3 best practices for hybrid teams
In an ever-evolving landscape of work where the boundaries between physical and virtual spaces blur...
What strategies can we embrace to empower teams to navigate this hybrid terrain seamlessly? Discover three tried-and-tested approaches for your hybrid team’s ways of working.
FRESH HYBRID WORKPLACE PRACTICES
1. Meeting rhythm
Determining the true necessity of meetings has never been more on the radar than it is now, after an era of zoom fatigue and inserting extra meetings to combat it. What we actually need is to review when and how we meet by aligning the intention and desired outcomes.
For example, at Mischief we have these three meeting formats:
Team check in:
At Mischief, we leverage online platforms like Slack for a daily team update and a 15-minute check-in meeting to bridge the hybrid gap.
This meeting is on zoom (folks who are together in the office use our trusty 360 camera&mic) - where we start the day together chatting, inviting people to share any 'helpers and highlights' and sometimes use check-in questions inspired by tscheck or daresay.
The team update on Slack is a more detailed rundown of our day, helping us stay orientated as a distributed team and giving us the opportunity to pollinate and make sure our priorities are aligned.
"YASSS Fridays":
Cultivate a culture of reflection, knowledge sharing, feedback, games, energizers and freestyle creativity to rejuvenate your team's spirit; prepare for this to work online, in person, or hybrid. We call ours "YASSS Fridays" because it's something to look forward to.
Walkie Talky:
Encourage chats while strolling when feasible, spicing up the day with some fresh air and giving a screen break to our eyes and brains.
Top tip: embrace an iterative approach - because just like humans, the best meetings are ever-evolving.
2. Tactile tools
Smooth collaboration is bound to be enhanced when you have dedicated spaces and tools for hybrid teams. When it comes to learning the tech, it can feel overwhelming but often it’s just a stitch in time - and it will save you nine.
Here are some easy-to-use favorites that offer a wide range of functionalities:
Mood meter:
Assess team or meeting sentiment, and change course if needed.
Loom:
Streamline asynchronous communication & briefings with video messages.
Notion/Miro:
Harness the power of versatile digital platforms for seamless collaboration.
3. Capturing the essence
While (and after) collaborating, whether in meetings, events, or day-to-day tasks: capture what is going on. Keeping a seamless hybrid documentation will align the team, clarify uncertainties, and create a base for anything that needs to follow.
With these tactics, you’ll make sure to get retention on your intention:
Digitize post-its:
Take photos and upload physical notes like post-its and flipcharts into digital counterparts for easier sharing and archiving.
Shared docs:
Ensure transparency and accountability with shared documents, including meeting minutes.
Recordings and photographs:
Capture critical moments and insights to revisit later, reinforcing the collaborative journey.
KEEN TO DIVE DEEPER?
These fresh strategies can propel your team towards effective work practices, ensuring productivity, cohesion and a good time in a hybrid work environment. Explore more or reach out to us if you are interested in skilling up.
COLLABORATION & THE FUTURE OF WORK: A GUIDE TO WORKING BETTER ANYWHERE
Curated resource with practical activities, tools, templates, frameworks, and thought-provoking articles, to fuel your enthusiasm to try out new ways of working hassle-free.
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