“It was a big shock”: How to manage (and mediate) a hybrid team

In 2023 Petra Smith (not her real name), a health and safety professional, received the sudden news that her line manager had to step down – and that she would be leading the team of five, including three field workers doing health-and-safety inspections across three counties. 

Petra had become an accidental manager. It was, she admits, “a big shock”.

Not only was she relatively new to the team and suddenly in charge, but the organisation had also adopted hybrid working in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Three of her team were never in the office. 

• The great office stand-off

“No meaningful conversations were happening”

“I had never worked with a hybrid set-up,” says Petra. “Here, I could go a whole month without receiving any communication from my team.”