[Webinar] Hybrid Work: How to Maintain Strong Team Relationships

2020 marked the emergence of a new way of working: hybrid work — a mix of remote work and in-office work — which has now become the norm in many organizations. While hybrid work brings real benefits for both companies and employees, it can also put the relational dynamic in the workplace at risk.

What are the effects of hybrid work on team cohesion and sense of belonging?
How do you maintain positive and productive relationships from a distance?
How can collaborative tools help you keep teams connected?

That was the topic of our February 2, 2021 webinar: “Hybrid Work: How to Maintain Relational Dynamics Within Teams”.

Three speakers joined us:

• Nelly Dubout, Founder and Co-director of BIRDS Conseil, a consulting firm specializing in human and managerial transformation
• Philippe Pinault, Co-founder and CEO of Talkspirit, a collaborative platform that helps organizations transform how they work
• Christine Cheret, Internal Communications Manager at Gîtes de France, the benchmark for home-sharing accommodation in Europe

Here are the key takeaways.

The Impact of Hybrid Work on Team Relationships

A weakening of workplace bonds

Since the rise of hybrid work, Nelly Dubout (BIRDS Conseil) has observed that relational dynamics have weakened within teams — largely due to the rise in asynchronous exchanges and the proliferation of digital tools.

The result: teams are far less cohesive than before, have lower energy, feel isolated, and employees struggle to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

An amplification of relational toxins

Hybrid work has also amplified several relational toxins:

• Defensiveness
• Criticism
• Contempt
• Stonewalling

These relational toxins can damage the quality of team relationships — and ultimately team performance. Managers must pay close attention to them.

Management Best Practices

Nelly Dubout identifies several management best practices to nurture relational dynamics in hybrid mode:

• Agree on what defines a positive and high-performing relationship, and establish rules of’engagement
• Put rituals and exchange moments (formal and informal) in place that are suited to remote work, for example a virtual coffee break or after-work drink
• Encourage and support employees in their work
• Invest in quality communication technology

Read also: Hybrid Work: Management Best Practices

The Role of Collaborative Platforms

Relational challenges

Beyond these best practices, it’s also important to ’equip remote employees with the right tools in remote work. As Philippe Pinault (Talkspirit) explains, deploying a collaborative platform makes it possible to:

• Build cohesion and a sense of belonging, for example by connecting frontline and office workers
• Improve la information flow through a news feed
• Celebrate team successes through des publications using emojis and GIFs
• Encourage’peer support and knowledge sharing within communautés

Best practices for using collaborative platforms

Several best practices can help strengthen relational dynamics within this internal social network :

• Bring all employees onto the same platform
• Hold regular check-ins with teams
• Clarify the gouvernance of tools
• Think carefully about the’group architecture to be set up
• Raise employee and manager awareness of the right to disconnect

How Gîtes de France Uses Talkspirit to Strengthen Cohesion Across Its Network

Gîtes de France recognized early on the value of an enterprise social network. 

In 2017, the brand adopted Talkspirit to streamline communication and collaboration across its network and facilitate the sharing of best practices between its 93 regional offices across France.

Read also: Streamlining Communication Across a Franchise Network: The PUR etc. Story

When Covid hit and forced remote work "became reality", Gîtes de France had to adapt its ways of working and find new ways to maintain team cohesion.

Facing this new hybrid work context, several initiatives were launched on Talkspirit to strengthen cohesion across the network:

• Launching ’federated and participatory activities: a Christmas quiz on internal culture, celebrating employees’ network anniversaries, professional challenges
• Showcasing values and company culture: regular messages from leadership, sharing press coverage, employee interviews
• Creating intra-agency groups to facilitate remote communication
• Sharing client challenges across the entire network
• Creating multi-regional working groups on strategic topics, to help employees look ahead

If there were two key lessons to take away, they would be:

• Launch initiatives to unite employees around shared values
• Create communities to strengthen bonds and encourage peer support

Read also: Strengthening Company Cohesion with Talkspirit: The Food Emotion Story

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Conclusion

The Covid-19 crisis helped organizations recognize the importance of relational dynamics and their impact on remote employee performance. If they want to keep teams cohesive and performing well in hybrid mode, managers and internal communications must rethink how they work and communicate — and roll out federated initiatives suited to remote work. All while relying on a collaborative platform that fits their needs.

Read also: 8 Key Tips for Choosing the Right Collaborative Platform

Want to discover more best practices for maintaining team relational dynamics?

Watch the replay

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Author: Emmanuelle Abensur