Maintaining High Performance in a Hybrid Workplace

Successful managers know that developing and sustaining high performing teams requires constant discipline, especially in a hybrid environment where employees are alternating between in-person attendance and remote work.

The shift from a standard working model to a hybrid model requires changing the way we approach leadership. Prior to making changes, take a deep dive into your current management strategies and the culture it promotes. Consider taking the following actions:

• Evaluating and changing your leadership manners
• Identifying aspects of high performing teams
• Determining the individual team role/style and how to best contribute to team success
• Implementing the right virtual communication tools 

The next step is to take action and stay committed. Below are a few deliberate steps I’ve implemented to demonstrate my support and commitment to embrace the hybrid workplace. 

• Champion Work-Life Balance

To me, work-life balance is a culture where team members are confident that they can do a good job and still be able to prioritize important things in their personal life. I’ve championed work-life balance by supporting flexible work schedules, getting to know my employees on a personal level, helping them to meet their personal goals, encouraging them to ask for help and providing tips on how to prioritize work.

• Support Autonomy and Collaboration

Give employees the tools to make independent decisions and work on projects that require team work. This approach creates a balance by giving employees the space to work on items independently and also come together as a team when collaboration is necessary.

• Include My Team in Decision-Making

Continue to encourage employees to be a part of the solution by offering their ideas on how to resolve issues.

• Create a Feedback Loop

Encourage frequent feedback conversations where employees can share the things that should be “changed” or “improved” within the workplace.

In short, the hybrid world is here to stay, so it is time to take deliberate steps to embrace it.

Malissa Lewis serves as the Chief of the Loan Repayment Branch in HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW). She leads a team of nineteen analysts who work to strengthen the healthcare workforce and build healthy communities through the administration several workforce loan repayment programs.

Prior to the Loan Repayment Branch, she served as a section chief in the Division’s Scholarship Branch. Malissa has over 11 years of public health experience and leadership experience.

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