Avoiding disengagement in hybrid teams: 5 Tips from the frontline

Here are 3 tricks from frontline organizations to address disengaged employees in hybrid teams.

1. Audit your communication and feedback channels

A common discovery that frontline organizations make is that a major part of their workforce can’t even access their communication and feedback channels.

Access to communication channels is a great place to start when looking to address employee disengagement on a hybrid team. There may be a discrepancy between which communication methods in-person and remote employees use. Plus, two-way communication is often cited as one of the major factors driving employee engagement. 

Review your channels to ensure every member of your team can use them regularly – no matter where they are (that means replacing any channels that are only accessible at the office). From there, you can look for ways to boost engagement in these channels through bite-sized info, engaging visuals, and gamification (who doesn’t love collecting points?). 

2. Share, share, share! 

One of the things we hear from frontline teams time and time again is that they’re chronically hungry for more information. The same is true of hybrid teams, where a segment of your workforce isn’t in-office for the water-cooler chats and ad-hoc meetings – which can lead to disparities in who gets what information.

“Eliminate ambiguity,” says Fast Company in its recent post on managing hybrid teams:

 “Your team cannot be effective if there are ambiguous expectations.”

Carson Tate, Fast Company

Use your newly-audited communication channels to share information regularly and consistently. Share company/HR news and team updates, reinforce brand values, recognize employees… everything to ensure all employees are in the loop, wherever they are. You can’t overshare when managing hybrid teams. This will go a long way in helping build trust.

3. Optimize your tech for impactful meetings 

Even in the world of retail and restaurants, team meetings are a crucial part of mitigating the risk of disengaged employees. They break down silos, allow for real-time feedback, and keep you aligned on company goals. Meetings have the same potential for hybrid, deskbound teams — as long as you iron out the logistics. After all, nothing kills morale faster than poorly run meetings where the whole time is spent trying to make sure everyone can hear each other.

Start by making sure you have the right tech stack in place for hybrid meetings: video conferencing and shared online meeting agendas are both must-haves. Sharing your agenda in advance (even if it’s all recurring items) creates consistency and ensures all team members are in the know on what will be discussed. It’s also helpful to make sure all team members have high-quality cameras and mic setups so everyone can see and hear each other.