How can you build strong relationships with colleagues in a hybrid work environment?

Communicate very clearly and with as much transparency as possible. Involve them in the conversations as much as possible so they are vested.

Make sure that showing respect each other, Emptic listening and By fostering open communication would be helpful. Provide opportunities for collaboration, Promote a strong sense of belonging through virtual/Physical team-building activities and inclusive decision-making processes. Inspire them for any innovation work and recognize it.

As we navigate the new norm of hybrid work environments, one crucial aspect that must not be overlooked is building strong relationships with our colleagues. Effective communication is the key to building trust and fostering collaboration, even when working remotely. First and foremost, make it a priority to communicate frequently with your colleagues. This can be through virtual meetings, emails, or even a quick check-in call. By staying in touch regularly, you not only keep each other updated on work progress but also build a sense of camaraderie and support. Secondly, be clear and concise in your communication. With the absence of face-to-face interaction, it is essential to ensure that your message is conveyed accurately.

Seek help and offer help. If you need help, reach out and when you know someone is working on something, reach out and offer help. This simple gesture many times becomes a conversation starter and the start of a long and fruitful journey

Strong relationships are based upon two key components, trust and consistency. Build trust by being honest and yourself. Build trust by being more interested in understanding your colleague than working towards any form of impression. Build trust by having boundaries (probably the most important). Build consistency by showing up regularly. Build consistency by following up in communications. Build consistency by being present.

I'm going to echo what many here have said, which is you need to spend time on things that have nothing to do with business. The way I do this is to pose a question that we can use as a basis for our discussion. Or sometimes, I send an interesting article that we can discuss. Something to get the discussion started on a topic that will help us learn about each other without any focus on work.

Interaction is the key. Spend quality time with your colleagues. It doesn't mean to party with each other or play games. In my perspective, the best way to spend time and know about each other is, learning together. It might be a technical skill or a sport or a life skill. The ultimate goal is to know about each other, why not make it productive too!

For this social I do come across with some good idea try to catch up with your office buddies at least twice a week or once in a week so that you can share the information and also stay motivated towards your work

In my experience, the time I’ve connected most with employees was during work in breaks or at lunch. Take the time to connect with one person every day and have a meaningful conversation with them, checking in on them genuinely, and you’ll find that you’ll make deeper connections quickly at work.

In addition to virtual events, consider hybrid gatherings that allow both in-person and remote participation, enhancing inclusivity.

Actively offer mentorship to peers. Sharing your expertise can foster reciprocal learning environments and peer-to-peer growth.

Remote Work sollte nicht dazu führen, dass die Wege länger werden als im Büro - das gilt für Entscheidungen, Feedback und Diskussionen. Auch in hybriden Setting sollten die Teammitglieder und Manager flexibel erreichbar sein - das Anklopfen an der Bürotür wird einfach ein Anruf oder ein Videocall.

Feedforward is essential in teams that work in hybrid mode. It shows that the team/ seniors/ organisation is open to ideas from all. Asking for suggestions to solve and resolve challenges/ find the best way forward helps participation and engagement. The most productive suggestion can be periodically rewarded to motivate people. Having internal mentors who can enable people to scale up performance,can be very encouraging.

We may have the best ideas but you have to sell it to key stakeholders. Know how you will need support from. Learn how they work what they think, let them mentor you and in the process you will br able to sync your ideas to what aligns with strategic goals.

Being adapting and flexible to meet people where they are is a great way to relationships. It helps people feel seen and heard. Take the time to learn how people like to be engaged with.

It is okay to have an unscheduled conversation - when we were all working in fluorescent lighting in the same building, it was possible to walk around, pop into someone's cube, and chit-chat for a few minutes. You can do that by via Teams

Encourage a culture where employees feel comfortable expressing their unique needs and preferences, fostering a more inclusive workplace

Die Arbeitswelt verändert sich schnell - nicht zuletzt eröffnen auch stetig neue Tools (bspw. KI-Chats) neue Möglichkeiten für die Zusammenarbeit. Dabei sollte jedoch nie die soziale und persönliche Komponente aus dem Blick verloren werden: Ein Team besteht aus Menschen mit unterschiedlichen Stärken, Schwächen, Wünschen und Herausforderungen. Diese zu sehen, ist in Remote Settings schwieriger, sollte aber eine wichtige Aufgabe der Manager sein und bleiben.

This calls out for me to think of retention. In the post Covid environment employee know their worth and the job market in many industries is highly competitive. Create an environment that always you to gain the most out of your employee as a sunk cost by implementing a work life balance. You may have lower compensation but if your employee feels a better work life balance than they are less likely to leave.

In hybrid environments it can get easy to NOT acknowledge wins and accomplishments and continue working in silos and only address the issues or negative things that come up. Making a concerted effort to take the time to celebrate wins, progress and milestones will go a long way in strengthening relationships, building morale and motivating others. You can find ways to celebrate virtually and in person and even create rewards/incentives/awards to acknowledge people and big initiatives.

Acknowledgment in front of peers and or a larger audience can be simple way of improving morale while recognizing a accomplishment. Say thank you often and please those two words remain as humbling as when we learned manners as a kid.

Personalise celebrations to reflect the individual's personality and achievements, making the recognition more meaningful and impactful.

Wertschätzung muss gezeigt werden, damit sie eine positive Wirkung entfalten kann. Das gilt Remote, Hybrid und auch in Präsenz.

Building relationships isn’t really about being onsite, hybrid or at home. Whilst it can be easier in person, the limited exposure of hybrid can actually improve working relations. What is important is that colleagues actively seek to engage, listen and collaborate effectively and that leaders dedicate attention to creating the ‘Adaptive Space’ that enables colleagues (that may having competing priorities, workloads, roles etc) to come together and work through tensions. Trust develops experientially as that process is facilitated and pays out over time.

I am currently working in an hybrid environment where i need to be in touch with concerned person from different countries. While working in such environment, its always important to understand their values, ethics, culture etc and position yourself accordingly. Since remote job doesn’t offer you the scope of frequent physical meeting its worth to remember that apart from official engagement one should have some personal engagements too, may be through social media or casual call through other platforms with the respected colleagues.