This article is written by FlexGC, a grassroots volunteer network of Canadian federal public servants that promotes flexible work arrangements. It is not affiliated with the Government of Canada (GC) in any way, shape, or form.

It is Part three of a four-part series meant to support public servants as they navigate the twists and turns that come with working in the public service. Read Part 1 on adapting to change, Part 2 for tips on becoming a change leader, and Part 4 on how to build team culture for hybrid working.

  • The problem: We’re asking public servants to return to a common hybrid work model without providing them with the tools and resources necessary to thrive.
  • Why it matters: Public servants are often leaders - both formally and informally - in their respective spaces. Inadequately equipped public servants lead to inadequate outcomes, impacting the workplace and the nation at large.
  • The solution: While best practices in a hybrid work environment may shift from team to team, having a common set of best practices enterprise-wide may help create consistencies that provide comfort to hybrid workers as they learn to navigate the new normal. By engaging in hybrid best practices, we ensure that we are doing our part to create a public service that is modern, inclusive, and agile.

Throughout the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadian federal public service departments and agencies took advantage of the ability to hire top-tier talent from across the country, expanding the talent pool from the nation’s capital to the nation itself. This led to unprecedented access to the federal public service workforce for many nationwide, while improving access for existing regional public servants in terms of promotional and lateral employment opportunities.

On December 22, 2022, this changed for the Canadian public service workforce. The imposition of the return to office mandate, also known as the hybrid-by-design work environment, has led to a shift in team dynamics. In the previous remote-by-default environment, there was a level playing field for everyone as all employees were in their respective homes. Moving to hybrid-by-design, however, means that distributed teams and especially distributed colleagues, risk isolation.

If you have a distributed team, FlexGC has tested and encourages the following best practices to ensure that your distributed colleagues do not inadvertently end up isolated and out of the loop.

  1. Build up your regional hubs. We encourage managers, directors, and leaders to consider working with their branch colleagues in order to compile contact lists of regional hubs. While your direct team may not have colleagues in the same city for any given distributed colleague, it is more than likely that your overarching division, directorate, or branch, may. As leaders, make it easy for your distributed employees to connect with others so that they too can benefit from the collaboration and connection benefits of a hybrid work environment. If you’re an employee reading this and your management does not have this in place, consider asking for it! The office will be less lonely if you have company, which may help improve your experiences in a hybrid work environment.
  2. Assign a buddy for your distributed colleagues! Depending on your team’s numbers, consider having a “buddy” that is centrally based to keep a distributed team member in the loop. This buddy can keep them updated on any in-person briefings they may have missed, as well as general office chatter and gossip that the distributed colleagues inevitably end up not being privy to. FlexGC continuously hears from distributed colleagues about how isolating their locations can be in a hybrid work environment—assigning a buddy can help ease this.
  3. Ensure your team follows some hybrid best practices to ensure inclusion. While it can be tempting to host meetings on your in-person days, if you have distributed colleagues, it creates meetings with an imbalance. To mitigate this, consider implementing some best practices for your hybrid meetings, including:
    1. Testing the technology in advance.
    2. Leverage technology to ensure that distributed colleagues have equal access to your in-person meetings, including the use of collaboration tools like Miro or Mural, as well as encouraging the use of tablets or laptops in person to ensure distributed colleagues using the chat function or raising their virtual hand are properly included.
    3. Have a designated facilitator to ensure that all team members are given an equal voice, or keep some meetings truly virtual so that inclusion is equal for all. Work together as a team to identify what your best meeting practices look like for you!
  4. If the budget allows, consider trying to bring your distributed colleagues to the main office once a quarter. Of course, frequency of visits depends on the team and individual preferences. That said, we encourage trying to bring in your distributed colleagues at least once a quarter for an in-person day all together to ensure team connection.

This list represents a small handful of hybrid best practices. What works for some teams will not work for others and, without a doubt, pain points will be experienced as distributed teams attempt to navigate the hybrid working arrangements. If FlexGC could encourage you to do one thing, it would be to consistently collect feedback from your team members—both local and regional—to ensure that all employees are adequately considered and included.

Note: FlexGC is here to help - this article represents part one of a four-part series meant to support public servants as they navigate the twists and turns that come with working in the public service. Read Part 1 on adapting to change, Part 2 for tips on becoming a change leader, and Part 4 on how to build team culture for hybrid working.

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(Image Credit: Merwan Boudriss, Unsplash)