Hybrid

Work Guide

Def ine & navigate a hybrid workplace for your organization

+ run effective hybrid meetings and events

ABOUT

This guide is for anyone

curious about a hybrid workplace

and implementing one into their

organization. It will help you

better understand and navigate

the evolving and complex hybrid

workplace so you can decide if it’s

the best fit for your team.

T h i s G u i d e i s an exploration of how to: T h i s G u i d e i s N O T prescriptive or a

step-by-step “how-to”. Hybridity in the

workplace is a complex topic and a simple

Define and disambiguate hybrid
solution will not suffice. It will require
for your organization
curiosity and willingness to observe

emerging phenomena and continuously

Foster hybrid work connection
adapt; dynamism is the core of hybridity.

This guide provides visibility on various

Create equal opportunities for
aspects of hybrid work with suggestions
in-person and remote workers
along the way. It is important that you

consider your unique environment as you

Establish hybrid policies and begin to experiment and learn what’s best

systems for your team and organization.

Transition to hybrid T h i s G u i d e i s a working guide that 


we will update as the hybrid landscape

Implement tools & processes for evolves. This is a journey we’re on

effective hybrid work together. If you have experiences,

collaboration problems, or observations, we want 


to hear from you.

2 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

1
CONTENTS

What is a Hybrid Workplace

Introduction
4

2
How to use this Resource 4

Exploring Hybrid
Disambiguating Hybrid
6

Define What Hybrid is To Your Workplace

7

Prioritize People
7

3
Design for Inclusion & Equity 8

Policies & Procedures

Hybrid Work Policies
9

Decide what connection means for your organization

10

Hybrid Meeting Policies

10

Design every meeting to meet specific needs and purposes

11

4
Hybrid Event Policies 13

Implementing Hybrid
Adjust For Employee Needs
15

5
Focus On Connection 16

Tools & Processes

Hardware + Tech
17

Prioritize connection with effective communication

17

Prepare For Growth

18

Hybrid Facilitation 19

3 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

PART One

What is a

Hybrid Workplace
A hybrid workplace is a flexible workplace model that How to Use This Resource
is designed to support a distributed workforce of both
Hybridity is an ongoing and dynamic situation,
in-office and remote workers. The hybrid workplace
therefore establishing a hybrid workplace is
isn’t a completely new idea, with many companies
complicated. There is no single way to approach it
(especially in the tech and start-up worlds) allowing
because there are copious factors that influence
flexible work-from-home policies or remote hires.
different variations of what it can look like (and even
However, there are now new ways of working across
those can change). The purpose of this resource is to
the board. Businesses have been forced to rethink the
show you the possibilities, variations, and
workplace in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.

considerations of a hybrid workplace so that you can

The global shift to a virtual business landscape during experiment with them and decide what works best for

the pandemic presented advantages and your organization.

opportunities for remote work–from an increase in

employee productivity to an expansion in the capacity The pandemic has changed the way we do business
to connect and work with others. Many people are forever. We’re living in a continuously evolving work
living fuller, healthier lives outside of work as a result landscape that challenges the location and
of this shift. More folks now want to incorporate this distribution of our teams. It forces all businesses to
way of working as we meet the new working stay on their toes–adapt or die. The question then is
threshold. To be exact, 42% of the U.S. workforce how do we adapt? Hybridity is the hottest topic this
today is working remotely full time.
side of the pandemic–a flexible workplace model that
combines in-person and virtual work by allowing
The pandemic has also revealed the importance of
workplace flexibility and prioritizing connection. A
in-person connection. There is no replacement for
hybrid workplace supports employee’s freedom to
face-to-face interaction and the level of inclusiveness
choose their optimal work environment–in-the-office,
and collaboration it offers. As the world emerges from
remote, or a combination of the two. Therefore,
lockdowns, the business landscape now faces another
hybridity can take on different forms depending on
shift as many companies are considering what it
the needs of your organization. It is intriguing
means to combine in-person and remote work in their
territory that’s shaping the future of work, and by
organizations to create a hybrid work environment.
popular demand: a recent Ernst & Young survey of
16,000+ employees found that 90% of respondents
desire flexibility in the location and time that they

4 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

desire flexibility in the location and time that they
work post-pandemic. Over half also said that they
would consider quitting their current jobs if they were
denied this flexibility. The people are speaking. Are we
listening?

People are forming strong opinions on whether to go

hybrid, remain remote, or go back to the way things
were. Microsoft has implemented a new approach to
support hybrid work in response to its employees’
desires to have more flexible remote work options.
CEO Satya Nadella says “hybrid work represents the
biggest shift to how we work in our generation”.
Meanwhile, Morgan Stanley CEO James Gordan
recently voiced his expectation for New York workers
to return to the office by September or he’ll be “very
disappointed” saying, "If you can go to a restaurant in
New York City, you can come into the office. And we
want you in the office.” While it’s important to
consider others’ approaches to the future of work, you
must find your own voice amidst the varying
perspectives. Each situation is different. Lead with
what’s best for YOUR organization.

We take the stance that t h e r e ’ s n o o n e w ay t o

d o a n y t h i n g . Success in evolution, of any kind, is
about finding the best fit for you–your employees’
needs, the company’s needs, and customers’ needs.
So we’re here to break down all aspects of the hybrid
work landscape so that you can make the best decision
for your organization.

Let’s get to it.

5 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

PART Two

Exploring 

Hybrid
Before you blindly jump on the bandwagon, do a
full-environment scan of your current
circumstances. Is hybrid truly the best option for
your employees and your company, or are you doing
it because it’s the ‘new norm’?

Hybridity in the workplace is much more than the

location and time we work; it’s not that simple. The
merging of in-person and virtual work will mean the
emergence of a completely new paradigm for all
workers. Just like we had to shift to different
processes and systems for remote work, we must
consider all the implications of what hybrid means,
which might impact our business, and how we work
together.

Disambiguating Hybrid
Everyone is talking about hybrid as a lump sum, but the term
encompasses several aspects. When considering hybrid
policies or establishing new working norms, it’s important to
first get clear on what exactly hybrid means. Most commonly,
articles on hybrid are referring to the hybrid workplace—

meaning who is working in the office versus at home, and how
often. There are also hybrid meetings and events.

6 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

For the sake of clarity, consider the following
Note : Forcing people to either stay remote or come to an
distinctions of how we define hybrid: in-person office could backfire. Individuals that do not
respond well to either environment may quit and find
H y b r i d W o r k p la c e where workers spend something that better suits their needs. Prioritize choice
their time doing work (remote or in the office). and make it crystal clear.

H y b r i d M e e t i n g s how we design meetings H ere are some questions to consider to see if hybrid is
that occur with a blended audience (some people a good fit:
in person, some participating remotely).
How/where do individuals work best–remotely,

in person, or a combination of the two?

H y b r i d E v e n t s When meetings become Will employees return to in-person work

large and specialized, the needs from a standard part-time or full-time?

Hybrid Meeting shift. fi

How many of ces will you have? Will there me

fi
multiple in-person of ces and multiple

remote?

Define What Hybrid is to 


Your Workplace If you think that a hybrid environment may indeed
H ybrid by definition is simply the mixing of two best suit your team’s needs, there’s another layer of
different things. The way each company mixes logistical questions to consider:
in-person and virtual will be different. The unique Are certain days of the week in-person?
needs of your company and the individuals that make How is the team split between in-person &
up your team will impact how you arrive at your virtual?½ the team one week and the other ½
perfect mixture. Don’t assume everyone wants the the next week? (Spectrum does this). Are all

same thing when it comes to remote vs. in-person employees required to be in person on certain

work presence. This is a benefit of the hybrid days of the week?

workplace – it allows flexibility depending on And in asking these questions, always come
employee comfort level, schedules, and physical back to your purpose. Why are you making

location. Get to know your employees’ needs and these decisions in light of the work

environment and outcomes you’re hoping for?

preferences.

Prioritize People Note : In order to design good hybrid experiences we

have to consider how folks are distributed. The number
Ev eryone has a different work style and this past year
of people in your organization is a critical factor. How are
has provided people with the opportunity to get to they spaced? Is it even? Is it lumpy? A seven-person
know their own individual work styles. Some may working team is much different than a 500 person
favor continuing remote work because choosing their conference. There is a lot of variation. One person in one
own environment is where they are most comfortable office and one person remote? 10 people across two
and productive. Others may need the structure and offices and 10 people remote? Very different! Depending
personal interaction of being in the office. Establish a on where team members are (in-person or in-office) and
how they’re organized (by topic or focus) consider
structure that’s best for the team + individuals.
in-person smaller breakouts for people who are already
together and virtual meetings/work sessions to connect
the dispersed groups. (See more on meeting
7 HYBRID WORK GUIDE configurations in the Hybrid Meeting Policies section).
Depending on the individual and team needs, you rewarded. Another study of over 400 tech company
could offer your employees different levels of work employees found that telecommuters experience
options. For example: slower salary growth than their in-person
counterparts. 35% of workers did not receive a bonus
R e m o t e F i r s t primarily working from home in a UK study of remote workers from 2011-2020. It
also found that remote workers were less likely to be
promoted.

I n - o f f i c e f i r s t primarily working from the

physical office To be sure that you maintain systematic inclusion and
equity, consider these best practices:

I n B e t w e e n splitting time relatively evenly Institute policies that fight against the tendency to favor
in-person employees. For example, establish progression
between working from home and from the office
tracks that equally apply to in-person and out-of-office
workers; they should not limit employees in respected
workplaces.

Allow people to choose their best work environment,

Consider having everyone come into the office on certain
then it’s about establishing equality amongst team days so no one is left behind.

members. If folks mostly work from home, you have a

Hold informal online meetups, virtual town halls, and
hybrid strategy. If you mostly work in the office, then ensure virtual team members are included in any perks
you just have a telecommuting policy.
that those in the office receive. For example, if food or
coffee is provided to office employees, consider giving
Employees must fully understand what to expect from remote employees a snack stipend or coffee subscription.

each option before they can decide which is the best fit Prioritize social equity. Design in plenty of in-person time
for them to ultimately create the best environment for to build trust and empathy for the times when you are
them to do their best work.
remote.

Establish agreements, share them, honor them, use them

Once you figure out the logistics of the hybrid setup, when conflict arises, and revisit them if they are not serving
you must establish company-wide policies, systems, & your team.

processes and share them with your team. Create a playbook and share it widely across the
organization. Make sure everyone knows the rules of
Design for Inclusion & Equity engagement. Be willing to change it.

Listen to feedback. Give folks the freedom to deviate when

Work to maintain a company culture for everyone in they encounter snags, and watch out for assumptions.

the hybrid workplace, regardless of what they choose.

Treat this as a time of great experimentation. Stay open
Just because someone is not in the office does not and receptive to the team’s evolving needs.
mean they should be overlooked. Some people will
work in the office more than others due to lifestyle
(think: those who are single versus those who are Important: Gender equity. Is one of our proposed
caretakers for their family). Be wary not to punish hybrid work policies going to disproportionately impact
remote workers for their work style choice.
women who need to care for children? In a yearlong
survey of U.S. companies, Stanford University economist
A McKinsey analysis of 800 jobs across 9 countries Nicholas Bloom found that "for people with children
found that 41% of employees reported being more under the age of 12, you find almost 50% more women
productive when working remotely than in the office. than men choose to work from home five days a week."
However, this increase in productivity is not always

8 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

PART Three

Policies & 

Procedures
The key to a successful hybrid environment Hybrid Work Policies
is a solid foundation. A dispersed team Get your work dynamics down to a science, but allow
already faces challenges. To overcome them, room for flexibility to adapt and change as needed.
What are the policies around the presence in the
establish clear policies, expectations, and
office? What do schedules look like?

norms, and clearly communicate them to

your team to keep everyone on the same For example, Spotify is providing its employees with
the opportunity to work from wherever they work best,
page. Hold space to regularly update policies
including out of the office, with no pressure to be in
in response to any gaps or holes you person. Its “Work From Anywhere” policy is “a new
encounter. We are entering a time of great way of collaborating that allows Spotifiers to work
experimentation. The quicker that companies from wherever they do their best thinking and
learn what works for them, the more creating.” Microsoft says its hybrid work standard is
working remotely up to half of the time, while Google
successful they’ll be.

requires a “flexible workweek” with three days in the

Here’s the kicker –you must define, office and two days working from home.

articulate, and communicate your hybrid An on-going debate is whether in-person interaction is
policies in each of the previously mentioned essential for creativity and collaboration. This concept
categories: a hybrid workplace, hybrid has been studied longer than the current hybrid work
emergence, popularized by MIT Professor Thomas
meetings, and hybrid events. While related to
Allen when he introduced the concept of the Allen
one another, they are separate entities and Curve in the 1970s and 1980s. While researching
should be structured as such. There are technical communication between engineers, Allen
many variants of each category. Employees explored the story of desk proximity–how in person
need a predetermined structure to ensure all accessibility positively correlates with innovations.
He found proximity functions as a kind of connective
hybrid happenings run smoothly.
drug; get close together and our tendency to connect
lights up. One reason is the effect body language has
on culture and attitude. Things like physical touch,
eye contact, and energy levels make a positive impact
on individual performance. Another reason is
9 HYBRID WORK GUIDE affirming
 communication–cues of belonging during the everyone and encourage more participation. The
workday that send the message, “You are safe here.” Allen Curve is real, but if people go to the office just to
He found that successful group performance depends throw on headphones, then they might as well be at
on behavior that communicates one thing: we are safe home.
and connected.
Decide what connection means for
your organization
Frequency of Communication

Then determine the best system for it. Establish

individual and team schedules–an organized
collection of what is best for each team member as
Allen Curve well as the team as a whole. Then stick to it. If you
find you need to make changes and adjustments along
the way, make sure the entire team is part of the
conversation. This could look and feel a bit like Tetris
at first, but open communication and active listening
with your team will help you make informed decisions
Distance of Separation that serve everyone’s needs.

Hybrid Meeting Policies

Present day experts who study the issue say there is
no evidence to support that teams must be in-person Meetings are how we get things done. We must
to boost innovation. Office workers may talk, but skillfully plan them so they run smoothly and create
"there is almost no data whatsoever" to suggest it results, every time. Just as remote meetings require a
helps the organization, Harvard Business School specific structure and practices, hybrid meetings
professor Ethan S. Bernstein recently told the New require their own set of rules and tools to make them
York Times. In fact, Bernstein and fellow professor effective. People will be participating from different
Ben Waber conducted a 2019 study that found places. What meeting structure will best support a
workers at companies that switched from cubicles to blended team?

open-floor-plan offices had 70% fewer face-to-face To have full and equal participation from everyone
interactions. Contrary to popular belief, people did not (in-person & remote) the interface for everyone’s 

find spontaneous in-person conversations and ideas must be consistent and have equal bandwidth.
meetings helpful. They instead wore headphones to No employee left behind!

avoid one another.

Have a plan for inclusion and participation. 


The current work landscape looks different than when Consider the following:
Allen studied proximity behavior, but his research
holds merit. The takeaway: collaboration takes How will your team engage?
intentionality. You can't just throw people back into What is the point of intersection?
the office and expect things to magically be better.
First you have to understand your goal, your purpose, What is your inclusion model?
and your people. Then you can begin to design
structures that will draw collaboration from

10 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

 As you can imagine, the permutations are endless.
Note : Thinking about Livestream? If your group size is
more than 20 people, participation requirements are We'll never have an exhaustive list of every possible
low. Consider a live stream + an asynchronous configuration. The important thing is that you
polling/input mechanism (like Control Room or Slido). consider your configuration:

How are people distributed?

Here’s an example of a hybrid meeting policy to How is the environment shaped?
establish amongst team members: whether they’re
in-person or remote, have all employees dial into the What issues might arrise and how might that
meeting on their own devices. That way, everyone is benefit you?
having the most similar experience possible. Remote
employees won’t feel as left out when everyone is When planning your next session, take a moment and
joining the meeting the same way. map out how your attendees are distributed, how
collaboration will flow, how the environment is
shaped, and your point(s) of engagement. Then it’s
Pro Tip: Use the digital whiteboard tool MURAL to time to start thinking about the actual experience.
align dispersed team members on the same interface. Check out our Workshop Design Template to help
Have individuals dial into video conference meetings on
guide you through that process.

their own devices and also have a shared “point of

engagement” in MURAL to collaborate in real-time. No matter what configuration you encounter,
meetings will benefit from acknowledging the
Magical Meeting concepts and principles. We have
Creating effective hybrid meetings will require design effective meetings down to a science at Voltage
consideration. The way people are contributing and Control, and we’ve created many resources to help you
how it’s structured is going to impact how the meeting implement them with your own teams. From our
should run. For example, say there is a hybrid meeting downloadable MURAL Templates to our Magical
with 10 offices in an organization, each office is a Meetings Quick Guide, use our resources with your
separate department. The goal of the meeting is for team before, during, and after meetings to create your
each department to ideate on a topic, then discuss the own magic.

“winning” idea with the rest of the departments. If

you’re planning to start with department breakouts The meeting principles, tools, and practices are
(where each department meets within their respective arguably more important to implement in a hybrid
groups) and each department is already in person, environment because there are more moving parts
meet in person then come together via Zoom to and endless variations of blended meetings; and we
discuss findings with the other departments. can’t afford to be on a rocky foundation. For example, 1
remote person connecting to an onsite team is much
different than 5 onsite teams connecting together.
Design every meeting to meet specific
Identifying the hybrid structure that best fits your
needs and purposes
needs will allow you to thoughtfully design meetings
There are countless variations of team configurations. ahead of time. The factors involved in your hybrid
Here are a few examples of common scenarios you environment will impact the way you think about
may encounter along with suggested approaches for asynchronous work including necessary allotted work
improved collaboration: time, the need for breakout groups, etc.

11 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

A B
Off ices : 1 In-Person: 1 AT HOme : 1 Off ices : 1 In-Person: 4 AT HOme : 2

Use video chat (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, WebEx) as you would in a Same considerations as the previous scenario with the addition that
standard remote meeting. The in-office people must consider who the 4 people in the office have the choice of being in the same room
is around them to avoid including distractive noises in their or in different rooms. If they decide to be in different rooms, it's very
environment. Will they need to wear headphones or a headset with similar to remote wherein everyone dials into the meeting on their
a microphone? Or maybe they are in an isolated room. Audio takes own devices. If they decide to be in the same room, they'll need to
priority, then, lightning, then high quality cameras (see our bring in 1 good omnidirectional mic to avoid audio "bounce-back"
Hardware Guide). and feedback loops. The group will also need to provide separate
video streams per individual or use software that can isolate each
face (see the technology section).

Team 1 Team 2 Team 3 Team 1 Team 2 Team 3

C D
Off ices : 2 In-Person: 4 AT Home : 4 Off ices : 2 In-Person: 4 AT HOme : 4
(each off ice ) (each off ice )

Same considerations as the previous scenario. In this configuration, Similar to the previous scenario but instead of offline, in personal
also consider that the 2 offices are different departments or teams. breakouts, you’ll need to manage your team-based breakouts using
When the teams do breakouts, they can leave video chat and host your video chat software. This could still potentially be
those meetings or workshop activities locally. The same goes for asynchronous to avoid virtual meeting fatigue!
remote people. They can just join a video call of their own to keep
things simple.

E
Team 1 Team 2 Off ices : 2 Teams : 2 Workers : Mixed

Similar considerations as 2 offices, 4 people in each. 4 people at

home. But in this case, there are 2 blended teams (with in person
and remote) that also sometimes need to collaborate. Therefore,
there are 3 points of engagement: 1 when they are collaborating
across teams, and 2 for each individual team. This is simplified for
the sake of explanation, but as you can imagine, each team might
create dozens of templates and collaboration points for any given
project. The important thing is that you must consider how to bring
people together and that they have a place to connect, share, be
heard and contribute, meaningfully.
12 HYBRID WORK GUIDE
Hybrid Event Policies same page and has what they need to participate
Planning hybrid events will require much more prep before the event begins.

work to get everyone organized and set up all Keep in mind that hybrid events will have many
necessary tools.
different models: 1-to-1, 1-to-many, and
Decide on the most appropriate virtual event platform many-to-many. Therefore, they will require variances
that supports all event needs: in the structure around how they are clustered and
organized.
Live streaming support

Are there cohorts that are together and how

Integrations that offer the highest production quality
does that impact design?

Networking capabilities that allow easy attendee How many facilitators are needed and how will
engagement
they work together? (More on this in Hybrid
Facilitation).
Management capacity to run the event smoothly behind
the scenes Similar to hybrid meetings, how will you bring
people together when some are together and
some are dispersed?
Consider the scene you’ll run the event from:

Will you be on a stage with cameras to capture Just as we recommend mapping out your hybrid
the experience? meetings, map out your event so you can consider the
Will you be in an office and operate more like a attendee experience. As you experiment with different
typical video conferencing call? event structure variations, be mindful of the trap to
cater events to the in-person experience and
Decide the best scenario that supports the
unwittingly neglect the remote experience.
event–from the background to the props that
will appear in the frame–then gather the
materials you need to bring it to life.
Bar

It is also vitally important to properly set up all

attendees beforehand so they are prepared. This may
include:
In-person walkthroughs to set the scene and ready
cameras

Lighting and other production gear

Virtual walkthroughs on the virtual event platform to

teach remote attendees how to navigate the space

Will the event require attendees to have certain

materials? If so, send event packages to distributed o t e

R e md c a s t
a
attendees beforehand. Make sure everyone is on the Bro

In-Person: 100 AT HO m e : 5 0 0

13 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

We have to custom-design events for the type of
collective interactions and equanimity we want to
create. To do this, we must keep social norms top of
mind. For example, we can't throw all in-person
attendees in a bar and expect them to go across the
room to the camera in the corner and engage with
remote people. It just doesn't work. If we design
against social norms, we fight against them. Instead,
use them to your advantage.

Consider offering different tiers for your event with

different expectations. What is your version of "exit
through the giftshop"– a practice used by museums to
force all guests through the gift shop? Here are some
examples:

Implement a fun game that requires in person

attendees to find answers or engage with other
attendees upon arrival in order to make it past
registration. Some of these people might be
online, some may be in person. Individuals
must interact with one another and the
tools–think finding the person’s video on Zoom
+ their designated spot in the event MURAL
board (or some other point of engagement)–to
find the answers to unlock access.
Pair each event attendee with someone, or
multiple people, that they have to locate and
connect with throughout the event. Pair folks
who might have things in common, or might be
well suited to work together or learn from one
another. Design in moments of interaction
where they might discuss prompts or share
experiences and reflections.

14 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

PART Four

Implementing 

Hybrid
If we’ve learned anything from the pandemic, best version of themselves. This positively translates
it’s that genuine connection matters. We into their performance. Then it’s about creating an
environment that brings individuals together so that
found strong evidence of this at the start of
you can do meaningful work together.
the pandemic when we held a 120 person
virtual workshop to discuss the future of Adjust For Employee Needs
facilitation. Participants from coast to coast,
Listen to employees and their needs. There will likely
as well as Canada, Europe, Asia, and Africa, be a mental, emotional, and physical impact with a
gathered to explore what was possible in the transition to a hybrid workplace. Hold space for
virtual landscape and how to be successful emotional transition. It’s important to consider the
within it. Connection was overwhelmingly unresolved trauma that may surface when folks
return to the office for the first time since COVID. The
identified as a top priority to enhance within
forced transition to remote was a doozy and it affected
distributed teams. Facilitators’ greatest everyone differently. Some people were able to quickly
fears of transitioning to a virtual landscape adapt to the remote work landscape, but others were
included losing personal connection with not.

others and the inability to properly navigate Companies that saw revenues disappear were forced
and encourage the “energy in the room'' to learn how to work remotely. Others were forced to
during virtual meetings and workshops. keep delivering customer value to keep revenue
flowing–even though they were not accustomed to
working from home so they had to figure it out quickly.
As we consider another shift in the business Now, there’s another shift as people are either coming
landscape, creating and maintaining connection back to work FT in person or working hybrid. As
should be the heartbeat of your organization–no employees begin to reestablish patterns and norms,
matter what work environment you choose. When you they will be faced with new and potentially unexpected
give people the choice to decide their best work style, thoughts and feelings. Some may find this process
you give them the power to be autonomous and the difficult and unsettling. Make sure to listen to their
needs and give them time to adapt. While many may
be excited to rush back to the office, we’ll need to
support those that need more time
15 HYBRID WORK GUIDE
Companies that are easing back into the office may expressing their distaste for the pressure to return to
not feel the same pressure they felt when everyone work in person: "Without the inclusivity that
went remote. If they start making changes too quickly, flexibility brings, many of us feel we have to choose
they may see some folks leave and others unhappy and between either a combination of our families, our
unproductive. This suffering may be a slow burn and well-being, and being empowered to do our best work,
difficult to pinpoint right away until it’s too late. For or being a part of Apple.”

the transition to be successful (and less painful than

Whatever your employees choose, they should be
the pandemic) you need to be patient, open, and listen
treated the same; they should feel that every work
to your team members. What do they need most in
style is acceptable and equal as long as it supports the
order to support the value your company brings to the
larger purposes of your company. Avoid an ‘us vs.
world?
them’ mentality with remote counterparts in the team
by treating your employees as equals. The last thing
Focus On Connection you want is to create more division amongst dispersed
We also don’t want to rush into hasty decisions about team members. Focus on connection and bridging the
a hybrid workplace that don’t serve our long-term two worlds together. People come first. Tools,
needs and unnecessarily alienates team members. processes, and everything else comes second. Take
Apple is at risk of jeopardizing its team after CEO Tim care of your people and it’ll trickle down to all parts of
Cook demanded that all employees return to the office your organization.

three days per week this fall. Dozens of employees

revolted, advocating for remote work in a letter

16 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

PART Five

Tools & 

Processes
Once you’ve pinpointed your ideal approach reports, and video meetings to include everyone on the
team.

to hybrid, you may need to upgrade your

tools to fully realize your plans. Remote work Many companies are merging tech already. For
has shown us the power technology has for example, individuals will work on their own laptops
then have another large screen with a collaborative
facilitating meaningful work, no matter
MURAL board (virtual whiteboard) with the team’s
where we are. The tech to fully support a work. Everyone has access to the MURAL board.
hybrid environment is still evolving, as it Working in tandem or async, each team member is
currently assumes for remote work. able to see what everyone else is doing. Those in the
However, there are tangible ways to combine same room view the same large virtual whiteboard,
and those working remotely are able to see the
tech/resources that do exist to create an
MURAL board on their own device. They’re able to
effective hybrid work environment today. work independently and together, simultaneously.

Hardware + Tech Here are some of our suggested tools for hybrid work:

We need tools and processes that not only seamlessly o w l more interactive video conferencing
support the merging of productive in-person and
virtual work, but that also make connection a priority.
It’s also important to provide the same fidelity of W e b e x video conferencing with a newly
experience for both in-person and remote.
released ability to cut up video into individual
feeds per person in the room
The biggest challenge with remote or hybrid work is
genuine connection. It’s the essential missing
element of in-person connection that cannot be T r e l l o , B a s e c a m p , A s a n a , M o n d ay ,
replaced by technology–no matter how innovative. collaborative project management tools for
There is no substitute for human interaction. planning and organizing workflow

Prioritize Connection M U R A L or M i r o collaborative async work

Do daily standup updates on Slack, end-of-day status
emails, all hands/town halls, check-ins with direct M i c r o s o f t M e s h allows developers to code
AI for more connected virtual meetings
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When you decide on the tools that best support your Prepare For Growth
hybrid needs, establish them as the practice across We saw lots of change in tech during the pandemic as
the organization. Everyone, no matter if they’re software and hardware manufacturers responded to
in-person or virtual, uses them to create equality and the needs of a fully remote workforce across all
provide a shared experience across the workspace. industries. Expect the same as we begin to plan and
This speaks to our previous examples of having all engage in more hybrid experiences. While there are
hybrid meeting attendees join via a virtual conference some obvious capability gaps that we are confident
tool and use a collaborative virtual workspace like will be addressed soon (some outlined below), there
MURAL or Miro to do the work together. are other innovations that may surprise us.

Security Camera View

The Problem IN the meantime

The “security camera” view of a virtual conference Our recommendation to solve this (as the technology
room is an “anti-pattern”. It doesn’t allow for the exists now) is for everyone in the meeting to have their
individuality that exists in an in-person meeting; it own camera, or at least use multiple cameras to
lumps everyone together and thereby creates a directly face all attendees rather than offering a side
disconnect among attendees. WebEx recently view.

released the capability to cut up the video in a virtual

Here’s an example of a hybrid conference room setup:
conference room call into individual feeds per person
The standard in-person conference room is
in the room. Are there other alternatives that ensure
repurposed to function more like a movie or TV
everyone is individually represented? For instance,
production set. There are cameras on wheels,
you can only “pin” one person in Zoom. Ideally, you
professional lighting and sound, and a crew in charge
could pin everyone that is not with you in person so
of setting up and running the equipment. Every
you don’t see the folks that are in the physical room
participant in the meeting has a lavalier microphone
with you. Even better if Zoom was automatically
for crystal clear audio and all mics are mixed down to
aware of who was with you! To take it a step further,
one signal to avoid feedback. Everything about the
Zoom would also adjust for the sound issue that could
room is modular and can easily be reconfigured for
arise with automatically identifying attendees in the
each meeting or event.
room. Just like Zoom offered a “mute all” option for
everyone in virtual meetings, hybrid meetings would
require a “mute all” option for everyone that is in the N o t e : It may be tempting to cater to in-person attendees and

same physical room to avoid echo/sound issues. neglect the experience of remote ones. You can create an
awesome experience for people in the physical room and send a
quality signal to remote attendees so they can watch it. But be
wary that this will create an unequal participation experience.
If equal experience for remote attendees is a priority, take a
remote-first design approach—ensuring you think less about
what you can do for the people in the room and more about
how you can make it equal for everyone.
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Microphone feedback and latency
The Problem IN the meantime

When you are in a room with multiple laptops We recommend getting an omnidirectional USB
connected to Zoom (which is the easiest way to get microphone. The YETI Podcasting mic and the Jabra
multiple cameras), you may experience feedback. You Speakerphones are both solid options. Plug the mic
will also most certainly hear yourself coming out of into a laptop and place it in the middle of the table,
your teammate's computer a few milliseconds after equidistant from all people in the room. Do a test
you talk. This is disorienting for the speaker and before a real meeting, with a room full of people as
anybody in the room listening. To combat this, people well as virtual people. Get feedback from the remote
usually mute all but one of the Zoom participants. The people about the quality of their experience. How does
issue here is that remote people then have a hard time it sound? Move the microphone around until you find
hearing anybody except the one person that left their the sweet spot where it sounds the best. Mark the
mic unmuted. This is because laptop microphones are placement of the microphone, etc with blue painter’s
directional and don't do a good job of picking up tape so you know where it should be during the actual
anybody that isn't speaking directly at that laptop meeting.

screen. We believe that existing meeting solutions

As stated, these tools are not the perfect hybrid tools,
will add capabilities to detect who is in the room and
but they are steps in the right direction. It’s important
prevent the audio of anybody who’s not to be reflected
to be aware of holes that exist in the tech gap while we
back. Just like you don't need to “see them" you also
await the arrival of developing solutions.
don't need to "hear them" through the remote tool.

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Hybrid Facilitation Pro Tip: Try our Control Room app to support
Facilitators are another essential element for effective virtual facilitation. We custom-built it based on
operating an effective hybrid environment. You need our experience and expertise as professional facilitators
skilled navigators to lead hybrid meetings, work to provide you with everything you need to run virtual
events and meetings like a pro. Network with and learn
sessions, and events to consider all of the
from fellow facilitators every week at our community
implications: Facilitation Lab. It’s a safe space for facilitators of any
Identify where various participants are located level to hone their craft and improve the quality of
meetings. We also offer Facilitation Training to help
Design experiences that elicit connection individuals, teams, and companies build the skills they
need to design magical meetings, transform meeting
Foster deep collaborations so everyone can do culture, and run exceptional events.
their best work

Not only are facilitators critical, but hybrid also raises

the stakes such that multiple facilitators are
required–one per environment: virtual and each
physical location. Depending on the complexity of the
experience, some of these facilitators may be more
junior, but they are never optional.

Similarly, If you have lots of attendees at a hybrid

meeting or a complex setup of tools, you may want one
facilitator per tool. Co-facilitators at a hybrid
gathering will need an adequate setup to get in sync
with one another about: the arc of the event, necessary
preparations, any potential pitfalls, and clearly
understand how roles are distributed. They’ll need a
program to support all members and all tools. This
includes a backchannel to communicate with one
another.

Pro Tip: Bring your facilitation support team or

“production team” together in one place so that you can
seamlessly backchannel during the meeting/event.
Being able to hit the mute button, ask quick questions or
give instructions is so much nicer than navigating to a
private chat window and typing. Even if all of your
participants are remote, having facilitators in a shared
space is a powerful way to ensure everyone is in sync.
Note: Review the Hardware + Tech section of this guide
for tips on getting your audio and video dialed in when
using video chat with multiple participants in the same
room.

20 HYBRID WORK GUIDE

Conclusion

Stay Curious Lo o k i n g f o r h e l p ?

We facilitate Design Sprints for all kinds of

Thank you for taking a deep dive with us to explore organizations and coach new facilitators on
the hybrid landscape. As mentioned at the virtual and inperson facilitation skills. So, we
know it can be daunting when you’re planning
beginning of this guide, we will continue to add your first Sprint. With this in mind, we hope this
to/edit/update this document as hybrid continues to guide has given you enough confidence to put
your fears aside and lean in. These are the tips,
evolve. We also want to hear from you–whether you tools, and supplies we use when planning
have questions, want to share your experience, or Sprints and training facilitators at Voltage
Control.
express your findings. While hybrid will look
different for everyone, we are on the journey Get a fresh, unbiased, and objective
perspective. You’ll have more time to focus on
together as we learn how to most effectively being an expert and participant instead of
navigate the new business landscape. keeping the team on track. We can help you
craft the right agenda, participants, and even
workshop materials while bringing relevant
Remember, hybrid is a growing, dynamic landscape that experience and skills that can be applied to
requires experimenting and prototyping. You must first your challenge.

identify the needs of your team and organization, then define

what hybrid means to you, create a plan to meet those needs,
develop a prototype of your planned approach, test your
L e t ’ s Ta l k
prototype, tweak your prototype, and keep testing. We can help
with this too–the entire process of implementing hybrid, or one Please reach out at [email protected] 

for a consultation.
or more of the steps to get you to integration.

Keep Experimenting
If you feel drawn to establish a hybrid workplace in your
organization or host hybrid meetings or events, try it out!
Experiment. Keep your eyes open to change and possibilities.
Listen to your team members’ needs and concerns. Maintain
active communication with everyone involved and make
adjustments as needed. There are many voices in the hybrid
conversation. Don’t let this discourage you. Maintain
perspective on what’s best for your team and the business at
large and discover what’s possible.

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