Hybrid work is here to stay. The choice to work from home, from an office, or somewhere in between has become a defining feature of our age. Flexibility is widely welcomed. Yet in conversation after conversation, leaders admit a lingering fear: without physical proximity, are we slowly losing the glue of trust, belonging, and everyday connection?

Research confirms the tension. Employees value the autonomy of hybrid models, yet many report a weaker sense of being seen and included (Mortensen and Haas, 2021). The casual “water cooler” moment has disappeared. What remains is intentional design. The future of relationships at work depends not on serendipity but on how deliberately we create the conditions for belonging.

Relationships in hybrid work no longer form by accident. Leaders must curate them. Three design moves matter most:

1. Trust must be intentional. Suspicion grows when routines and contributions are invisible. Trust is built by creating visibility, honesty, and recognition.

2. Equity must be explicit. Hybrid structures tilt power toward those in the office or those most skilled at navigating both modes. Leaders must surface and rebalance this.

3. Rituals must be humanising. Shared glimpses of life beyond the task build stronger bonds than efficiency ever can.

These three pillars: trust, equity, and rituals, form the architecture of strong hybrid relationships.

1. How to build trust in remote teams

When people cannot see each other, doubt fills the space. A late email or a missed meeting can be misread as laziness. Research warns that remote work often corrodes trust when left unmanaged (Mortensen and Gardner, 2021).

In one FMCG organisation I coached, some managers began to suspect staff were not “really working” at home. Instead of surveillance software, we introduced a simple ritual: a “truth corner” at the end of weekly calls. Anyone could name what was working or what was not. At first, silence hung heavy. Slowly, people spoke up. Over time, it became the most valued part of the meeting. Suspicion gave way to candour.

Practical steps for trust

• Open with a check-in. Begin meetings by asking, “What is one thing that is working for you this week?” Model by going first. It takes three minutes but shifts the tone from transactional to relational.

• Design predictable spaces for concerns. End every weekly call with a five-minute slot for “what is getting in the way?” Consistency makes honesty safe rather than risky.

• Celebrate small wins publicly. Use team channels or end-of-week notes to highlight contributions. Recognition reduces the invisibility that corrodes trust.

• Encourage peer appreciation. Close meetings by asking each person to name one thing they valued from a colleague. Peer-to-peer visibility strengthens bonds far beyond managerial praise.

How to measure trust

• Run quarterly pulse surveys asking, “I feel my contributions are noticed” or “I feel able to speak honestly in this team.”

• Track how often concerns are raised in open forums. Silence is not always a sign of harmony—it can signal fear.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Do not confuse monitoring with trust. Tracking keystrokes or screen time deepens suspicion.

• Do not allow only senior voices to speak in feedback rounds. Everyone must own the conversation.

2. How to make the hybrid team fairer

Hybrid work quietly creates inequality. Those in the office are more visible. Those fluent in both digital and in-person modes gain advantage. Without design, hybrid structures reinforce divides.

A while back I coached a global technology team where remote staff were consistently quieter. We analysed meeting recordings and found in-office colleagues spoke 60 percent more. The manager responded by rotating facilitation, starting with “remote-first” contributions, and inviting input via chat. Within weeks, the balance shifted.

Practical steps for equity

• Rotate facilitation. Assign different team members, including remote ones, to chair meetings. This equalises visibility and voice.

• Start with remote-first. Make it a norm: “Let’s begin with those online.” It prevents remote voices being drowned out by in-room conversation.

• Map participation. Track airtime. If some voices dominate, name it. Share patterns with the team so inclusion becomes everyone’s job.

• Distribute recognition. Keep a record of who gets stretch assignments or public praise. Consciously balance between those on-site and remote.

How to measure equity

• Monitor meeting transcripts for speaking distribution.

• Compare promotion or recognition rates for remote vs office staff.

• Ask directly in surveys: “I feel my opportunities are not affected by my location.”

Pitfalls to avoid

• Do not assume silence means comfort. It may mean exclusion.

• Do not default to “important conversations” happening in the office. If so, record them or bring the remote team in live.

3. Rituals for creating belonging in remote work

Research shows remote colleagues can form stronger bonds when they share glimpses of personal life, not just tasks (Schinoff et al., 2024). Belonging is built in small rituals.

In a university department I supported, morale was fading. We started a “playlist swap” at the end of the week. Each person shared one song that captured their week. It was light at first, then gradually opened space for honesty, humour, and even vulnerability. A simple ritual humanised the team.

Practical steps for rituals

• Keep rituals optional. Frame them as invitations, not obligations. “Would you like to share a highlight of your week?” is better than “Everyone must share.”

• Be consistent. Rituals work because they are repeated. A weekly five-minute check-in or a monthly random coffee pairing creates rhythm.

• Ask expansive questions. Good rituals spark curiosity. Try: “What inspired you this week?” or “What gift did someone give you, large or small?”

• Refresh occasionally. Every quarter, invite the team to redesign the ritual. Shared ownership keeps it alive.

How to measure belonging

• Use surveys with statements like, “I feel connected to my colleagues beyond my tasks.”

• Track voluntary participation in rituals over time. Growth signals health.

Pitfalls to avoid

• Do not over-engineer. A ritual should be short and light, not another task.

• Do not force disclosure. Belonging grows from choice, not compulsion.

Bringing it together

Trust without equity risks tokenism. Equity without ritual risks bureaucracy. Ritual without trust risks superficiality. Together, they create conditions for real connection.

The leader’s role in hybrid work is not to engineer every relationship. It is to steward the social fabric. That means paying attention to visibility, honesty, and belonging, and curating simple routines that make these possible. It is less about heroic leadership and more about convening people in ways that make relationships possible again.

Seven Actions for leaders in hybrid teams

1. Begin every meeting with a two-minute check-in.

2. End meetings with an open “what is getting in the way?” round.

3. Celebrate small wins visibly, across remote and office staff.

4. Rotate facilitation and start discussions remote-first.

5. Track participation and recognition for equity.

6. Create light, consistent rituals of connection—keep them optional.

7. Refresh rituals regularly and measure trust and belonging with short surveys.

Reflective questions

• Who in my team is least visible, and how might I invite their voice?

• Where might we be confusing surveillance with trust?

• What small ritual could we begin this week that humanises our work?

• How can we know whether equity is truly felt, not just assumed?

Reference list

Brett, J.M. and Mitchell, T. (2022) ‘How to build strong business relationships remotely’, Harvard Business Review, 11 May.

Knight, R. (2024) ‘How to improve your soft skills as a remote worker’, Harvard Business Review, 8 January.

Mortensen, M. and Gardner, H.K. (2021) ‘WFH is corroding our trust in each other’, Harvard Business Review, 10 February.

Mortensen, M. and Haas, M. (2021) ‘Making the hybrid workplace fair’, Harvard Business Review, 24 February.

Samuel, A. (2023) ‘3 project management strategies for a hybrid workplace’, Harvard Business Review, 12 October.

Schinoff, B.S., Hardin, A.M., Byron, K. and Balven, R.M. (2024) ‘Research: How WFH can actually strengthen bonds between coworkers’, Harvard Business Review, 8 November.

Wardle, D. (2022) ‘How to network in the age of remote work’, Harvard Business Review, 23 November.