How to Get Remote & Hybrid Teams Right
The black-and-white argument between working from home versus being in the office seems to be back on. I am so over it. So here is edition 9 of the Happier People in Tech blog series, debunking the old myth of presence equals productivity.
But before we go there, let's start with the science.
What is best for productivity: hybrid, remote or in office teams?
As usual, there are pro's and con's for every approach. However, the argument that I start to hear more often again is that only presence equals productivity. And that's just wrong. In fact, anything is better for productivity than a 5-day-in-office-week. And the sweetspot can be found in balance.
Hybrid Work: The best of both worlds outperforms 5-days in office!
A well designed study from this year (2022) using a randomised control trial run by folks from Stanford University supports what we all know deep down: hybrid work models clearly outperform a 5-day in the office week! But let's look at the detailed results:
In the hybrid group (WFH 3 days, in office 2 days) the study found:
✅ a much lower quit rate: hybrid group had 35% less resignations!
✅ Higher employee satisfaction
✅ Absolutely no negative effect on performance or promotions!
Hybrid and remote work through the lens of Self-Determination Theory
When we look at what makes any hybrid or remote model work, it boils down to 3 key things: flexibility (aka autonomy), trust (aka psychological safety) and a sense of community (aka belonging). From a psychological perspective this is no surprise. According to the popular Self-Determination Theory (SDT), you are at your best and highly motivated when these three factors are present:
Autonomy. You have the autonomy to make the choices that you need to make as part of your job, in line with your internal values and with minimal external pressure.
Competence. You feel competent in your role and experience a sense of mastery, being effective in what you do.
Relatedness. You feel connected to others and experience a sense of belonging.
When these three factors are present, motivation is high. So how are these affected, when we take work hybrid or remote?
Flexibility and autonomy are key to hybrid and remote success
When employees are asked what they want most in their job, work-life balance and an opportunity to do what they do best continuously makes the top 5. It's about having the flexibility and autonomy to design their working day that motivates employees to be at their best.
This also means that it is crucial to let your employees choose when they are in the office and when they work from home. Making it mandatory for your teams to come into the office every Wednesday and Friday is not flexibility. That's just the old system under a new label of 'flexible work'. Ask yourself what is necessary from a business perspective. What do your teams need to be productive, happy and empowered? When in doubt: ask them! There is nothing more empowering than asking a team to design a working model that works for them. You will be surprised how many teams voluntarily commit to a fixed day in the office, if they are given the autonomy to choose.
Psychological safety is essential for hybrid and remote teams
The success of your hybrid and remote teams is built on trust. Research identifies trust - aka psychological safety - as the number one factor for team effectiveness. Trust is your key to build high-performing teams, especially when working remotely or in hybrid models. You can find the full recipe of how to create higher psychological safety here.
I hear a lot of leaders worried that people are disconnected when they work from home. Advocates of in-person meetings often claim that creativity and innovation only happen when people are in the same room with each other. But that is not the case. In fact, the location does not determine the effectiveness of a team. What determines a team's innovation is how safe they feel with each other. Research informs us that teams high in psychological safety are more creative and innovative, plus they collaborate more with each other (Wenson, 2010) - independent of their location.
So if you have actual data that shows a decline in innovation, productivity or collaboration across your remote teams, the solution is not to call them all back into the office. The solution lies in understanding how safe and trusted does your team feel. Do they feel empowered to speak up? Do they feel valued for their opinions, perspectives and viewpoints?
A psychologically strong team can work as effectively remotely as it works onsite. If your team doesn't work effectively you have to ask yourself what that says about your leadership style and the working culture that you are creating. Your question then becomes: what can you do to create a safer environment for them?
Create community and belonging for your hybrid and remote teams
According to a recent Gallup study, a whopping 91% of employees in 2022 prefer to work in a hybrid model (59%) or fully remote (32%). If you want to retain top talent you will have to provide this flexibility to your employees. And to be successful as a business you will have to make it work.
The best way to start is to focus on creating community and belonging in your teams. And this is something that everyone can do, from individual contributor, to first-line manager and C-Level leadership teams.
If you follow the recipe for creating psychologically safe teams, you are also doing the groundworks for fostering belonging and community at work.
3 strategies to create a sense of belonging and community
Create Team Rituals. As a team brainstorm ideas to create team rituals that bring people together. For example start each team meeting with a round of celebrations of what went well, a learning gained that week, or setting a positive intention.
Promote Diversity & Inclusion. DEI programmes are designed to eliminate the feeling of being an outsider. If an team member feels like an outsider, it will be difficult for them to feel they belong. Promote special interest groups within your organisation and be an ally.
Be a Positive Leader. People high in a sense of belonging feel seen and heard. Learn and apply positive leadership skills and use tools like strengths-based feedback.
Using evidence-based strategies to make hybrid & remote teams successful
So no, it is not a black-and-white situation when it comes to how you want to design success in your teams. Success happens when you work with your teams to understand what they need to perform at their best. After all, building happier teams in tech is a team sport! Message me if you want to get a set of expert eyes on your teams. I design tailored intervention programmes that address your unique challenges and help you bring back the smiles.
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