There are a lot of benefits to implementing a hybrid team for your organisation: health and safety, better work-life balance, flexibility for team members, and less costly (smaller) office space. Many organisations started working remotely in 2020, but that doesn’t mean they nailed it on the first try.
If your workplace is adapting to a hybrid work environment in 2022, you’re going to need to re-adjust yet again while part of your team returns to an office while others remain at home. How will each individual in your team react to these changes?
We’ve previously shared the importance of reboarding team members into the new ways of working, and that may be helpful to revisit. If you know your team’s behavioural preferences from DISC, the following outlines what each DISC behaviour needs in a hybrid work setting. This is based on the new DISC behavioural continuum, which is the cutting-edge way of looking at the DISC that you can read about in our knowledge centre.
Solution
Use a scheduling team tool like Basecamp or Monday to lay out entire projects that break down into tasks. That way, Direct team members can stay on task and work at their urgent, preferred pace without leaving their team behind.
Encourage everyone to share exactly what parts of projects they’re working on, and build these checkpoints into projects. If reporting is just another step in the process, it won’t feel intrusive to Direct communicators while still remaining efficient.
Solution
You can prevent miscommunication in the first instance by scheduling one-on-ones with your Reflective team members and expressing gratitude to them for their collaborative behaviours.
Solution
Have team bonding that is actually fun. Zoom cocktails have lost their appeal to many, so don’t make your team gather in the same way they do for meetings. Try playing a collaborative online game like Among Us or Overcooked, or have a lunch-hour watch party for a show your team loves.
Something entirely unrelated to work will help everyone feel like they’re together again. That feeling goes a long way with Outgoing communicators.
Solution
Many people have gotten used to digital communication over the past two years, but that doesn’t mean they’re ready for hybrid teams. Make sure all team members are receiving the same amount of attention and information when tackling projects, noting successes, and giving feedback. Avoid sarcasm or any kind of figurative language that can be misinterpreted over chat.
Solution
Make sure that expectations and instructions aren’t just delivered verbally; follow up with an email with deliverables and utilise your project management software.
Make sure to get the Steady team member’s input on the schedule of a project as much as possible. If you’re simply dictating due dates and project pace, your Steady team members will feel overwhelmed or ignored. Ask them what feels reasonable for deliverables.
Solution
Even if instant chat is an option, people can’t always immediately reply. Establish communication requirements and preferences early on in your working relationships on hybrid teams, i.e “Slack me for regular requests, email for more formal questions, and text me in an emergency”.
These expectations will help lessen the anxiety about being ‘on’ all day for the rest of your team, but they will help Dynamic communicators prepare for how and when they get information from others.
Solution
Use different communication formats for different purposes. Remember that helping your Precise communicators push themselves out of their comfort zones will have positive benefits for their growth and their standing within your team!
That being said, let Precise communicators select their preferred communication method as often as possible. Lessening sources of stress is key to increasing engagement, and the less friction on your hybrid team, the better.
Solution
Take time to think, plan and/or simply get stuff done. Mark it on your calendar clearly. If you’re managing a Pioneering communicator, help them figure out their communication cadence and productivity. Take advantage of their free-thinking and outside the box approach to find creative solutions.
Overall, there are three things you need to do for success with all DISC styles of communication in hybrid teams:
Hybrid teams are the future of the workplace. Use your knowledge of your team’s communication and DISC styles (from the new continuum) to help them succeed in their roles.
If you're not sure where your team members fit across the eight descriptions listed above, then consider our Engagement Report. This is a concise and intuitive report that helps individuals understand their behaviour and motivations.
Note: This article was originally published by TTISI USA on 14 January 2021 by Jaime Faulkner. It has been updated for the Australia and New Zealand market, and it has been shared here with permission.