Hybrid Work: It’s More Than Where You’re Working From

Hybrid work is here to stay, but leaders are still struggling with how to build trust, maintain accountability, and keep employees engaged. As I prepare for my session at HR Conference & Expo 2025, I wanted to hear directly from HR professionals and business leaders about what’s working, what’s not, and where they need support.

What I Learned From My Survey

One of the most significant challenges respondents shared was building trust in a hybrid environment. Without the day-to-day interactions of an office, many remote employees feel less connected and less visible to leadership. 

Some of the most common concerns included:

• Remote employees feeling left out of informal conversations and decision-making

• Difficulty building relationships across teams in different time zones

• Over-reliance on email and messaging apps, making communication feel transactional

What’s Helping Build Trust

• Regular 1:1 check-ins between managers and employees to strengthen relationships

• Rotating in-office and remote schedules to create equitable facetime with leadership

• Department-focused summits where hybrid teams can align, discuss priorities, and reconnect

One respondent shared that “mixing up the medium” in communication—using video, voice, and chat—made a significant impact in helping remote employees feel included.

Giving employees more flexibility is essential in hybrid work, but leaders still need to ensure accountability. Many respondents emphasized the importance of setting clear goals and ensuring expectations are understood upfront. Some of the most effective strategies included:

• Defining clear objectives and outcomes so employees know what success looks like

• Using asynchronous check-ins to keep work moving without unnecessary meetings

• Encouraging teams to co-create their schedules to align personal work preferences with business needs

One software development team shared how misaligned schedules across time zones were causing major project delays. By co-creating schedules—allowing teams to collaborate on work hours that balance individual flexibility with team priorities—they reduced delays by 25% and saw a significant increase in employee satisfaction.

Technology is critical for hybrid teams, but not all tools work equally well. Some of the most useful tools according to survey respondents include:

• Microsoft Teams & Zoom for structured hybrid meetings

• Loom & Otter.ai for recording meetings so remote employees stay in the loop

• Asana & Trello for keeping projects organized without excessive check-ins

However, some tools created more problems than they solved. Several respondents shared that:

• Slack didn’t integrate well with Microsoft Teams, leading to miscommunication

• HR-mandated tools often felt disconnected from how employees actually worked

One thing is clear from this survey: Hybrid work isn’t just about where people are located—it’s about how leaders design workplaces that foster trust, engagement, and accountability.

Organizations that take a thoughtful, employee-centered approach will build the most resilient and high-performing hybrid teams.

As I prepare for my talk at HR Conference & Expo 2025, I want to hear from others—what has been the biggest challenge for you in leading a hybrid team? What strategies have worked best?