Managing best practice in hybrid and remote teams

Today, attitudes have relaxed somewhat. Now we’re into the groove of remote and hybrid working, employees are being rewarded with more flexibility. Team leaders are comfortable with an employee taking a lunchtime dog walk, or popping to the shops during a break, confident that this will support, not hinder their performance.

Workplaces have moved past acceptance of flexible working. Managers are confident managing flexible working requests. In fact, most organisations understand that hybrid and remote working is here to stay. The leadership conversation has moved on to how to get the best out of hybrid and remote teams and help them to feel more connected and supported. In this post, we share best practice on leading remote teams and keeping everyone motivated when they work in a different location to you.    

Hybrid and remote working models are not new, but normal

The CIPD Autumn 2024 Labour Market Outlook revealed that nearly half (41%) of employers allow hybrid working with formal policies in place, though the way it is managed varies greatly between organisations. We know that employees value and desire flexible work, including opportunities to work in a hybrid way, and this need is strongest among the younger generations.

Research also shows that flexible working patterns can be more beneficial for our wellbeing. A 2025 study by the International Workplace Group suggests that hybrid workers are healthier, take fewer sick days, and have fewer stress-related healthcare conditions.

Hybrid and remote working is here to stay. Organisations attempting to move back to more traditional working patterns are seeing resistance from employees. In our experience, return to office mandates are not the solution. We need to embrace the benefits of flexible working models - for individuals and businesses - and be open to new ways of managing teams.

The foundations of productive flexible working

Creating a culture of trust is key to supporting your team. As a manager, you have to trust that your team will perform without constant monitoring and check-ins. When you do this, they will repay you with increased respect, productivity and engagement.

Good communication is equally important. Setting out clear processes and expectations are core to successful flexible working, as is staying connected. When good communication exists teams collaborate more and perform more effectively. Consideration of wellbeing and inclusivity will also ensure that remote and hybrid employees are thriving, motivated, and working effectively.

Effective strategies for managing remote and hybrid teams

To best support your team, you have to be open to adapting and refining your management approach. The first step to building a productive, connected hybrid team is to know them well.

1. Know your team: be flexible in the way you manage your team to accommodate their individual needs and priorities. Taking a personalised approach will help you understand each person’s needs. For example, some team members might find working from home lonely or isolating, whereas carers, parents, and employees with disabilities may feel differently.

2. Always have a clear reason for meeting: we’ve all given away precious time to meetings that could have been an email or a phone call. These days, people are less tolerant of pointless meetings, especially when they can simply press a button to leave and focus on something more productive or important.

Whether you’re gathering the team together for an office day, or arranging a 121:

• Make clear the reason for meeting

• Decide who needs to be there and who doesn’t

• Consider how much of people’s time you require.

Efficiency and making the best use of our time are two benefits people value most about flexible working. Get to the point as quickly as possible, and if you can’t recall the reason for meeting, consider cancelling.

3. Set an agenda and maintain focus: when you meet, create a detailed agenda (not list of topics) to give structure and clarity to proceedings. Be conscious of people’s time and keep to topic. Politely request that unrelated conversations take place offline. People appreciate getting time back when a meeting concludes early.

4. Make in-person meetings purposeful: consider how to make best use of your valuable time together. Activities such as mentoring, performance reviews and recognition are best done face-to-face, while regular catch-ups work well online.

Think about how to grow and maintain the connection between remote employees. Could you use the time for collaborative, team-building activities? It may also be a good opportunity to build understanding of company strategy, vision, values and behaviours, to strengthen the trust and communication required to work flexibly.

5. Encourage ongoing collaboration: working together should not be limited to the time you spend as a team. As a manager you should encourage collaborative behaviours and interactions away from team meetings. ‘Who have you met with this week?’ is a helpful question to start the conversation.

6. Make time for hybrid workers: organising in-person contact with hybrid employees can be more challenging, particularly when your days in the office don’t coincide. It helps to establish when you will meet at the very start of your working relationship, however flexibility is equally important. Be open to making time for hybrid workers to maintain a strong connection and provide a consistent level of support.

How to measure productivity in remote and hybrid teams

One of the biggest grey areas of flexible working is measuring employee productivity. The management challenge is to develop new ways of measuring productivity that focus on outcomes and results rather than time spent at your desk. Now, we can’t tell you what specifics to measure, but we can offer some thought on how to go about it. When you set goals and measures, communicate them clearly to your team. It all comes back to understanding and clarity around the purpose of our work. When teams know what they are striving for, and why, they are more motivated to achieve their goals.   

Hybrid and remote working is the future of work

Building and maintaining strong team performance when your team is rarely in the same place at the same time is a modern-day manager’s challenge. Technology has facilitated the evolution of new working patterns and now it’s over to leaders to work out how to maintain performance, productivity, motivation and engagement.

Following these best practice tips will stand you in good stead, but if you would like further support on embedding hybrid and remote working practices please get in touch on 0161 941 2426. We are here to help.