Building Workplace Belonging in a Hybrid Environment

We are living in the Future of Work. Workplaces and workforce expectations have fundamentally changed, and with that change comes new challenges and new opportunities. 

Many workplaces have now shifted to a remote or hybrid work environment. Organizations embracing flexible work arrangements can now tap into top-tier talent across the country, lower commuting times, and increased productivity. Additionally, this perk has now become an expectation of the workforce, with nearly three quarters of the workforce identifying flexible work locations as critical.¹

Given this changed environment, our approach to building workplace belonging must adapt. It can no longer rely solely on the casual watercooler chats and hallway hangouts. Building a sense of belonging requires intentionality at all levels, especially from leadership. Belonging in the workplace means feeling known and valued as an integral team member, accepted and safe within that community, and recognized and accepted as an individual.

Why should leadership care about employee belonging? Because it impacts the organization financially and culturally.² Employees who feel they belong are more productive, have a higher sense of psychological safety and trust with their leadership and colleagues, and are more likely to contribute in innovative ways to the organizational mission.^3,4

The first step is to evaluate and measure organizational belonging. There are five important components in the workplace that must be addressed for employees to feel like they belong: a feeling of being welcomed, known, included, supported, and connected.⁵ Employee turnover, psychological safety,⁶ and an employee’s willingness to take on extra responsibility can also be used to measure belonging.⁷ Once data is collected, impact areas can be identified and examined for how they vary for in-person, hybrid, and remote employees. By measuring belonging, leaders can gain insight into the current state of their organization and can work on strategies to improve the baseline.

Guidehouse solutions

Guidehouse developed TrueCulture, a framework for diagnostic testing of culture based on five key components to help organizations identify cultural challenges and pinpoint opportunities to build belonging. Through this framework, we conduct in-depth evaluations of an organization’s current state culture through collection and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data. Guidehouse then provides the organization with visualizations that provide immediate insights on their cultural building blocks including organizational capacity, alignment, and readiness for transformational efforts. 

We pair TrueCulture with our (re)VisionTM change management methodology to implement change for optimal impact. We use these methodologies to help leaders navigate the hybrid workforce more sensitively and intentionally.

In the hybrid work environment, intentionality is necessary for improved belonging. Leadership must be conscious of their own proximity bias, or their tendency to favor those who are physically closer to them over those working in remote locations, and they must model intentional inclusion for the entire organization, while also setting expectations for middle management. Middle management then needs to ensure all team members feel they belong to the team and the organization. 

One relatively simple method is creating processes to ensure remote employees receive the same information as in-person employees. It is easy to see someone in the hallway and casually mention an idea or opportunity to them. Remote employees can feel forgotten when they do not receive those same opportunities or considerations. Sending information to all team members who are eligible for an opportunity or who need an update assures the whole team feels equally informed and valued. Some organizations install virtual water coolers to allow for regular, casual touchpoints with team members in Teams or Slack. This feature allows employees to ask questions, share information, and connect with colleagues asynchronously. Some managers host virtual office hours where remote employees can figuratively drop by, just like they would if they were in the office. This can make members of leadership and casual interactions with the rest of the team more accessible to employees working remotely. 

Another opportunity to enhance the feeling of belonging in this new world of work is the practice of regularly celebrating accomplishments. By planning a specific time to share recognition for work well done, show appreciation for a helping hand received, and celebrate personal life achievements and milestones (if desired), leaders can help build connections across the team. Recognition is essential for all team members, but remote employees may be overlooked. Successful leaders set aside dedicated time to recognize employees, to share kudos via email with the team, or to send individualized notes of appreciation. 

Using a team charter to support belonging

A team charter is a shared document that serves as the cornerstone of a team's operations, delineating the team’s objectives, roles, and norms. In the context of fostering belonging in a hybrid workplace, the significance of crafting a team charter together cannot be overstated. This collaborative effort nurtures psychological safety within the team, as it empowers members to voice their perspectives and preferences without fear of judgment. Through inclusive dialogue and consensus-building, team members can contribute to shaping the charter, while fostering a sense of ownership and commitment to its principles. By starting with the broader organization’s mission, vision, and values, then building from there, a team charter can serve to apply the organization’s guiding principles directly to the day-to-day needs of an individual work team.

The team charter can delineate specific norms related to feedback, such as establishing regular feedback sessions or implementing a peer review process to ensure constructive and timely input. It can also outline preferred communication styles, whether they be through synchronous video meetings, asynchronous messaging platforms, or a combination of both to accommodate diverse preferences and time zones. The charter can detail procedures for conflict management, including protocols for addressing disagreements respectfully and seeking mediation, if necessary, which can foster a culture of open dialogue to resolve conflicts constructively. The organization’s human resources department may also have guidance on these topics that can be referenced in the team charter. These norms not only clarify expectations, but also contribute to a supportive and harmonious team environment, reinforcing psychological safety and mutual respect among members. 

By involving all team members in the chartering process, diverse viewpoints are acknowledged and integrated, enhancing understanding and respect among colleagues. This inclusive approach cultivates an environment where every individual feels valued and heard, regardless of their physical location or working style. Moreover, the charter serves as a framework for navigating challenges and conflicts, promoting accountability and cohesion within the team. 

In crafting a team charter for a hybrid workplace, the team should explicitly address the dynamics of remote collaboration. This includes clearly defining roles and responsibilities, establishing mechanisms for inclusive communication, and outlining processes for soliciting feedback and resolving conflict. Regular review and revision of the charter ensure its adaptability to evolving circumstances, sustaining its relevance in the ever-changing landscape of hybrid work environments.

In essence, the collaborative development of a team charter affirms the value of every team member's perspective and fosters a shared sense of purpose and belonging. Furthermore, when a team’s charter takes the effort to connect back to the organization’s mission, vision, and values, it offers an example for the whole organization of how to build belonging. 

Technical tips for intentional gatherings

There are unique challenges to ensure all attendees can connect when conducting a hybrid session. To assure participants feel included and engaged, facilitators must plan carefully and intentionally. Guidehouse has found the following strategies helpful for hosting hybrid gatherings with a sense of belonging, both for client meetings and for internal team meetings:

• Start with a clear purpose that guides all aspects of the event, such as invites, content, and facilitation.
• Include personalized agendas – set expectations for those attending virtually vs. those in-person? How are logistics different?
• Share pre-event content so all audience members can peruse slides, agendas, or other materials.
• Engage the audience throughout the event – this includes knowledge checks, surveys, live polling.
• Leverage digital games, contests, and giveaways accessed via email, web browser, or mobile application.
• Include event hosts in both the in-person and hybrid environment to connect the two, to troubleshoot, and to ensure both sides have the opportunity to speak and be heard.

To support hybrid events of all sizes, from a small team meeting to a summit with hundreds of guests, consider incorporating technology tools into the planning to facilitate a sense of belonging. While most people default to using the traditional Microsoft or Google Suite products first, the following categories of tech tools can also support belonging:

Project management — Allow for all team members to see what their colleagues are working on. This type of tool can give dispersed team members general awareness of their co-workers’ projects and help identify colleagues who might be available to provide support for a project. Project management tools allow work to be delegated appropriately, and they give managers a visible reminder of their virtual team members’ presence.

Digital whiteboards — Allow team members to brainstorm together, whether in person or virtually. Work done on these tools can be preserved so the team can revisit it, unlike with traditional white boards.

Performance and culture — Tools, such as 15Five and CultureAmp, support team check-ins and identify issues, concerns, and successes. Team members can use these tools to document priorities for supervisors, report feelings of burnout, and recognize team members’ achievements. Having tools that promote recognition integrated into the team’s culture can boost employee morale and engagement.

Interactive polls — Great tools for engaging an audience and collecting data in a virtual or hybrid environment. They allow for real-time feedback, ice breakers, quizzes, and other types of engagement, and can be used anonymously if needed. Some interactive polling tools, such as Zoom Polls/Quizzes, are only supported in fully virtual meetings, while others, such as Mentimeter, allow for hybrid engagement. When planning to use polls, be sure to check the organizational needs and requirements.

Conclusion

The future of work is bright. Today, virtual and hybrid work arrangements mean workers have more flexibility, and organizations have more choices for hiring top talent. Teams can gather with purpose and leaders can intentionally build workplaces that allow employees to seek fulfilment at work. When workers are empowered and feel belonging, and when employers are satisfied because they can find employees who are a good fit, regardless of where they are based, productivity soars. Organizations that invest in building belonging in a hybrid environment, foster employees who feel respected and valued and lean into the work when they feel energized and creative, contributing their best selves to the organization. Technology tools allow teams to collaborate across time zones and work asynchronously. Teams can also maximize in-person interactions that pay dividends in terms of relationships, understanding, and collaboration. The thread that ties everyone together is a strong culture of inclusion, empathy, understanding, and awareness. With strong leadership, shared values of belonging and respect, intentional planning when people convene, and a charter that guides and informs positive interactions and connects back to the organization’s mission, people, teams, and organizations thrive.