It may seem shocking that 2020 was five years ago. Although life has mostly returned to normal since the pandemic, one aspect is here to stay: remote and hybrid work.

As COVID restrictions lifted and my team slowly returned to the office in 2021, it became apparent that employees valued the flexibility of their work-from-home lives yet still enjoyed connecting with their coworkers in person. In response to this feedback, we compromised on a hybrid model consisting of three days working in the office and two days at home.

But as a team building company, we have to practice what we preach as it’s incredibly important to maintain a strong workplace culture even when your team isn’t physically together. Over the past few years, we’ve adapted to deal with the everyday challenges of a distributed team, truly mastering a hybrid work culture. As these work models evolve in 2025 and beyond, industry leaders should take a fresh look at their company’s approach to fully support their hybrid teams.

Hybrid Work Hurdles

Just like riding a bike, the best way to learn how to implement and operate a successful hybrid work environment is simply by doing it. Here’s what we’ve learned—and the challenges we’ve tackled—while navigating a hybrid work culture.

Effective Communication May Become Tricky

If you can’t drop by an employee’s office or catch up over coffee, getting the answers or advice you need right when you need them can be challenging. Miscommunication can not only put a dent in team productivity, but it can also lead to costly mistakes or downtime. 

When our work environment changed significantly, so did our methods of communication. We immediately tested new tools, apps, and equipment to ensure employees could exchange information without technical difficulties. 

From a culture perspective, we started conversational communication channels to keep employees connected on a lighter note. Dedicated channels to share weekend plans, employee recognition or awards, personalized messages, and virtual gatherings are great ways to celebrate team accomplishments, boost company loyalty, and keep casual conversation flowing. This ensures that achievements, bonding opportunities, and milestones don’t go unnoticed.

Collaboration and Creativity Can Tank

Innovation and breakthroughs happen when people work closely together and feel empowered to flex their creative muscles. With that in mind, how can you ensure collaboration still happens in a hybrid environment?

Capitalize on your team’s in-office days by scheduling face-to-face meetings for in-person brainstorming. When your team is dispersed between in-office and remote, encourage out-of-the-box thinking. Try out collaborative activities like Majority Rules, where each person votes on a series of prompts and tries to guess what the majority of the group will pick. Providing space for team building exercises promotes creativity and team connection beyond typical small talk.

Additionally, it may seem simple, but dedicating an hour of your week to a virtual team meeting can help hybrid employees feel more connected, giving them an allotted time to discuss current projects and general life updates. This also serves as a way to remind employees of the team’s common goal. After all, there’s no better catalyst for collaboration than a shared purpose.

Employee Relationships Stay on the Surface

Building strong bonds was simple when we spent 40 hours in the office with our coworkers. However, it can be much more difficult for fully remote or hybrid teams to create those relationships naturally.

Although most TeamBonding employees work a hybrid model, we have a few fully remote workers which presents a unique challenge: managers need to ensure that all employees, at home and in the office, have the same opportunities for growth and quality of relationships.

To solve this challenge, we invest in corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs to create yet another shared purpose amongst employees that has the added benefit of making a meaningful impact or contribution to our community. While our team loves getting together in person for a Charity Bike Build, there are plenty of virtual CSR opportunities to build meaningful connections.

In Impact Online, for example, teams compete in challenges, trivia, and puzzles. As a surprise finale, participants learn that their hard-earned team points are actually donations to a nonprofit supporting sustainable development. This provides value internally through team building but also contributes externally when employees realize their participation made a real-world impact.

Hybrid Teams Don’t Have to Sacrifice Culture

A strong team culture isn’t just for in-person work—hybrid teams can thrive with the right strategies regardless of physical location. However, this success is not complete without leaders maintaining a culture of belonging through a shared purpose, employee recognition, and creative team bonding opportunities. As work evolves and technology pushes us into the unknown, these practices will keep teams feeling connected, confident, and prepared for whatever comes next.