What is the role of a manager in a hybrid team? Above all, listening. Anyone who works from home part of the week sees their manager less often and is less likely to just drop by. That is exactly when it makes a difference whether your manager actively asks how you are doing, what you need and what you think. That way you create an atmosphere in which employees feel welcome and valued, even when they are not all in the office at the same time.
Hybrid working is here to stay
Hybrid working is no longer a temporary solution. In 2025, 61 per cent of Dutch employees had the option to work remotely, the same as in 2022. Eighty per cent of companies with ten or more employees offer that option. CBS
At the same time, engagement is under pressure. According to Gallup, only 20 per cent of employees worldwide are still engaged at work, the lowest level since 2020. Among managers themselves it is even more worrying: their engagement fell to 22 per cent, nine percentage points lower than in 2022. Gallup State of the Global Workplace 2026
Why listening matters so much
And that manager has an enormous influence. According to Gallup, 70 per cent of the variance in engagement between teams is determined by the manager. Gallup A manager who listens can make sure employees experience more certainty, still feel connected at a distance and better realise that their contribution matters.
How do you do that? These five habits help.
1. Show appreciation
It makes an enormous difference when you know your efforts are seen and appreciated. According to Gallup, employees who feel sufficiently recognised for their work are four times as likely to be engaged. Gallup That can be a thank-you or a compliment on a job well done. It can also be a short message in which you are simply recognised for your effort. It is even nicer when your manager gives you the credit for a success during a team meeting. In a hybrid team, pay extra attention to who is not in the room: give the floor to the colleague joining online too and name their contribution. That way you show, even at a distance, that you value someone's work.
2. Offer individual attention
Everyone has a different home situation, commute and relationship with remote working. One person is most focused at home, another misses the energy of colleagues. As a manager, it is important to show understanding for those individual circumstances, needs and wishes. Gallup advises managers to have a short, meaningful conversation with each employee every week. Fifteen minutes to half an hour is enough, as long as it happens regularly. Of employees who received meaningful feedback in the past week, 80 per cent are fully engaged, regardless of how many days they are in the office. Gallup In such a conversation, above all ask questions and listen to the answer. If you notice someone getting stuck, it can help to divide tasks differently. That can reduce stress, strengthen trust in the team and motivate employees to give their best.
3. Involve employees in decision-making
When your manager regularly asks for your input and then actually uses it, you naturally feel that your contribution matters. In a hybrid team, that doesn't happen by itself. Decisions are easily made in the corridor or at the coffee machine, where the person working from home isn't present. So deliberately make room for input: share a proposal in advance, ask everyone to respond and show what you did with those responses. And if, as an organisation, you also look beyond the issues of the day, that has a strongly motivating effect. It increases pride in the organisation. Employees then know that the organisation really stands for something and that their work contributes to something bigger.
4. Give employees new responsibilities
It may sound counter-intuitive when the workload is already high, but it can be very motivating for employees to be given new responsibilities. Listening helps you discover who is ready for a next step and where someone's talents lie. Gallup also sees employees' strengths as one of the topics that make a conversation with your manager meaningful. Gallup Think of leading a project, onboarding a new colleague or taking over part of the coordination. It can give a boost to self-confidence and gives employees the chance to expand their network within the organisation.
5. Make time and space for connection
We remain social animals, even when we work hybrid. Gallup warns that in the hybrid workplace, it is precisely collaboration and relationships that come under pressure. Gallup So agree together when you will be in the office at the same time and use those days for meetings, brainstorms and getting together, not for work you could just as well do at home. A shared lunch, a fixed team day or an informal moment at the end of the week can relieve stress and strengthen the feeling of being part of a team. After all, if things are right, you don't just work for the money. It is very important to employees that the manager organises such moments, makes them possible or at least encourages them. You will find more ideas in leading a hybrid organisation.
Creating new habits
Organisations have been through many changes in recent years, and the way we work together has changed for good. By listening fully to your employees' experiences, wishes and ideas, you can sustain those changes, live up to your reason for existing and strengthen your position in the long term. You don't need big programmes for this. It comes down to habits, such as a proper conversation with your people every week, and asking the quieter colleagues in meetings what they think. That is how leadership habits are formed that pay off for a long time.
Want to know how your employees experience your leadership? Then listening can literally be organised, for example with an engagement survey that also asks how people experience their manager.
About this article: this piece is based on a blog by Guido Heezen of Effectory, from his series on the conditions for work engagement. We updated it in October 2026.
