Hybrid Work isn’t Working
The Proximity Principle: People tend to serve people they see, touch, and spend time with.
What you don’t see seems easy. You assume others have it easy. People who aren’t seen often feel undervalued.
Hybrid work makes detachment easy.
Potential expands when you connect to real people doing real work.
Hybrid Work isn’t Working*
#1. New hires struggle. They can’t watch others or ask quick questions.
#2. Collaboration suffers. People focus on their own deliverables and delay helping others.
#3. Meetings fail. They grow too big, engagement drops, and after-meeting follow-ups waste time.
#4. The wrong people get promoted. Individual contributors rise. Team players don’t get noticed.
#5. Culture weakens. Norms aren’t observed. Pre- and post-pandemic hires don’t align.
#6. Commitment fades. Loyalty is fueled by seeing the people you work with.
#7. Isolation grows. Fewer friendships equal poorer performance.
Make Hybrid Work
#1. Set and enforce anchor days. Everyone comes to the office on the same day(s).
#2. Redesign meetings. Keep them small, purpose-driven, with cameras-on.
#3. Rewrite the rules. Define urgency, for example. How quickly should people respond to urgent requests? When should they be available?
#4. Rebuild culture. Pair new hires with mentors. Host in-person off-sites. Share stories in a team setting.
#5. Reward team players. Track and recognize teamwork, not just output. Promote using co-worker feedback and 360-degree assessments.
#6. Rehumanize management. Equip managers to spot isolation and connect with empathy. Teach virtual EQ: reading tone, noticing silence, asking better questions.
#7. Prioritize connection. Make it part of everyone’s job. Allocate connection-time across functions.
Hybrid work isn’t doomed, but it won’t thrive on autopilot. If you want connection, collaboration, and culture, build them with intention. The silent killers of hybrid work are isolation, assumption, and invisibility. The goal isn’t just flexibility, it’s productivity with vitality.
What unspoken values are lost without in-person modeling?
How can leaders reward collaboration?
Still curious: 7 Reasons Returning to the Office is a Good Idea
*This post is adapted from: Hybrid Still Isn’t Working HBR
Our organization works fully virtual because we cover a large territory. We had an in-person in-service recently, and I noticed a subtle shift in dynamics. A tall person with an unassuming nature got more respect. And the short man, who had a powerful presence in the equal squares of the zoom call, had a more diminutive impact in person. You couldn’t miss it. There is more research to be done on how being physically present and breathing the same air may impact how we value each other in ways that may or may not be helpful. We rely on a whole set of tools to offset the problems listed here and keep relationships going in a healthy, maybe even more equitable, way.
Powerful insight, Dawn. Thank you for sharing.
Dan it seems to me that hybrid work is hardest on “new” people- new to the organization, new to a first manager role, maybe even new to senior management ( but sadly this is often more removed anyway). As you have noted often, the key ingredients to success is leadership and culture and both these can easily suffer in a hybrid world. It means everything takes a lot more effort!
Brad
Hybrid organizations tend to end up with a group of new people who experience one culture and a group of long-term employees who understand how to work together. Being aware of this tendency can help leaders take appropriate measures to mitigate against it.
I typically agree with your insights, but I wholeheartedly disagree with your sentiment here. I work almost all remote and have found that my work has become more meaningful when it’s self-directed. There’s a tendency in your writing here to equate physical presence with productivity. Employees may feel pressured when they are in office to appear busy rather than focus on meaningful work, leading to a culture of presenteeism. Additionally, in-person environments often reinforce existing hierarchies, where those in power can exert control more visibly. This can stifle creativity and discourage open communication. I’ve anecdotally found that those who are clinging to this antiquated model of work and resistant to change, are overwhelmingly white males over the age of 50. It makes sense, as it’s where they spent most of the work lives, so they value the “culture” and “tradition” they are accustomed to. I would suggest that the younger generation don’t hold those same values, and they find that the “culture” they speak of rigid and out of date.