Written by Donna Bonfield | 11th April 2022
Hybrid working is part of the new normal for many businesses, and that’s good news for some – but not for all. Some of your employees may love the hustle and bustle of the office and some may hate it.
Your team will inevitably be a mixed bag of ages, experiences, motivations and personalities. And when it comes to working preferences, they’ll have different ideas too.
So, how can you ensure you create a productive work environment for everyone, when this will look different depending on each person’s colour energy preferences?
Understand your people
Managers who fail to acknowledge that the hybrid way of working isn’t going to suit everyone aren’t going to succeed by forcing people to change. You will end up creating a workplace full of unhappy, disengaged, and underproductive employees who are more likely to jump ship as soon as they find a better fit elsewhere.
Insights Discovery can help you understand why people behave the way that they do, what they are looking for in a workplace environment, and how that helps them to be their most productive selves.
Insights is a psychometric tool that looks at how we communicate and interact with each other according to our personality types. We all have a combination of four colour energies – fiery red, cool blue, sunshine yellow and earth green – but we each have a natural preference for some which influences our motivation and behaviours. Your combination of those creates a unique “you”.
The Insights Discovery tool will help you to understand why some may prefer elements of homeworking and others may enjoy being in the office.
Communication preferences
Communication is vital for collaboration and team working, but the style, type and frequency of communication that each person enjoys can be different based on their personality types. Insights helps explain this:
People who lead with Insights Sunshine Yellow are typically more extroverted and tend to prefer a busy, lively environment with plenty of social interaction. When it comes to hybrid working, this is more difficult to achieve remotely so you may find they struggle with motivation and productivity without other people to bounce ideas off, while working from home. As a manager you should keep in regular contact with these employees and ensure there are plenty of opportunities for informal meetings or virtual get togethers.
Those with a preference for Fiery Red tend to have extroverted tendencies too, but they are usually more “task focused” than their Sunshine Yellow colleagues, and may prefer a more direct type of communication, with a focus on targets and goals.
People who lead with Cool Blue are likely to be more introverted, with a logical, analytical approach to work and a preference for clearly defined procedures and regulations. This group are likely to enjoy working from home, or alone while in the office, so managers should ensure there are structures and support in place to ensure that their input and contributions are not lost.
The final group, those who lead with Earth Green, are also likely to be more introverted, with a preference for a calmer, slower paced work environment, which allows them to build strong relationships with those around them. Managers need to ensure this group have plenty of opportunities for one-to-one conversations, where they aren’t rushed to provide an answer as their natural style is often reflective and considered.
Regardless of whether your team members are more introverted or extroverted, the switch to a hybrid approach will have forced everyone to adjust to new, sometimes uncomfortable ways of working.
Ensure everyone has the chance to speak
One challenge of hybrid working is ensuring everyone’s voice is heard – either online or in person. Some people may be slower to contribute to discussions (in particular, those who are more introverted) and disinclined to do so if they feel they might be spoken over or if their ideas may be openly criticised. It is the role of the manager to ensure that everyone is given equal opportunity to contribute to discussions by encouraging open conversation, asking questions and encouraging follow-up and feedback after meetings.
Look at your management style
Consider how you interact with each of your team members, and how you can adjust your style to suit their preferences and get the best from the whole team. This can be as simple as recognising that those leading with Cool Blue may prefer a pre-arranged agenda for your 1-2-1s, whereas those who lead with Sunshine Yellow will be happy to go with the flow.
You may need to build in time for a personal chat at the start of your 1-2-1s with your Earth Green team members, whereas those with a preference for Fiery Red may be happier to get straight down to business!
Remember, that the most fruitful of conversations should always be tailored to the individual,
Social connections and team building
Social connections are a big part of being in the office together but do remember that people who lead with Earth Green or Cool Blue typically enjoy a calm peaceful environment and might enjoy homeworking because they work well by themselves. However, to avoid them becoming isolated, you need to encourage them to engage with their colleagues, so include everyone in any team meetings or social activity – wherever they are located.
It’s essential to look for team-building opportunities and encourage employees to interact socially. Why? Building better relationships among your hybrid teams will benefit them when it comes to working on projects together – recognising and appreciating everyone’s differences highlights the range of skills, thought processes and approaches available in the team. This will also build company culture and help employees working from home avoid feeling isolated and lonely.
Support your people
One of the challenges of hybrid working is that you may not see every team member on a regular basis. This can make it hard to get to know them as individuals, to understand what they need to be productive, and how you can best support them. The personal Insights profile provides lots of opportunities to maximise the value of regular 1-2-1 meetings and help you to develop the right supportive environment.
The last 2 years have been a time of change, uncertainty and disruption, and your people may have been forced to make compromises of one sort or another and without communicating with them you won’t understand how they are coping.
Regular 1-2-1s are a great opportunity for you to check in with each team member, but there are some simple things you can look out for too. Each colour energy can be over-used in times of stress and pressure, and show up as “bad day” traits. Talking to your team members about what their bad days look like can help prevent stress and burnout.
Insights Discovery will equip you and your team with the knowledge and skills you need to overcome the communication challenges you’ll face as a hybrid team.
For more information about our Insights training workshops visit the webpage here, or email [email protected].