How to Boost Mental Health and Productivity in a Hybrid Team

For many organisations across the UK, hybrid work models are the norm. According to the Flex Index, carried out by a workplace planning firm, Scoop, 72% of UK employers offer total work location flexibility for their corporate employees. Only 28% require staff to be in the office full-time. The survey also found that a structured hybrid model is the most popular solution, used by 44% of businesses. While this model offers many benefits to those organisations that are best suited to it, managers can face a different set of challenges when it comes to ensuring their teams stay both productive and mentally healthy. While hybrid work offers flexibility, it can also blur boundaries, lead to isolation, and cause stress.

In this article, we explore several strategies for managers to support the mental health of their hybrid team, while enhancing productivity and striking a harmonious balance between the pros and cons.

1. Promote Open Communication & Psychological Safety

One of the biggest contributors to employee wellbeing is the feeling that they belong and that they can speak openly about their mental health challenges without fear of judgement or stigma. In hybrid teams, this can be even more important due to potential isolation.

When members of your team feel safe and supported, they’re more likely to engage, collaborate and communicate effectively, and contribute innovative ideas without hesitation. A team where a culture of mutual trust is established can fuel better work outcomes.

Practical advice:

• Hold regular check-ins (both as a group and one-on-one) where your team can discuss work tasks, but also share their state of wellbeing. Often, this level of transparency can create a culture of deeper empathy and connection, which results in team members having one another’s back, leaning in and collaborating to accommodate for the needs of one another.
• Educate yourself (as well as other leaders in your team) to recognise signs of stress or burnout so that you can address them early on.
• Provide anonymous channels for feedback and concerns to create a more inclusive environment.

2. Encourage Flexible Schedules to Prevent Burnout

Hybrid work, like other working models, looks different for every organisation and the degree of flexibility will be determined by the nature of the work being done. While generally speaking, hybrid models offer greater flexibility than fully on-site models, they also run the risk of encouraging overwork. Remote workers, for example, often struggle with the temptation to be "always on" and find it difficult to “switch off”. So, offering a mixture of the two can help employees balance work and life but also reduce the risk of burnout.

Greater flexibility can empower your team to work during their peak productive hours. For example, by accommodating individual preferences where possible, you’re likely to see higher efficiency and output.

Practical advice:

• Encourage your team to set clear boundaries between their work and personal time. As a manager, it’s important to lead by example by not sending emails, messaging on message boards, or scheduling meetings outside of your stipulated working pattern.
• Where possible, allow flexible working patterns to better accommodate work-life balance while still ensuring team members meet their expected hours, objectives, and are able to collaborate effectively.
• Set realistic expectations, deadlines and targets so that your team can trust you’re not merely ticking a box by saying one thing yet expecting another.

3. Promote Team Connection and Combat Isolation

People with hybrid roles, especially those who work remotely most of the time, can feel isolated. Ensuring that everyone feels part of the team, no matter where they work, is an important aspect of maintaining a sense of belonging. When your team feels connected, they collaborate better, share ideas more freely, and tend to be more motivated to contribute to shared team goals.

Practical advice:

• Organise regular team-building activities that include both remote and in-office employees. For instance, virtual coffee breaks, in-office team meetings or ‘together days’, and team lunches.
• Use communication tools like Slack or Microsoft Teams to encourage informal interactions, not just work-related discussions.
• Implement a buddy system where each team member is paired with another for mutual support and collaboration.

4. Create a Culture of Wellness and Self-Care

Access to mental health resources and promoting self-care can reduce stress, anxiety, and burnout among hybrid workers. When colleagues take care of their mental wellbeing, they’re more resilient and less likely to experience mental health crises. A mentally healthy team is more engaged, focused, and motivated. This can lead to fewer sick days, lower turnover, and greater commitment to delivering high-quality, meaningful work.

Practical advice:

• Offer mental health resources such as Employee Assistance Programmes (EAPs) or access to virtual therapy/counselling/coaching services.
• If possible, promote mental health days as part of company culture—encouraging employees to take time off to recharge. If anything, encourage your team to take their allocated annual leave, leave their desk for lunch, and attend whatever health-related appointments they need.
• Organise wellness activities, such as yoga, meditation, or fitness challenges, that can be done both in-person and remotely.

5. Provide the Right Tools for Collaboration

Working with inadequate tools or feeling left out of decision-making can lead to frustration, stress, and disengagement. Ensuring that everyone has access to the same tools fosters inclusion and lowers stress. Providing seamless technology for communication and collaboration ensures that tasks get done efficiently, no matter where the team is working from. Empowering employees with the right tools reduces friction and increases workflow.

Practical advice:

• Invest in collaboration platforms that work equally well for remote and in-office workers (e.g., Slack, Asana, Zoom, Miro, etc.).
• Ensure that your team members have access to high-quality equipment and ergonomic setups, even at home.
• Establish clear guidelines for virtual collaboration, so everyone is aligned on expectations for response times and decision-making processes.

6. Focus on Clear Goals and Accountability, Not Micromanagement

Micromanagement can create anxiety, lower morale, and increase stress in both remote and in-office workers. Instead, promoting autonomy and focusing on clear goals will allow your people to feel trusted and capable. Empowering your team to take ownership of their work can boost motivation, innovation, and accountability. Clear goals provide a sense of direction and ensure alignment across the team, which can lead to better results.

Practical advice:

• Shift from measuring hours worked to outcomes achieved. Focus on the quality of work, not the quantity of time spent.
• Set clear, measurable goals for each project or task, so everyone knows what’s expected and how success will be measured.
• Regularly review progress with the team but give them the space and autonomy to meet their goals without micromanaging the process.

7. Train Managers to Lead with Empathy & Emotional Intelligence

Leaders who understand the emotional needs of their team can help reduce stress, build trust, and create a positive work environment. Empathy allows managers to offer personalised support when members of their team are struggling. Empathetic leadership increases employee engagement, loyalty, and morale—all factors that directly contribute to higher productivity, as well as a happy, healthy workplace environment. Teams that feel understood and supported are more likely to go the extra mile.

Practical advice:

• Attend training for emotional intelligence and empathetic leadership to sharpen your management style.
• Check-in with your team regularly, not just about work but about how they’re feeling overall.
• Prioritise your team's wellbeing and lead with empathy.