have a conversation that will be uncomfortable in the short term, but will give the employee the opportunity to see you as someone who cares about their personal and professional future. You are also empowering them to decide if they would like to adjust their behaviour and to continue building a successful career.

And the benefits to having difficult conversations and resolving conflict don’t end with the employee. Consider the benefit to team dynamics and corporate culture when a peaceful resolution is found versus the disruption a more volatile outcome will have for everyone.

First Steps

One of the first steps when having difficult conversations and / or sharing constructive feedback is to be clear how it will benefit us and the other person. In our personal lives, there are times it just isn’t worth it. Do we need to invest in a difficult conversation with a rude salesclerk? Maybe it is worth it… but often it is not. Alternatively, in our professional lives difficult conversations are important for many reasons like when our company values and performance objectives are not being met.

Another important step when having difficult conversations and resolving conflict is to have conversations as soon as possible. When inappropriate behaviour isn’t corrected quickly, it becomes the new norm and far more difficult (and costly) to correct later. Inappropriate behaviour also erodes the motivation, respect, and trust of everyone else on the team who must watch and potentially experience this behaviour first-hand.

Conclusion

There are many other steps to having a difficult conversation and resolving conflict including sharing stories of what you observed, encouraging an atmosphere where situations and solutions are explored versus placing blame, and never thinking the other person is evil / mean. But for now, let’s embrace the idea that conflict and difficult conversations are opportunities for us all to be respectful, improve and build greater trust.

In our next post, (which I will link here) I will discuss important steps to take when faced with conflict and the opportunity to have a respectful, empowering difficult conversations.

Thank you for reading ‘Difficult Conversations: Never Easy - Always Worthwhile’. I will link to other related difficult conversation articles in this series as I launch them.

Bruce

Learn More About Bruce Mayhew

Toronto corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting is in the people business… it just so happens that training and/or executive coaching is involved. Let us help you improve your productivity and employee engagement.

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Benefits, Challenges and Solutions of Remote Work, Hybrid Work and In-office Work

Remote work is not going away.

The last few years have demonstrated people are able to work remotely. We finally broke many misconceptions about remote workers. We have also advanced the development and adoption of technology to assist in collaboration and project management between individuals who may or may not be distance-based.

The challenge we have today is to figure out our brave new world and how work will ‘be’ tomorrow for each of us.

Many of us want the best of both working in-office and working remotely. Before we get too far down this path I recommend we pause for a moment to accept one of the biggest challenges we are facing is that there is no one-size fits all solution for companies, departments and individuals. But one thing I am pretty sure about is that people who work fully remotely will be the minority; in-person contact just offers too much potential benefit for the individual and the company.

Let’s talk about benefits of remote work, hybrid work and in-office work

There are many discussions about how in-office work benefits the employer. So let’s do something different (and perhaps a bit controversial) and explore some of the important benefits to you and I as individuals to being in the office at least some of the time.

In-office work helps us learn to communicate more effectively, confidentially and respectfully. It’s the face-to-face, in-person contact that is important here. Benefits from in-person contact helps us communicate pretty much everywhere; from simple discussions and reading body language, to learning to listen for what people are saying as well as what they are not saying. In-person contact helps us feel and give empathy and helps us recognize when others are sharing or needing empathy; all which are great for build trusting relationships. In-person contact is also amazingly important during creative brainstorming sessions, not to mention in-person contact helps us learn, practice, and sharpen our leadership skills.

Remote work also helps dedicated employees get more done in less time with fewer interruptions (starts and stops). Remote work is also good for employees as they might feel less stress about work, have more time to spend on other projects or training which would enhance longer-term career aspirations, have more autonomy and feel more productive.

Remote work employees may also have the benefit (stressing the word may) because they:

  1. Have greater flexibility to support family

  2. Save money on transportation

  3. Save money on clothes and meals

Let’s talk leadership

Many people aspire to become talented and productive leaders as they progress through their career. Here’s the thing; experts around the world tell us leadership today is far less about being a subject matter expert and far more about building shared respect and trust with individuals. Being a great leader is about inspiring and supporting your team to want to do their best work as they pursue shared company goals.

One of the most important and challenging jobs of a leader is to inspire people who have a variety of personal and professional experiences, values, goals and who may even come from different cultures. This is a rewarding challenge that will require today’s leader to invest a considerable amount of time and attention into being great. And, as I suggested earlier, today’s leaders must also be able to have difficult conversations. Leaders must learn to share challenging news while helping others feel respected, supported, and to not be triggered into a defensive posture. To do this, great leaders have to be great communicators. Not surprisingly, these skills don’t just magically appear. Even the greatest leaders have had to acquire their skills through years of training, coaching and practice.

Can we all learn to be great communicators and build trusting relationships when working remotely? Yes, of course. But (you knew there was going to be a ‘but’), given today’s technology, our use (and misuse) of this technology, our workplace cultures, and past experiences, our success is almost always greater when we have at least some in-person experiences. Let me again share that there are no one-size fits all solutions; leaders and employees must understand different companies, different jobs, and different people will need different arrangements.

There is one more important benefit to in-person interactions. As I briefly mentioned earlier, when we are trying to come up with new ideas and brainstorm solutions, in-person idea-generation sessions are still best. They allow people to see excitement and body-language. In-person interactions allow us talk over each other in respectful ways and for everyone to follow the conversation from many directions at the same time. It’s an energy and rhythm that’s difficult to duplicate in an on-line format given today’s technology.

Let’s talk career-advancement

Imagine half of your teammates are in-office all or most of the time, physically seeing each other and going for coffee while the other half of your teammates are working remotely. It’s not a stretch to see how remote employees may be less top of mind and their accomplishments, participation, ideas and even future opportunities overlooked from time-to-time.

Is this ideal? No. Would almost all of us prefer if it wasn’t like this? Yes. The reality is that it would take a highly evolved workplace culture to find true balance between the experiences of in-office and remote workers. Might we get there in the future? I hope so.

It may seem unfair this burden falls 100% to the employee, but it is their career that is on the line, so I believe staying visible is an employee’s main responsibility no matter if they work in-office, remote or hybrid. You and I both know that even when employees are working in the office, staying visible is their responsibility. It’s just that as a remote and hybrid employee, staying visible feels different than when they used to work in-office all the time. So, how can any employee (and leader) be professional and proactive. Here are some examples:

  • Come to all meetings prepared

  • Do their work well and hand it in early

  • Help others when they can – but don’t let their work suffer

  • Say something positive when others do something great

  • Be on-camera during video meetings (and look interested)

  • For both on-camera meetings, in-person meetings and group phone calls, plan to sign-in or attend early if possible. When others show up, engage in casual conversation to support relationship and trust building.

There are also many other creative opportunities to stay visible. For example, imagine knowing a company retreat is being planned. Especially if it's not the employees’ job, I’d recommend making sure they are part of the organizing committee. Even the smallest role – like organizing and manning the registration table will give them major exposure.

Remote, in-office and hybrid workers must all accept there are pluses and minuses to every solution. As a remote worker part of your life may be easier (like zero transportation) and part may be less attractive. Meanwhile, your co-workers who go into the office may have the unpleasant experience of spending 1, 2 and even 3-hours each day commuting. In the end, we all have new elements to consider when revising our own, personal work-life-balance equation.

Note: This new environment is starting to level the playing field for people living with a disability who find either getting to in-office spaces difficult.

Let’s talk about moving forward – together

Five responsibilities organizations, leaders and employees (in-office and remote) will have to share, noting that some of the best organizations were doing these long before 2020:

A.    Be crystal clear with company, department, and project goals

B.    Communicate (and repeat) important messages clearly, often and respectfully… to everyone

C.    Set and track clear performance metrics (note, being in-office is not a quality performance metric)

D.    Follow organizational values and the unrelenting support of 100% respect for everyone

E.     Support the concept that change is the new standard

A: Whether you are all working remote, in-office, or hybrid, if you are not clear with company, department, and project goals your work quality and your feelings of pride will suffer.

B: Communicate is the best way to keep people focused on a goal and to be sure they feel pride in their work and are inspired by their community. It builds employee trust with their leaders and among each other. When leaders and employees are transparent and communicate often, this also helps others feel a sense of stability and calm.

C: When consumed by the busyness of an office, many leaders confess they sometimes forget the remote worker when setting project assignments. This is why it matters organizations help their leaders change the way they set tasks and evaluate productivity. Performance goals should measure many things. For example, they should:

  • Be based on objective value added to the firm’s core goals

  • Constantly support the values of the organization.

  • Be transparent, understood by everyone

  • Be tracked in real-time

A popular approach to tracking and evaluating productively is called Results Only Work (ROW). This is a brilliant way to measure success, regardless of if employees are in-office or remote. Even if you have all of your employees working in-office I encourage you to set and track what people accomplish in today’s world, a bum in seat is not a good measurement of a dedicated, high-value employee.

D: As a leader one of the most empowering things you can do is ensure everyone on your team knows how their contribution aligns to the company values. And hopefully one of those values is to ensure everyone deserves to be a member of a respectful, inclusive and equitable workplace that is free from discrimination, harassment, or bullying. When it comes to setting and tracking clear performance metrics, demonstrating company values should be at the top of the list.

E: Leaders have to help take the fear out of change and insert an expectation of change. People love routine because it feels comfortable and dependable. But today, routine means you are falling behind your competition and/or co-workers. How we worked 10 years ago is different than how we work today. How we worked 2-years ago is different. And I imagine how we work 2-years from now will be different yet again.

Moving forward will not only change the way we work, it makes sense that the actual work we do will change. Like always, part this change will be due to market demand and innovation. But change will also accelerate as we integrate new remote-work and hybrid work models into our culture – not to mention the new emerging technologies. For example, as we emerge out of a pandemic, half of my mother’s quarterly check-in / check-up doctors’ visits are now done by phone. During the pandemic all of them were remote unless there was something serious my mother felt she needed to discuss. Before the pandemic all her doctor visits were in-person. These are three significant changes to how my mother’s doctor works in just over two years.

We are living in a culture of change. The organizations, leaders and employees who will thrive will be excited about change and see it as an opportunity to grow and develop new skills. I believe our clearest path forward is for us to all adopt a positive perspective that focuses on saying things like, “What we did today was great, how can we make it and/or the process better tomorrow.” We must allow ourselves to be reflective – but in a positive “can do” way that honours and respects what we did today, not condemn it. Treat it like an After-Action Review (AAR) originally developed by the U.S. Army as a structured review process would encourage everyone to pause after a project and to explore three questions with a goal to learn from our experiences:

  1. What happened

  2. Why it happened

  3. How it can be done better by the participants and those responsible

Conclusion

Experts predict that as we move into a ‘new normal’ between 35 to 65% of employees will work hybrid with only about 10% working fully remote.

It is incumbent on everyone, leaders, and employees alike to make sure we all remain visible, front-of-mind, and reviewed based on job performance despite a remote status.

One last thing. When bringing employees back to the office either full time or as part of a hybrid work model, I strongly believe leaders need to be able to answer the following four key questions clearly and transparently. And I warn you in advance, if you tell the truth people will believe and respect the news you share even if it isn’t what they wanted to hear. But, if you try to fluff it off or treat today like it was 2-years ago, you will likely soon have a productivity and employee loyalty issue to manage… as well:

  • How can we bring people back safely?

  • Why are we bringing people back to the office?

  • What is our hybrid work strategy?

  • What is our workplace value proposition?

Thank you for reading ‘Benefits, Challenges and Solutions of Remote Work, Hybrid Work and In-office Work’. Together we can get the best of working in-office and remotely.

Be well and happy communicating, leading and creating a culture of belonging within your company or within your team.

Bruce

Learn More About Bruce Mayhew

Toronto corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting is in the people business… it just so happens that training and/or executive coaching is involved. Let us help you improve your productivity and employee engagement.

To learn more about how leadership training can to improve your skills call us at 416.617.0462.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting's most popular programs are Email Etiquette Training, Difficult Conversations, Generational Differences, Leadership Skills Training and Time Management Training

Related Workshops That Drive Business Success

Toronto based corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting offers leadership training and professional development across Canada and the USA.

Being A Great Leader Today Takes Hard Work

Being a great leader takes hard work, determination, and dedication; it’s a big responsibility. To explore with you what makes a great leader today, I’d like to talk about the elephant in the room so we can all be on the same page. Being a great leader today is a very different job than it used to be. And, while you and most of the people around you may be just beginning or in the middle of your career, I encourage you to recognize many of the management ‘structures’ most of us work within, as well as the mentors we have had at home, school and work have been strongly influenced by ‘old-school’, hierarchical leadership style. It is still a relatively new experience to be a leader of many as four different generations in our workplaces and to have to navigate the needs, challenges and opportunities that today’s highly technical and international work cultures offer. Again, it is a big responsibility.

So what does being a great leader today mean? Well, it has very little to do with being a boss and a great deal about inspiring everyone you work with. It means creating a team out of a group of individuals while respecting and encouraging their individuality. Being a great leader also impacts every email, every conversation, every meeting, every goal strategy session, every difficult conversation, and every performance review; it means we are always ‘on’.

One more thing before we get going because I hear “But I’m an introvert” frequently. Well, I can honestly share I am also an introvert, and I know it is possible to help everyone around you to believe in themselves and what they can accomplish in ways that are comfortable to you so that you can still feel authentic and respect your individuality. But let me also reassure those of you who are extraverts. No matter if you are an introvert or an extravert, both tap into empathy on a regular basis, therefore we can be genuinely empathetic when we are working to inspire people around us. It’s just that each tap into it in different ways. 

If you are still asking the question, “How do I unlock my leadership skills so I can take myself and my team to the next level?” Great! That’s what I like to hear. Let’s explore how you can unlock your full potential which requires through a bit of self-reflection / self-awareness and how you can invest in yourself.

Self-Reflection / Self-Awareness

A high degree of self-reflection / self-awareness is foundational to being a great leader. It is empowering to know how you act when faced with feelings like curiosity, surprise, difficulty, or joy. It is also empowering to know how others “see” you. Are you approachable, warm, trustworthy, curious, and fair or are you the opposite? Do you have a reputation as being dependable and creative or are you known as the first one to look for an opportunity to delay a project or deflect responsibility? In a nutshell (as my dad would say), what are your best characteristics… and which ones might be holding you back, and frankly also holding your team back?

Being self-aware is one of the most important of all the soft skills we will discuss because it provides an opportunity to explore many of the other leadership characteristics of great leaders. It is a process where you can learn about yourself and help you set new expectations for your own personal and professional development. I also want to acknowledge that exploring your own self-awareness takes a bit of courage… ok, perhaps a lot of courage. The journey may make us feel exposed and vulnerable… especially if we believe a leader must exhibit unshakable confidence and authority.

I recommend taking a three-pronged approach in your self-reflection / self-aware journey. 

  1. Know you are likely going to hear things that will be a surprise. This surprise may be positive, but may also be… constructive. With challenging news, don’t get defensive, and don’t blame those people who cared enough for you that they chose to trust you and share their observations and experiences. Instead, be grateful and accept the information humbly and with a growth mindset – accept you are going to use that information productively to better yourself.

  2. Approach trusted friends, family and colleagues. We cannot rely on only our own interpretation of our impact. If we do we may not see or learn about behaviours that are challenging. And to be fair, we may not see or undervalue some of our most important qualities.

    Let your trusted community know you are looking to improve yourself and need their help. If you think they will be hesitant to share this feedback with you in-person, that may already be a red-flag for you. But, if you want to make an accommodation for them, arrange it so that everyone submits their responses to questions anonymously, in writing. Ask questions like:

    a)   Do I inspire confidence within the people I work with?

    b)   When challenges arise, how do I deal with them? Do I inspire calm?

    c)   Do I stay grounded when I feel overwhelmed?

    d)   Do others feel I help them feel proud of their work? How frequently do I do this?

    e)   Do I appear to share information (transparency) or be somewhat guarded?

    f)    Am I a good listener?

    g)   Do I encourage others to share their point of view, thoughts, experience?

    h)   Do I empower others to be able to work independently?

    i)    Do the people around me feel I trust their work and their experience?

    j)    What are my best qualities? What should I keep doing?

    k)   What qualities should I work on? How can I improve?

  3. Use a formal 360 type feedback mechanism which is very popular in at-work environments. 360’s are an anonymous feedback process where (as an example) co-workers, people who report into us, colleagues from other teams and potentially even clients and suppliers are asked to provide their written feedback to predefined questions.

Your search should gather information about your success in creating an inspired culture of trust, cooperation, and respect. Are the people you lead guided by shared goals and values and proud of what they accomplish as well as what the team accomplishes?

In the end, recognize there is great power in this exploration since nobody rises to low or no expectations.

Exercise Your Comfort Communicating

Being a great communicator is another of the most important leadership skills. Being crystal clear about the information you share with others as well as how you are sharing that information gives the people around you a rich understanding of what is expected of them. Crystal clear communication is critical to helping those around you feel included, that everyone has the information they need to feel empowered and successfully get their jobs done.

Great communication provides team members a shared focus of their work and greater alignment of the decisions they make whether they are working late at night by themselves or in the middle of a team brainstorming meeting. Being a strong communicator is also an opportunity to reinforce your shared company vision and values; the ‘Why’s and How’s’ associated to their work. Exercising your comfort communicating also means being generous with encouragement and praise.

Simply put, clear understanding, autonomy and responsibility encourage pride in their effort, self-esteem, confidence, and builds leadership skills in others. With more and more of the people working remotely some or all the time, our comfort communicating is now even more important.

Offer Encouragement And Praise When It Is Due

Being a great leader means taking opportunities to make sure people know they are doing well. Once a year during a 10-minute performance review just doesn’t cut it anymore. We all have a need to feel a sense of relevance and progress. You and I want to feel the work we do is meaningful and we are adding to the greater good. The greater good could be the team, it could be the company, it could be our community and planet… or it could be all of these.

Encouragement and praise from other people – especially people we trust and admire is like using a high-performance gasoline. Still the same engine, but now we are empowered to do more… and we do this with an exciting vroom vroom in our step.

And don’t worry, especially if outward praise doesn’t come natural to you. Encouragement and praise don’t have to be complicated (or expensive). Employees don’t need front-of-the room presentations, and they don’t need expensive bonuses (although nobody I know would say no to a cash bonus). Unfortunately, using money as the primary symbol of praise and recognition is a legacy of my dad’s generation. Don’t get me wrong – being paid fairly is important, but verbal and even non-verbal feedback is amazingly powerful… and timely. For example, when you see Bruce doing a great job solving a client issue, tell him… and be specific about what he did well. Say something like, “I saw how you took initiative and worked to fully understand what they needed and then offered a few solutions so they felt they had choice.” Or “Bruce, I noticed how you re-formatted all the tables in the presentation to follow the same layout. Even though content was from three departments, it reinforced how we are trying to project a single source solution.” 

Stay In Touch

Staying in touch is more than going to meetings, assigning projects, and giving or getting updates. Sure, all those things are important and must be done but staying in touch with your team also means listening and being there for them.  

The thing is, staying in touch is a two-way-street. It is an opportunity to get ahead of challenges – sure – but it should be so much more. Staying in touch is an opportunity to build a micro-culture where you enjoy trusting relationships with others, where you learn what motivates people, you get to know them… and you give them an opportunity to get to know you.

I want to encourage you to consider other opportunities to build trust and community by staying in touch. Create a routine where you regularly check in with your employees. Don’t leave these discussions and relationship building opportunities to their annual or semi-annual performance review. For example, have formal monthly meetings with your senior team. In addition, set and prioritize bi-weekly one-on-one meetings with each member of your team (or even a business partner) with the goal of being there for them verses them being there for you. For example, have what I call ‘15-minute Laser Meetings’ where your team member is the one who decides the agenda. They come to the meeting prepared to discuss one or two topics that are important to them and might include:

  • Project updates (if that is their choice)

  • An FYI on potential risks that may be brewing with a project or supplier

  • An outright ask for your help to get buy-in from another department (or person)

  • A discussion on how they are feeling overwhelmed by their workload

  • An update on some family challenges that may require some workplace flexibility over the next month

  • A request for career advice or to help them find a mentor

  • A request for professional development training

One amazingly powerful way to build a trusting workplace community and stay in touch is to go macro during some of your one-on-one (and team) meetings. Instead of discussing the detail of a project, discuss the impact of their work and a project on the overall organizational goals and values.

Another way to stay in touch is to recognize success. When is the last time you ended a meeting or video call and simply (and genuinely) said something like, “Hi Paula, I noticed how confident and well prepared you were for the briefing yesterday. You did a great job. I hope you are proud of yourself.” Imagine how inspired Paula will be for the next week… and potentially even longer.

When you are experiencing organizational change, I can assure you that this is a time when staying in touch is imperative. When facing such challenges as navigating organizational change, be transparent about the tasks at hand and infuse your team with a shared vision of how your company can benefit from the impending transition. Continually provide updates and reiterate the plan for moving forward to ensure your employees are aligned and understand how their work factors into larger corporate objectives.

Being self-aware helps you stay in touch. For example, if you are an extravert, being self-aware will help you pull back from what may be a natural tendency to insert yourself into the conversation, or to stop using sentences that start with, “What I would do would be to…”.   Being self-aware may also help introverts give themselves a small push to engage in a different way. If all of this sounds like I’m encouraging you to exercise your soft skills, you are right.

Be Your Authentic Self… And Stretch Your Authentic Self

Can you imagine how many times have I heard someone say, “That is great for you, but that is not me” during a leadership-based conversation. If that is the case for you, here is some tough love. Being authentic doesn’t mean not learning and growing. You were ‘authentic’ when you started your first job. You were still ‘authentic’ last month, and since then I’m sure you have had new experiences that have further developed your authentic self. I’m not encouraging you to be someone you are not, I am encouraging you to be more aware of what is around you, and the opportunities you take to learn, grow and show your authentic self. I’d also encourage you to be curious about how people are responding to you and to situations you are involved in. After a team meeting or your monthly management meeting, do your team members hurriedly and quietly gather their belongings and rush out of your office, or are they usually energized and excited by your meetings?

Self-reflection is one way for you to choose to make a few changes in how you engage with others and from your investment, to experience some of the most immediate benefits, quickly inspiring trust, enhancing your performance, your team’s performance, and everyone’s pride and satisfaction from your shared accomplishments. So, I’m inviting you to decide how you might want to interact differently… for your own benefit and the benefit of those around you.

Find a balance where you can be yourself and still intentionally open yourself to new experiences and new things to learn. If you are an extravert, perhaps work on practicing your patience and listening skills. If you are an introvert, perhaps work on being ‘out there’ a bit more. As an introverted leader, having the structured laser meetings I discussed in the ‘Stay In Touch’ section might be a really good way to feel safe as you push yourself out of your comfort zone.

Being your authentic self through this journey will enable you to build a greater sense of trust… one of the most critical qualities of a great leader. When you are trusted and your team trust each other, each will proudly feel:

  • Less stress

  • Higher productivity

  • Greater engagement

  • Greater loyalty

Conclusion

We’ve discussed a lot of opportunity for you to become a great leader. As I was saying to someone just the other day, if you have time to address urgent issues, you have time to be proactive and take care of yourself and your team.

And let me share one last piece of advice. Have fun. Give yourself time to learn and adapt as you dedicate time for self-reflection and regular check-ins with your team. Allow yourself to make mistakes, because if you embark on this journey, you will make mistakes. Just apologize when you do – after all, you are only human.

Be well and happy communicating, leading and creating a culture of belonging.

Bruce

Learn More About Bruce Mayhew

Toronto corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting is in the people business… it just so happens that training and/or executive coaching is involved. Let us help you improve your productivity and employee engagement.

To learn more about how leadership training can to improve your skills call us at 416.617.0462.

Bruce Mayhew Consulting's most popular programs are Email Etiquette Training, Difficult Conversations, Generational Differences, Leadership Skills Training and Time Management Training

Related Workshops That Drive Business Success

Toronto based corporate trainer and executive coach Bruce Mayhew Consulting offers leadership training and professional development across Canada and the USA.