The Successful Hybrid Team

2Why a Culture of Belonging Is Key in Hybrid Work

Building Belonging Is Harder in Hybrid Work

Employees who work from the office are more likely to feel like they belong to a team. When you share the same space as your co-workers, you are more likely to share a personal story with them, to share a coffee, to share a moment with them, and to build a connection. When you work from home, these moments of connection do not happen organically or spontaneously, and it is harder to feel connected and like we belong to a team. Being in the office, we can easily have lunch with a co-worker or go to their desk to ask a question; when I worked in an office in pre-pandemic times, I would always start my day with some ice-breaker conversations with people sitting next to me. We would talk about our commute to work, about any story that happened on our morning commute, about our plans for the weekend; these simple conversations made me feel connected and close to my co-workers. Some of the top issues reported by employees who work remotely include an increased sense of isolation, a lack of social connection, an ‘us versus them’ mentality, and even a fear of missing out (FOMO). Some symptoms associated with isolation include increased stress levels, burnout, and feelings of exclusion. Some have even called this phenomenon ‘the belonging tax’.

For employees working remotely or in a hybrid environment, the belonging tax is the price they pay for the flexibility and convenience of working ...