Top executives share their tips for building a successful hybrid workplace

Hybrid work is completely new to many organizations, and that means executives and leaders play a crucial role in establishing the strategy and setting the right examples for employees. To help you make the right decisions in your hybrid organization, we’ve reached out to leaders for their insights and tips. 

Robert Glazer: You need a strategy 

There’s no going back to 2019. That’s the main takeaway Robert Glazer, the founder and CEO of partnership marketing agency Acceleration Partners, wants to emphasize. It’s all about looking forward, not backward. At the same time, hybrid work isn’t something that “just happens” — for this work model to be effective, you need a strategy to address topics like physical hubs, meeting culture, inclusivity, and more. Get more of Robert’s insights, recorded in Prezi Video, below: 

Robert also joined us on a webinar to share ways to build a great organizational culture in the hybrid workplace. Be sure to watch the on-demand webinar here. 

Iwo Szapar: Assess the way you communicate

With a mixed workforce, where employees split their time working in the office and working from home, good communication becomes exponentially more important. Iwo Szapar, the co-founder of Remote-how, points out that no matter who’s responsible for poor communication, it affects the entire organization. 

That’s why he suggests performing a thorough and honest audit of your company: How are you communicating, and how often? What tools are you using? Are your internal meetings actually useful? Watch his video to understand how to properly assess your organization’s communication habits:

Mandy Fransz: Set clear boundaries to boost morale and productivity 

One of the challenges of working remotely is that the lines between work and home start to get blurred. Mandy Fransz, the founder of Make the Leap Digital, has made it a priority to help others build a better remote work culture. In her Prezi video, she details the benefits of time blocking, establishing communication guidelines, and creating an agenda. Watch her video for more tips to keep your hybrid workforce engaged and productive: 

John Hall: Learn how to find the balance 

As the co-founder of Calendar, it makes sense that John Hall knows how to manage his time effectively. In the hybrid workplace, he stresses the need to strike a good balance between productivity and mental health. For example, he suggests using the “speedy meetings” option when scheduling meetings to automatically end them a few minutes early — this will give your employees some time to take a quick break and recharge before diving into the next meeting. 

Watch his video for more tips, including how to assess your technology and track goals and performance without straying into micromanagement: 

John goes into more detail on time management and more efficient meetings in our webinar. Watch the on-demand webinar here. 

Boris Hristov: Avoid common presentation mistakes 

Executives and managers will likely need to present to the entire organization to inform them about how the company’s doing, convey the company’s strategy and mission, and inspire everyone to put in their best work. But Boris Hristov, the founder of presentation agency 356labs, sees a lot of common mistakes that many executives make when presenting. 

Watch his Prezi Video to learn how to avoid these mistakes — you’ll learn about balancing story, design, and delivery; how to get the proper training; and more: 

Danielle Taylor: Use hybrid work to improve DEI 

While hybrid work is great for flexibility, it also has another benefit: It makes it easier to bring greater diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) to your organization. Danielle Taylor, a corporate strategist, explains that hybrid work allows companies to access larger, more diverse talent pools. Additionally, meeting virtually and using asynchronous communication make it easier to avoid unconscious bias and other harmful habits that crop up in the office. Watch her Prezi video for more insights:

As companies figure out how to transition to hybrid work, employees will be looking at the executives and leaders within the organization for guidance. Use the tips shared here as a starting point, and then turn to our comprehensive guidebook on hybrid meetings for even more best practices.