When making the leap from individual contributor to people manager, you quickly learn that your existing skill set doesn’t automatically translate to success in your new role. And it’s the same when you’re learning to manage a hybrid or remote team. This new(ish) way of working brings its own set of challenges.  

Hybrid work doesn’t appear to be going anywhere —  83% of workers say they prefer a hybrid model versus working in an office full-time. This means that it’s essential to be aware of the common pitfalls of managing hybrid teams and be intentional about avoiding them. Here are some tips from uniqueiit instructors on managing remote teams.

Common challenge #1: Proximity bias 

Proximity bias is the (often unconscious) preference we give to people who work onsite simply because we see them more often and work more closely with them. Think this isn’t a problem? Gartner finds that 64% of managers say onsite employees are higher performers than remote employees, and 75% say onsite employees are more likely to be promoted. It’s easy to see how these beliefs could create a self-fulfilling prophecy, where managers think remote employees aren’t as worthy of promotions, so they don’t advocate for them as equally or provide the same opportunities as those given to people working onsite.

Common challenge #2: Micromanagement

Most people don’t set out to be micromanagers — they simply care about meeting deadlines and quotas and delivering high-quality projects. But somewhere along the line, they stop trusting their team members and start feeling compelled to follow up with them excessively or check their work far too often. While micromanagement is a threat in any work environment, it’s much more likely to occur when we have less visibility into what our team members are doing every day.

Common challenge #3: Burnout 

Burnout is a very real concern in the workplace. McKinsey finds that 49% of employees are experiencing burnout, but the real number may be much higher since those who have experienced the worst burnout have likely already left their roles.