Let’s start by pointing out that hybrid work represents an opportunity. Sometimes you need to be mobile while you’re working. Sometimes it’s more efficient to work from home. Sometimes the best team you can build is one that is flexible—especially given many of the best workers select flexibility when applying for jobs. So how can you make the most of your hybrid team? With excellent communication. Here’s how to achieve that.
Make a Short, Simple Communication Policy
Answer these simple questions: What app or platform is preferred? How can team members best communicate their hours and availability? When does something become important enough to merit a meeting or phone call? Your communications policy doesn’t need to be exhaustive or lengthy—in fact, better that it isn’t. But it should be a set of guidelines that help steer team members when communicating.
Understand Asynchronous Communication
Asynchronous communication is when you send a message without expecting an immediate reply. When someone reaches out to you, you may be busy, you may be off your work hours while the other person is on, you may have blocked out some time for deep focus, you may be communicating with someone else—there are all kinds of reasons you may not be able to text back right away. Everyone should understand that most communication—emails, messages, voice memos, etc.—are asynchronous and they’ll get a reply when they get it. If something is urgent and needs an immediate reply, that’s when you pick up the phone and call.
Emphasize Onboarding
When many people left the office at the beginning of the pandemic, it was just a matter of taking their in-person dynamic and putting it online. In that case, they had the benefit of knowing each other in person, which informed how they communicated online. This isn’t the case for new employees. Be sure to be very clear and open when onboarding new employees. Be sure to introduce them to everyone. After all, it’s super disorienting to get an email from a stranger only to find that they’re your new supervisor, about whom you’ve heard nothing.
When onboarding, be sure to pay special care to younger employees. Young employees need to be shown the ropes—not just in the sense of training and KPIs, but what’s expected socially and in terms of interpersonal skills.
Consider Unified Communications
Arguably, there are too many ways to communicate—and everyone has their own preferences. Instead of trying to remember if Trish from accounting sent you a text, a Slack message, or a voicemail, you could just invest in a unified communications system. Ensuring that all systems of communicating also communicate with each other solves the problem of disparate communications systems.
Re-Evaluate & Update
Start gathering data about how your team communicates and its effectiveness. For example, are meetings more to the point in the afternoon or morning? Do you get better response times with Slack messages or email? Are do-not-disturb hours improving your productivity? This is something that a unified communications platform can help with. You may be surprised what you find when you start keeping track of communications successes and failures. Keep gathering data and updating your communications practices accordingly.
