Hybrid work strategies are more than just scheduling in-person work; they are about creating sustainable relationships with colleagues and meaningful exchanges between distributed workers to advance the organizational mission and improve the employee experience. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have been wrestling with a ‘new reality’ that is increasingly defined by remote work. But this new reality is not necessarily new, only the scale at which workers are opting to work remotely. As of 2023, nearly 40 percent of employees work from home at least part of the time, if not working fully remote¹. 

This means managing and contributing to work and teams requires an increased dependence on and proficiency with digital communication and collaboration tools. It also means that traditional in-office approaches to work need to be redefined in the distributed context. The outcome is that individual schedules are defined by the work being performed, not personal preference.  

Three keys to success in a hybrid environment: 

• Let the Work Drive the Schedule. The nature of the work being performed and the necessary interactions between employees to complete that work must be considered first, before determining work schedules. Work must be assessed independent of traditional work configurations to expose the optimal opportunity to work remotely, or meaningfully connect in person.  
• Optimize Informal Communication. Investing in advanced digital communication solutions (i.e., instant messaging, audio and video calling, mobile access) will provide employees a variety of ways of connecting with their colleagues in real-time, share work, and rapidly resolve issues or remove impediments to productivity.   
• Manage Meetings Better. Enhancing employee’s proficiency in running efficient meetings is more than facilitation, it is creating agendas that can be realistically accomplished in a short duration while determining the best method (in-person, remote, hybrid) to meet the requirements of the meeting. Effective meeting managers are also proficient in participant selection, driving the discussion and controlling side conversations, and identifying and communicating clear, actionable tasks for participants.  

Establishing sound hybrid practices must be a deliberate action taken, supported from the top down, and designed to be sustainable, but not rigid. Organizations will need to consider their hybrid values, adopt standards of communication, establish a routine cadence for both collaboration and individual contributions, and purposefully evaluate the outputs and outcomes of hybrid strategies. This approach will ensure they are able not only to both meet the needs of the organization and adapt to future operating conditions, but also to create a meaningful employee experience.  

Jefferson Consulting Group has developed an approach to creating meaningful hybrid workforce strategies that ensure compliance with governmentwide requirements, while also preparing agency workforces to operate in a hybrid environment. Very often agencies need to focus on manager readiness to effectively lead with maximum workplace flexibilities. This may include establishing meeting management protocols, programming individual work time into daily schedules, and improving facilitation and event planning skills to promote sound time management practices. 

About the Author:  
Jd Walter, PhD, is the Executive Director of Human Capital Programs for Jefferson Consulting Group. Jd has a PhD in Public Administration, an MPA and an MS in Organization and Management with a specialization in Human Resource Management. Jd has nearly 30 years of experience in and around the federal sector, including active-duty military, defense contracting, civil service and management consulting, with an emphasis on working with executives to improve organizational performance and the employee experience. To contact the author or learn more about Jefferson’s solutions, please email jwalter@jeffersonconsulting.com