Five Strategies for Building Resilience in a Hybrid Work Life Environment 

By Beth Benatti Kennedy 

It is possible to build and maintain a resilient organization, even with the challenges presented by hybrid work situations. Doing so enhances well-being and productivity and drives overall organizational success. 

Following the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of organizations offering employees a hybrid work arrangement. With time split between remote and in-office work, different strategies may be needed to build a resilient organization.  

Why address this challenge? Because resilient employees manage transition, stay productive, and continue to learn and add value to the organization, which benefits the organization overall. A resilient organization has a culture of trust and psychological safety in which individuals’ strengths are honored and they are given opportunities to make an impact.  

Here are five key strategies:  

1. Listen to learn. We underestimate how important listening and asking questions can be to have a thriving workplace. We cannot assume that every employee wants or needs the same thing from a hybrid situation. There are some employees who find they can make substantial progress on key projects if they are able to work from home with minimum interruptions, while other individuals get their energy and feel more productive in an office setting. Whether you’re a manager or an individual contributor, share with one another what keeps you productive and why and explore what steps are necessary to create a suitable environment.
2. Strategic communication. Even when all employees are in the office at the same time, it can be a challenge to communicate effectively because of overflowing email inboxes, multiple parallel projects, and constrained resources. Encourage open communication to address challenges as they arise but also be the first person to thank others and share achievements. Do you give clear feedback to your reports and colleagues on what is going well and what needs to be changed? Do you assess progress along the way with clear metrics for success? What about your physical presence, whether you are in person or on video calls? Do you focus on the person talking or look distracted by checking your phone? Individuals can feel the difference when you care and really listen.
3. Proactive connection. Encourage using in-office time to connect, share ideas, and problem-solve. For example, suggest that employees try to set up one-on-one meetings with colleagues who are on-site at the same time they are, while using their work-from-home days to connect with colleagues with whom remote meetings are the only option. There is no point commuting into the office if the day is spent on video calls! 

In-office days are also a good time for team meetings and maybe even a short coffee/tea hour once in a while to give people an opportunity to socialize without taking time from their personal lives. Plan, if possible, occasional opportunities for the entire department to be in the office together. If individuals live across the country or globe, it may be more realistic to schedule this every six to twelve months, but if individuals are commuting locally, it can be helpful to schedule one specific day a month for everyone to meet, perhaps over lunch. 

4. Let people set boundaries. One of the challenges during the pandemic was that many employees working from home felt there was no end to their days. Make it okay for people to log off and be unavailable. For example, people can include a statement in their signature block along the lines of “I value and support flexible working and acknowledge that your working hours may be different from mine. While this message was sent during a time that works best for me, please do not feel obligated to read and reply outside of your normal working schedule.” If replies within a timeframe are expected from certain recipients, clarify that in the subject line.

5. Explore technology platforms. During the pandemic, people got used to using certain platforms for meetings and phone calls. Are these still working for you and your team? Assess what is needed and whether the current platforms work. Has the experience of working remotely brought to light other issues, such as knowledge sharing, that you’d like to address? Some organizations are benefiting from using a platform like Slack or Teams for collaboration and information storage.

Organizations must adapt to the evolving work landscape by prioritizing resilience in their hybrid work strategies. By listening to employees, fostering strategic communication, encouraging proactive connections, allowing boundaries, and leveraging technology, businesses can create a thriving, resilient culture. These efforts not only enhance well-being and productivity, but also drive overall organizational success. In embracing these strategies, companies can navigate the complexities of hybrid work and emerge stronger, more adaptable, and poised for future challenges.

About the Author

Beth Benatti Kennedy has more than twenty-five years of experience as a leadership and team coach, resiliency-training expert, and speaker. Beth is also the best-selling author of Career ReCharge: Five Strategies to Boost Resilience and Beat Burnout and co-author of ReThink Resilience: 99 Ways to ReCharge Your Career and Life.