With hybrid work arrangements common across Canada, challenges and risks persist along with the advantages. One of the key risks involves organizational culture.
Getting hybrid work right can enhance workplace culture, with a positive culture helping employees look forward to interacting with their colleagues each day, no matter where they work. However, certain missteps can threaten to damage it. Managers must learn how to avoid perceived inequities, the breakdown of camaraderie and a loss of trust that can appear when team members split their time between office and home.
In the midst of a talent shortage, the nature of the prevailing company culture can also mean the difference between retaining your top performers and watching them walk out the door. Research for the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half found that 32 per cent of Canadian job seekers want a job with more flexibility than their company currently offers, while 34 per cent who aren’t looking don’t want to lose the flexibility they currently have.
Many firms seem to be getting that, with benefits and perks research for the 2025 Canada Salary Guide From Robert Half finding that more than 9 in 10 Canadian employers offer flexible work schedules and remote work options to attract and retain skilled talent.
Here are five tips that can help you foster a strong organizational culture in a hybrid work environment.
1. Start with trust, and don't micromanage
Trust is the bedrock of any strong organizational culture, especially when managers can be physically distanced from their teams. Our research indicates that hybrid team members expect their supervisors to trust their ability to deliver work on time, with more than half – 52 per cent – of Canadian workers feeling more productive and engaged when their company offers remote work options.
It’s important that managers maintain regular communication with direct reports, providing constructive input and recognizing strong work. But the most effective leaders ensure that staff members have what they need to succeed – from technical resources to training and professional development – and once they’re set up, let them get to work.
Great leaders also don’t micromanage their teams with too many meetings or calls to check on projects’ progress. Few professionals need a lot of direction once they’ve been given their assignments. They deserve feedback and recognition, but don’t need their manager constantly asking for status updates.
2. Embrace asynchronous collaboration
Much office culture revolves around real-time interactions, from team meetings to watercooler conversations. Video calls and chat threads allow you to replicate some of this with your distributed team, but too much instant communication can be a distraction and drag down productivity.
Encourage employees to balance real-time collaboration with asynchronous collaboration, with colleagues working toward a common goal but not at the same time. For example, instead of calling a meeting to discuss a new proposal, you can distribute the plan as a series of cloud-based documents and ask team members to leave comments by a comfortable deadline.
3. Stay alert for drops in performance and morale
Organizational culture can rapidly go south if team members start underperforming. When some employees aren't pulling their weight, it can affect the morale of the rest of the team and disrupt the collaboration you’ve worked hard to build among your staff.
Managers of office-based teams can usually spot when individuals are struggling and help them turn things around before the malaise spreads. But with hybrid workers, struggles may be more difficult to detect, requiring you to be especially vigilant for any signs of stress, low morale and burnout.
Has a top performer's output dipped? Is a star employee missing deadlines? Has a normally vocal person suddenly gone quiet in meetings? Reach out quickly to offer support in cases like these. Also, emphasize to your full staff that you appreciate the unique problems some hybrid workers face and that you’re always open to new solutions.
4. Stamp out proximity bias
In a distributed team, proximity bias – managers unconsciously favoring employees they are in close contact with – could mean that workers who spend a good chunk of time in the office are more likely to receive raises, promotions and career-boosting assignments than their remote colleagues.
Proximity bias can damage your company culture when it’s seen as discriminating against team members who more frequently work from home. Employers have options to tackle this issue; by offering training for managers on how to optimize fairness in the hybrid workplace.
5. Use tech to help them connect — and disconnect
Hybrid work wouldn't be possible without technology. But just as you provide technology tools that make it easier for employees in different locations to work together, you can also use technology to help people disconnect. Email and notifications can be made to limit after-hours use or to let others know they are trying to reach someone outside that colleague’s working hours. User-invoked do-not-disturb-modes are also included with some apps.
It’s up to you to help your team bridge geographical divides and come together to work toward common goals. Building on that collaboration to create an environment where everyone feels seen and valued no matter where they work is a hallmark of an organizational culture that draws talent and keeps it.
Need help building out your hybrid team? Reach out to one of our talent solutions specialists today.
