Building Bridges Across Hybrid Teams

In this meeting we explored the messy human reality of what it takes to navigate another workplace transition. We addressed the power of establishing team norms/habits/rituals to ease the workforce into another transition from remote to new working models.  

Take-aways from meetings breakout conversations:

What culture shifts, team rituals, resources did your organization develop during the last 18 months that you wish to keep?

• Keep designated video-free days, microbreaks, preserved lunch hour
• Keep boundaries on a consistent end to the day and scheduled time off
• Maintain a solid morning routine
• Continue consistent use of check-ins at meetings
• Continue embedded well-being with walk-n-talk meetings and beginning with moments of meditation
• Focus on self-care
• Preserve dedicated "focus" time between meetings to re-strategize
• Keep the authenticity of seeing each other organically (i.e. no make-up business professional clothes) and in our homes

What culture shifts, team norms, habits did your organization develop during the last 18 months that you wish to let go of?

• Stop working boundless 12 hour days (i.e. the 6am-6pm or 7-7 work days)
• Break away from an always-on mentality of living at work
• Address the need to respond to emails right away; we notice people always respond (no matter what time)
• Stop assuming it's ok to send countless instant messages, just because you know others are on their computer
• Recognize that colleagues are not always available just because they are remote (i.e. they may have actually stepped away from the computer and can't respond immediately)
• Give a rest to the unspoken feeling that you need to be connected to your computer all day
  • We are abusing the knowledge that someone is always available

Suggested Pre-Reading:

• Bridges Transition Model
• From Cube to Cloud

Key discussion questions to explore in BREAKOUTS and GROUP DISCUSSION:

• How can rituals support us through times of transition?
• How do you bridge the connection gap and navigate the initial social awkwardness of returning to work?
• How do you structure these conversations? What are the ground rules?
• How do we make effective and inclusive team agreements?
• How can we set intentions for returning to the workforce?
• How do we give people agency to acknowledge their unique situations?
• How do you address inequity and tension between working situations? How does unconscious bias come to play?
• What is the new role of the office and how can it support well-being?
• How can we build supporting resources and rituals around the return to the workplace?
• How do we re-establish psychological safety and usher in new sensitivity?