November 4-2025

By: Marisa

We are all in the midst of a major evolution. The hybrid work model—a blend of working from home (remote) and working from the office (in-office)—is no longer a temporary experiment. It is the new reality that is here to stay.

However, the hybrid model often brings unique challenges: How do we ensure that employees working in the office don’t feel more “important” than those working remotely? How do we keep collaboration seamless and productivity high without making people feel like they must always be “on”?

Here, the role of HR is crucial. We are the architects of culture who must unify these fragmented work experiences.

The Greatest Challenge in Hybrid Teams: Proximity Bias

The most overlooked challenge is Proximity Bias—the natural tendency of managers to favor, promote, and spend more time with employees they physically see.

• Impact: Remote employees (or those who come to the office less frequently) may feel left out of informal decision-making, coaching, and career opportunities. This creates two classes of employees and quickly erodes equality and psychological safety.
  The HR task: Provide tools and ground rules to counter this natural bias.

HR Strategies to Build a Fair and Effective Hybrid Culture

Here are three key pillars HR should focus on for effective interventions:

1. Redesign Meetings: Prioritize Digital Inclusion First

Meetings are often the main friction point in the hybrid model.

• Hybrid Meeting Protocol: HR should issue clear guidelines. If even one person joins virtually, everyone—including those in the meeting room—should log in from their own laptops. The goal is to equalize the audio-visual experience and ensure everyone has the same chat window to contribute.
• Mandatory Documentation: Enforce a strict rule that all decisions and action points must be documented on a shared platform (not just spoken). This ensures remote colleagues have equal access to information.
• Inclusive Facilitation: Train meeting facilitators to explicitly invite input from remote participants (“What’s your view, Budi, from your location?”).

2. Focus on Output (Not Presence): Revitalize Performance Management

In a hybrid model, what matters most is the output, not how many hours someone sits at their desk.

• Impact-Based KPIs: Shift performance metrics from activity to impact. Stop measuring attendance; start measuring deliverables, quality, and strategic contribution.
• Location-Agnostic Review: Ensure performance review tools used by managers do not include office attendance percentages. Train managers to assess based on work evidence (documents, project results, peer feedback) and consciously resist proximity bias.
• Formalize Asynchronous Communication: Encourage the use of project-management tools (Asana, Trello) and communication platforms (Slack, Teams) that enable non-real-time interaction—respecting flexible work hours.

3. Nurture Cross-Boundary Social Connections (Creating Serendipity)

Informal connections (serendipity) that used to happen in the office pantry now need to be intentionally designed.

• Team Connection Budget: Provide teams with a flexible monthly budget. They can use it for in-office gatherings (team lunches), remote events (sending identical meal boxes for a virtual movie night), or hybrid meetups (small networking sessions).
• Scheduled “Virtual Water Cooler” Sessions: Create informal, non-mandatory sessions (e.g., 15 minutes every Friday morning) where teams can chat about anything but work—replicating the casual office chatter.
• Annual Team Retreats: Invest in all-hands in-person gatherings (once or twice a year) in neutral locations focused on team building and vision alignment rather than daily tasks. These are key moments to refill the team’s “trust bank.”

Managing a hybrid team isn’t about splitting time 50/50 between home and office—it’s about ensuring an equitable and consistent employee experience (EX) for everyone, regardless of where they work.

By enforcing clear meeting protocols, shifting performance evaluation to focus on output, and intentionally building social connections, HR will become the key enabler ensuring teams remain collaborative, productive, and equitable—eliminating the shadow of proximity bias once and for all.

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Together, let’s move forward toward a greater Indonesia! 🇮🇩