Team culture in a hybrid world

Some reflections on how hybrid working makes work better for everyone.

In my mind, we talk about hybrid working as if it's something new but, to me, the word might be new but the activity isn't. I've always worked in teams that are all over the place - in international organisations, in a team of sales people and marketers where some people were on the road a lot and others were in the office, managing teams of community fundraisers, or these days when my work is generally in networks of consultants and clients, so I'm either at home, in a cafe or at someone else's workplace.

One thing I've been wondering is whether the fact that I started my work life in an office, in an era before technology, has made a difference to how I think about this. There was even a typing pool in my very first office, no computers on any desks. Imagine! A world without mobile phones and emails meant that team communications, in my recollection, were far more organic.

For people entering the workplace more recently, what I fear is that they will miss out on that sense of team that I began with and have always attempted to emulate. So I wondered about tools that leaders can use to build a greater sense of belonging for everyone, especially in teams where some are in the office and others are home-based, which risks creating a damaging divide within the team. Being deliberate about creating opportunities for catch-ups with remote workers and not favouring people just because they are in the office is important.

There's a reason that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion has added a B on the end for Belonging. Leadership needs to thoughtful about creating a spirit of belonging for all their staff, showing clearly how everyone is contributing to the mission and purpose of the organisation, and celebrating shared success. There are some good suggestions in this article.

I also thought this was an interesting article about seeing hybrid working not as a challenge, but as a chance to have a good think about how work happens and making it better for everyone. It's an article written by a company with skin in the hybrid game but I think it's an interesting perspective.

Taking a wider view, EY's 2024 Work Reimagined Survey showed that the organisations' success in the medium to long term will depend on what they call "talent advantage" i.e. being an attractive employer to people with the skills you need. One of the key factors in this is the ability to create a positive workplace culture for employees who are diverse and dispersed. They also stress the importance of not treating employees as a monolith - it shouldn't be a surprise that different people will thrive in different ways of working.

Doesn't this mean that having a flexible approach where people can choose how they work is better for everyone? Long live hybrid working or whatever it's called in the future!

There are a LOT of people suffering from workplace stress and burnout at the moment and I'd like to think that managers are alive to this and doing things to help. If anyone reading this needs a hand grappling with whatever issues they're facing then do reply to this email and let me know. I'm always happy to help and do a lot of pro bono support as part of my commitment to volunteering.

Or, if there's a topic you'd like to suggest that I write about, do let me know, always happy to hear other people's ideas.

Day of the Week 📆

Next week is Small Charity Week. The theme is Financial Resilience - info here

What am I reading? 📚

DJ Paulette's book, Welcome to the club - The life and lessons of a Black woman DJ, is a good read.

What am I watching? 👀

I'm finding it very soothing, in these dark times, to watch real people doing real things: building chicken coops, repurposing sheds, checking on tomatoes.

Youtube is the place. I like Rewilding Jude and Dog on the Plot.

What am I listening to?👂

I listened to Louise Casey's interview about her report into child sexual exploitation. It's so important that we don't shy away from humanity's darkest sides.

Joy-giving things 😍

I won £10 for coming second in the 24/25 Villa and Proud Fantasy Football League. Last year I came third. The 25/26 fixtures were released this week. Bring it on!

Until next Friday, have a great weekend.
Lucy

I write this newsletter because I believe in sharing progressive ideas that help us work towards a truly equal world.

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ChangeOut is created by Lucy Caldicott. You can find more about my work at ChangeOut.org. If you’re looking to have a chat about culture, leadership, purpose, equity, or a facilitated team discussion about any of those things, get in touch. You can also find me on Bluesky, Instagram, and, LinkedIn.

If it’s your first time reading this newsletter, find out more here.