Creating a culture of wellbeing in hybrid working teams

Ruth Miller, Assistant HR and OD Partner at University of Edinburgh, and Rachel Brewer, Learning & Development Manager at the University of Exeter, share how they have provided managers in hybrid working environments with the tools they need to ensure continued wellbeing within their teams.

Written by Helen Essex
Published 27 June 2022
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Creating a culture of wellbeing in hybrid working teams
“It’s probably your line manager that’s having the biggest impact on your wellbeing at work, whether that’s positive or negative,” Rachel says in the video above. This is a huge responsibility for a manager to shoulder. That’s why, she says, managers need to be supported to adjust to hybrid environments. And to help them move away from traditional management styles that were better suited to in-person work.

Widespread hybrid working environments were originally a necessity due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But they are now increasingly the norm in many organizations -- shifting employees’ expectations around wellbeing issues. Teams now have the opportunity to work more flexibly around their home lives, move away from stressful, long commutes, or spend time on activities that they enjoy. In the video below, Ruth shares a little about why, when it came to wellbeing, it didn’t make sense to force staff back to on-campus work.
Something that often causes stress for managers – even before hybrid became the norm - is the need to have challenging conversations, around performance, for example. As Rachel describes here, equipping managers with the tools they need to have these conversations is key to ensuring managers’ success. And if the tools can be accessed from both their home and campus offices, then even better.

Managing workloads can look very different in the new hybrid world too. Deadlines – or rather how to meet them - can arguably be more flexible, with people working at times of day that suit them. On the other hand, Rachel also says it’s important to be able to let go of some things to make room for other, more high-priority tasks. 

“Sometimes, something perhaps has to drop off the end of the line, even if it’s in the short term”, she says. She talks more about when the move to hybrid first took place, managers were empowered to have conversations about heavy workloads – and how getting leaders involved in sharing that message was key. Watch the clip here.

Want to hear more from Rachel and Ruth? Watch the full webinar here.

About the author

Helen Essex

Helen Essex

Campaign Marketing Manager
Helen has worked in B2B marketing for over eight years, and is continually looking for ways in which to bring Mind Tools for Business' story to audiences around the world. She enjoys working closely with clients and teams right across our business to understand how L&D is shifting and developing and incorporating this information into creative, dynamic campaigns.
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