Many companies prefer a hybrid structure in the workplace. Happy managers are crucial to sustaining a positive hybrid work culture in this fairly new work model.
There are several reasons why companies should focus on building happy management. Here are some of the top benefits:
Happy managers are highly engaged
Management is the source of guidance in the workplace. Happy managers are satisfied with their duties and, thus, are more enthusiastic about their job. Their enthusiasm influences employees to do better in their jobs.
Motivated managers can properly oversee the operations in their departments. They are more equipped to help employees reach their goals.
Engaged and happy managers create synergy among remote and in-office employees. Efficiency is of paramount importance in a hybrid work model. Happy management acts as a catalyst in streamlining workflow. They divide tasks better, eliminating extreme workload and stress.
A manager who finds their job rewarding will contribute more to the business’s growth. They become more driven and set a positive benchmark for employees to follow. This, in turn, makes the daily production and processes run more efficiently.
They help increase retention rates
High employee turnover negatively affects business growth. Poor management is among the most prevalent causes of employees leaving an organization.
A Gallup study has traced systematic company turnover problems back to bad managers. The study surveyed 7272 professionals and found that 50% of employees quit their jobs because of poor management.
A happy manager fosters healthy teamwork. They are more receptive to employee needs and provide constant and holistic assistance. Motivated management increases employee engagement by designing team-based projects and improving department synergy.
Happy managers are more inclined to give regular feedback and assist employees in becoming their best versions. They don’t let remote employees feel left out and facilitate a positive hybrid work culture.
They also don’t shy away from applauding individual and collaborative achievements. This makes an employee feel valued, creating long-term association and increasing retention.
Improves employee health
Poor and overwhelming working conditions are a primary cause of employee stress. A skilled and happy manager is crucial to fostering better employee health in a company.
Poor employee health is counterproductive to a company’s growth. When burnout is a major roadblock to employee well-being, a happy manager can be the saving grace.
Handling employees in a hybrid work environment is tricky. However, happy managers can help regulate work-related stress for the employees they supervise.
Damian Grabarczyk, the co-founder of PetLab Co., an entrepreneur with a passion for holistic well-being, reflects: “As both a founder and a manager, I’ve seen firsthand the ripple effect of a manager’s well-being on their team. In the hybrid work culture at PetLab, we prioritized the health of our managers, knowing that their positivity would cascade down to their teams.”
“To my fellow managers and business owners, remember this: when you invest in the holistic health of your leadership, you’re laying the foundation for a thriving, resilient workforce. It’s not just about individual health; it’s about fostering a culture where everyone feels seen, supported, and valued.”
They help their team upskill
Happy managers put effort into knowing their employees. They identify their strengths and weaknesses. They are more capable of leveraging employee strengths.
A disengaged manager may put pressure on an employee to be better.
However, an engaged manager recognizes the importance of overcoming team weaknesses through proper training. They foster upskilling initiatives and encourage employees to participate.
Happy managers put personalized training sessions in place. They help employees realize their passion and help them pursue it. This influences the entire team’s professional growth and elevates the company’s talent pool.
They are proactive in assisting
When you make the managers happy in your company, you help them overcome job-related frustration. This, in turn, helps them have the energy to communicate with their teams properly.
An engaged manager is proactive in conveying the necessary information. They are more forthcoming with their employees. A happy manager makes time when an employee comes to them with doubts and solves them in the best way possible.
Happy and skilled managers work with their teams and not above them. They realize the importance of a proper mentorship program and open their door to any query or concern.
They simplify operations
A happy manager spends more time aligning team goals with organizational purposes. It prevents chaos in the workflow and helps everyone complete their tasks on time.
Engaged managers are usually more in tune with their employees. They realize individual strengths and divide tasks accordingly. Such an approach minimizes mistakes and prevents any do-overs.
A happy manager sets achievable goals. They streamline operations to suit both on-site and remote employees. This simplifies the processes and creates a positive hybrid work culture.
They take more risks for growth
Innovative and new ideas seem risky at first. But they are one of the main elements of a company’s success.
An unhappy manager hardly delivers their allotted duties. They are not motivated enough to think outside the box and take risks for the company.
However, an engaged and happy manager has confidence in their capability. They encourage innovations in their teams and provide proper leadership to take unique approaches occasionally.
How Happy Managers Can Build A Productive Team in Hybrid Work Environment
Create an empathetic work environment
Business experts consider empathy a soft skill, and it’s not difficult to understand why.
Companies around the world have evolved. They are increasingly adopting remote and hybrid work models. Building empathy in the workplace is more critical now than ever in such a landscape.
To ensure remote and hybrid workers can adjust and thrive in new settings, managers must build a culture of empathy in the workplace. They need to encourage employees to support their colleagues proactively.
Managers should lead by example and show employees their contribution is valuable. Employees will become more inclined to ditch toxic competition and negativity and become better and kinder team players.
Create a positive hybrid work culture
Managers need to provide emotional and intellectual support to set their team up for success in a hybrid work model.
Concentrate on creating a comfortable space for your on-site employees. Set up adjustable desks and properly positioned computer screens. Managers can also assign buddies for new employees to make them feel comfortable.
To properly manage a remote team, start by overseeing the set-up of virtual offices. Ask them what they need to complete their tasks. Give them a dedicated channel to contact you in case of any doubts or queries.
A manager must consider individual well-being to build a productive team and a positive hybrid work culture. Remote work can make your employees feel isolated. Encourage your on-site team members to connect with their remote teammates regularly through monthly or quarterly virtual team building activities.
Concentrate on priority tasks
Managers usually oversee numerous operations throughout the day.
To ensure productivity, it’s better to prioritize the tasks in advance. This approach helps you delegate your team more efficiently, saving time and boosting productivity.
Prioritizing tasks based on importance helps your team adhere to tight deadlines and frees up their schedule to take up larger operations.
First, decide which tasks are more important based on their deadline and strategic impact on the business. Update your calendar and inform your team of the latest itinerary.
If you are operating under tight deadlines, break down each task.
Then assign each element to a skilled team member who can complete it without supervision.
Distraction is a part of a usual workday. Accounting for them early on will keep your workflow on track. Knowledge of work management tools, such as workflow diagram software for prioritizing, assigning, and tracking tasks, is extremely important here.
A manager is a link between the employer and the employees. Business leaders create visions and managers delegate their teams to articulate them.
To bridge the gap between vision and execution, the manager must share the business goals among the team members. This helps every employee to work in the same direction.
For this, managers need to involve their teams in creating a roadmap. They must communicate effectively to the team the challenges. Help them to understand the issues easily. Schedule effective meetings and encourage them to share ideas.
To foster teamwork in a unified direction, communicate the quarterly goals early on. Ensure the directions are measurable and specific.
Create psychological safety
Besides physical wellness, a manager must facilitate psychological safety to ensure better teamwork.
According to the People Management Report, managers who create psychological safety retain top team performers.
When team members work in a non-intimidating environment, they feel more comfortable taking interpersonal risks. They come up with innovative ideas and speak their mind more often.
To foster psychological safety, managers need to practice active listening. They have to be attentive and open to their employees’ opinions.
Instead of blaming and intimidating an employee for mishaps, take a more solution-oriented approach. Offer behavioral assessments such as BARS to encourage self-awareness. Respect their personal spaces.
Involve your remote workers in day-to-day office operations. In a safe and positive hybrid work culture, your remote and in-office workers will see themselves as part of the family.
Be a reliable source of help
Let your team know they can rely on you. Employees look up to their managers. To establish themselves as a reliable source of help, managers must establish mutual trust.
To show credibility, you must always follow through with your promises. Check in on them regularly and ask about their challenges. Equip them with the resources and help them overcome those challenges.
Work with your team to show you are always available to assist them. Co-create plans with them and ask for suggestions. Practice regular employee recognition. Managers make employees feel valued when they recognize their efforts and hard work.
All these little steps will create a mutual bond and give them the confidence to reach out to you for help.
Provide one-on-one feedback sessions
For better performance management in your team, make feedback sessions a ritual. According to reports, employees are 3X more likely to be engaged if they have regular one-on-one meetings with managers.
Feedback sessions are mutually beneficial for both the employee and the manager. They help the employees see where they need to improve, and managers also improve their coaching and leadership skills.
While delivering feedback, make sure your criticisms are constructive. Show them exactly where it went wrong and where they could do better.
Make active listening a part of your feedback sessions. See if an employee is going through specific challenges impacting their performance. Offer guidance and show them how they can overcome it.
While criticisms are important, don’t forget to praise them for their efforts and achievements.
Reward and recognize their efforts
Keep a reward system in place to recognize good teamwork and individual achievements. Give your high-performing employees a public shout-out. You can also reward them with development courses on something they are interested in.
Extra paid vacation, dinner for two, or tickets to major games are also effective tokens of appreciation.
Managers should also encourage peer-to-peer recognition. Involve everyone in the team, both remote and in-office workers, to cheer for their colleagues. Besides boosting employee satisfaction, it also creates a positive hybrid work culture.
In summary
The performance of a manager is the benchmark for the employees. Managers who are happy and engaged provide better guidance to the team.
Motivated managers are more capable of handling both remote and on-site workers. They are receptive to the employees’ needs and are more likely to go the extra mile for the company’s success.
When a manager offers support and practices employee recognition and active listening, they raise the bar for every employee. This way, organizations enjoy boosted productivity, employee retention, and, in turn, increased ROI.
