Organisational responses to hybrid work—Rethinking culture and civility in India

Radhe’s story: A glimpse into the hybrid work disconnection

Radhe joined as a marketing analyst in Hyderabad and was very excited about the ‘work from anywhere’ option provided by the company. He preferred the flexibility of working from the comfort of his home, saving on the long commute, and getting to eat hot, home-cooked meals every day.

However, he started noticing some things during the weekly team calls. He often caught the manager sharing glances with the team members in the office during the meeting, and a couple of times, it seemed that they had already discussed important items on the agenda and then invited others on the virtual meeting call. He tried to bring up an important point during one of the calls, but he was brushed off with ‘We have already talked about it; someone will brief you about it later.’ The emotional disconnect he experienced is one of the key challenges of hybrid work across India.

The disconnected reality of hybrid work

No one was being overtly rude, but something was amiss. Others joining remotely also felt the same and discussed it with him in direct messages. They felt disconnected from the team calls and did not seem to be a part of the conversation. Often, they were muted or ignored as in-person groups dove into more animated discussions, talking over each other. The virtual attendees felt unnoticed, and their raised hands were ignored, and their voices seemed to blur like their backgrounds. Radhe felt a little more disengaged with each hybrid meeting, and the allure of the ‘work from anywhere’ option faded with time. He felt disrespected and did not really enjoy these calls. He stopped being an active part of many, speaking up only when spoken to directly. Thus, highlighting a gap in hybrid workplace etiquette that many companies still navigate.

Rethinking inclusion in a hybrid work culture

Radhe’s experience may strike a nerve with many remote/hybrid workers. While flexible work arrangements have come as a boon to many employees, there are still some creases to iron out. Organisations need to understand that hybrid work is not just about convenience but also about how we share the workspace, respect preferences, and be inclusive towards all forms of work arrangements. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ can no longer be the norm.

As part of a hybrid work culture in India, flexibility alone is not enough. Hybrid work has brought in flexibility but has also made us aware of the importance of the small but powerful ways of acknowledgement, civility, warmth, collegiality, and respect. As our meetings become a mix of chat windows, raised hands, and in-person chatter, we need to be mindful of ensuring that hybrid work does not erode the culture that organisations have worked hard to build and nurture.

Voices from the ground: What hybrid microaggressions look like

A respondent in one of my studies on microaggressions during hybrid meetings mentioned, “Our office has a very hierarchical structure, so most of the times, we as juniors are very careful when we speak during meetings, if at all we get a chance to, but with hybrid meetings, we are almost silenced. No one reads the chat or sees our raised hands; in fact, so many times, we have been muted while speaking because someone in the room, most likely a senior person, interrupted us and drew everyone’s attention to them.” Even if the intent is not to make someone feel unheard or not seen, the absence of nonverbal cues can cause misunderstanding.

Civility is not just about being nice or being polite; it is about showing everyone that they are seen, making everyone feel heard, and making everyone feel that they belong. It is about reinforcing the sense of psychological safety, regardless of the physical location of the employee. Smaller courtesies like eye contact, reassuring nods, encouraging smiles, and even small talk are difficult to replicate online. When virtual employees feel sidelined, they may feel disengaged and alienated.

Why civility is central to organisational culture

Hybrid work is here to stay, according to a Forbes 2024 article, and therefore organisations need to reconfigure their approach to make people heard and included and psychologically safe.

Civility cannot be a compromise or even an afterthought. Organisations need actionable insights into ensuring that hybrid work arrangements do not interfere with norms of civility and essential elements of organisational culture.

This helps in building team camaraderie, and the workplace is seen as a place to engage and connect, rather than just comply with rules.

Best practices on hybrid inclusion from Indian organisations

Another good way would be to codify civility into team norms. Team leaders can facilitate meetings by creating shared team norms of how to handle interruptions, how to ensure everyone, virtual or in-person, is included, and how to manage informal conversations that don’t get conveyed to remote workers.

Training managers for hybrid leadership

Organisations need to invest in training their managers to foster psychological safety in hybrid teams, lead them with empathy, and develop an inclusive culture.

HR can coach managers to ask themselves whether the new hybrid arrangements reinforce the culture and norms of civility or threaten them.

The deeper challenge in managing hybrid work is not about administrative tasks of monitoring who comes to work and whether employees are online all the time, but about sustaining how we communicate with each other, make everyone feel heard and seen, and acknowledge each other across screens and geographical locations.

Civility is the bedrock of trust and psychological safety in the workplace. If not tended to well, good soldiers like Radhe will feel disengaged and slowly withdraw. Intentionally using hybrid work arrangements as a strategic tool to engage workers, strengthen team bonds, and accentuate culture will ensure talent retention and engagement in the long run for organisations.

By Prof. Tanvi Mankodi