Hybrid work is not an individual issue. Data from the Insights Global Hybrid Working Report shows that employees are generally happier with the increased flexibility offered by hybrid. Instead, hybrid is a team issue because managers aren't experienced at managing the (new and less familiar) remote element of hybrid work. The real problem is that many managers don't know how to ensure productivity when their team is working from home.

Two plus years into hybrid working and too many managers are still grappling with leading hybrid teams effectively. According to the report around 70% of managers find it challenging to:

• Get visibility of employee behaviour and performance
• Build connections with team members
• Understand team dynamics
• Give immediate support
• Onboard employees effectively

Employee's feel less supported by their managers and the report highlights areas that hybrid teams need to work on, including:

• Collaborating effectively
• Becoming more cohesive
• Achieving results together
• Improving work processes
• Building trust

The heart of the problem?

When it comes to hybrid work, traditional management training programs are outdated. Organizations haven't tailored their learning and development strategies to suit the challenges of the remote element of hybrid work, leaving many managers to lead their team as if they were still all working in the office five days a week. This isn’t effective or sustainable.

So, how can I help my managers?

At CultureGene we work directly with remote and hybrid work companies to strengthen their organisational culture. We’ve also conducted 14 months of research into successful remote work companies to understand how they overcome the challenges of remote working. Using this experience and data, we’ve created the world’s first Hybrid Management Training Program. This program overcomes the remote work challenges, and helps managers to optimize hybrid work and excel at hybrid team management.

We are in the early days of working hybrid out, but we can see that right now it is only working to an extent. Employees are happier and they can be as productive, and we believe more productive, with the right support from their managers. Companies must provide hybrid management training that addresses the three areas where managers' roles have become more complex, and where they’ve had to take on more responsibility: team culture, people management and collaboration.

Supporting managers with the right training has never been more vital for business resilience and long-term success.

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