Skip to main content

Managers and Supervisors Guide to Hybrid Work

This guide can help Commonwealth managers and supervisors successfully and effectively manage their hybrid teams.

Skip table of contents

Table of Contents

You skipped the table of contents section.

Hybrid Work at the Commonwealth

Telework Policy

The Executive Department Telework Policy has been updated as of August 9, 2021. Additionally, there is a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) that adds additional details that need to be followed with bargaining unit staff. Managers and Supervisors should familiarize themselves with the Policy and the MOA prior to meeting with their staff. Updates to the Policy include the following:

  • Employees must be able to travel to their officially designated work location with as little notice as the same workday. Employees cannot rely on air transportation to meet this requirement.
  • On an approved telework workday, Employees who need to travel for a work-related assignment shall have their mileage reimbursement determined from their home or their approved alternative work location, whichever is shorter. However, Employees shall not be reimbursed for commuting between their home/alternative work location and their regularly assigned office.

Telework Form in Employee Self-Service

All employees who telework must submit a Telework Form in Employee Self-Service at least annually. As part of submitting the Telework Form, employees acknowledge that they have read and understand the requirements of the Executive Department Telework Policy and Telework Acknowledgement Terms.

The Telework Form includes the following:

  • Identifies the employee's alternative work location, which must be approved by the manager or supervisor.
  • Identifies the type of hybrid schedule the employee will work: average days per month, average days per week or specific days per week they will be teleworking.
  • Employees have the option to add additional information in the Notes section or to attach a document to the Telework Form.
  • Supervisors/managers and employees should update or fill out a new form when work arrangements change. Forms should be reviewed and renewed at least annually.

Manager/Supervisor Responsibilities

  • Determine your employee’s hybrid schedule – when will they work in the office and when will they work from an alternate work location.
  • Identify the alternative work location(s) – in many cases this will be the employee’s home.
  • Instruct teleworking employees to submit the Telework Form in Employee Self-Service.
  • Once the employee submits their Telework Form, the manager/supervisor reviews the Form and approves, denies or pushes back the Form for further edits.
  • Revisit the form annually, or whenever the employee’s schedule changes.
The Telework Form will be rolled out to all telework eligible employees in the Executive Departments during November – December 2024. All telework eligible employees must have an approved Telework Form in Employee Self-Service by December 31, 2024.

Additional Resources

Open file,  The Hybrid Work webpage provides IT resources including VPN access, computer problems and security issues.

Value of Working in the office

Managers and supervisors should consider which tasks and activities are more effective in person than via telework. This requires thinking about how we manage employees and how to maximize time in the office to best serve the department’s operational needs. Activities that require in-depth collaboration tend to benefit from meeting in person. In addition, there are valuable opportunities for side conversations before and after meetings that can be helpful in resolving issues or brainstorming new ideas. These spontaneous interactions may be difficult to recreate while teleworking.

These interactions can also strengthen working relationships and employees’ sense of belonging. Employees who feel connected to the agency are more likely to feel respected and engaged in the work they perform. Additionally, this access to social interactions helps employees feel more connected and less isolated.

The Five Principles for in-office time

As part of an ongoing effort to maximize the value to in-person time and ensure operational needs are met across the Executive Department, the Healey-Driscoll administration has adopted five principles that promote the benefits to both employees and leadership for in-person time. Office-based staff with hybrid work schedules working in-person can help agencies attain the following organizational benefits:

  1. Offer professional growth and development through collaboration, training, team building, and mentoring.
  2. Transmit and cultivate organizational mission, values, and history.
  3. Provide opportunities for staff to celebrate successes and build community.
  4. Ensure visibility to residents and to internal and external colleagues and partners.
  5. Enable access to leadership and opportunity for all members of the organization.

Additional examples of in-office activities

  • Onboarding: It will be important for new employees to spend some time in the office as they go through the onboarding process. It’s a great opportunity for them to meet peers, supervisors, and managers, as well as to get a firsthand understanding of the agency and its culture.
  • Training: There are certain in-depth, interactive group training activities that are best implemented for all employees together in person, as it facilitates opportunities to engage with and learn from each other.
  • Brainstorming and group work: Activities that involve brainstorming or collaborative group work tend to be more successful in person. Managers should think about the specific function of their teams and determine which activities would benefit from being accomplished in the office.
  • Supervisor-employee relationship building: Office time can be used for individual meetings to develop the supervisor-employee relationship and set clear expectations for when the employee is working remotely. This model appreciates that one size does not fit all. In-office time for employees will vary significantly depending on the function and success of the unit.
  • Team building: Time spent in the office can also be used to develop positive team dynamics, team morale, overall engagement, setting group expectations and informally communicating and establishing workplace culture. Team building can include not only formal team meetings, but also celebrations of employee and team accomplishments, promotions, birthdays and holidays.
  • Access to specific equipment or resources: Some resources or tools might only be available on site. Employees should continue to work in the office when they need to use these tools.

Setting clear expectations

Clarify expectations

Be sure to lay out clear expectations around job performance and responsiveness. 

Be specific

Employees should fully understand what is expected of them when they telework. Outline communication and system tools and expectations to deliver on work and projects in the same way that you require when the employee is onsite.

Agree on expectations

Ask the employee to reflect what they understand as telework expectations to ensure your agreement and alignment.

Plan ahead

Plan Ahead

There are several issues—workspace, work hours, expected productivity, IT support, among others—that need to be decided and discussed with teleworkers to ensure positive outcomes to a telework schedule. Work with your IT group to ensure the provided technology is effective, efficient, and operates consistently. Ensure that teleworkers have email and phone numbers to contact IT in case of questions or emergencies. 

Designate “office” space

Encourage teleworkers to create a quiet place in their alternative work location to get their work done. While it need not be an elaborate set-up, a dedicated area helps teleworkers concentrate on their work, minimize distractions, and ensure that phone calls and video conferences are effective.

Establish communication guidelines
Set up guidelines around responsiveness. For example, you may establish the expectation that emails be responded to before the end of the workday, and any missed Teams calls should be returned within two hours. These guidelines should be clearly communicated and should be compatible with the operational needs of the agency and the work that employees are expected to complete.

Reinforce expectations around work hours.

As part of the telework arrangement, be clear about when teleworkers are expected to be completing tasks and when they should be responsive to incoming calls or emails.

Get IT support
Teleworkers are dependent on fast, reliable, consistent connections. Work with your IT group to ensure the provided technology is effective, efficient, and operates consistently. Ensure that teleworkers have email and phone numbers to contact IT in case of questions or emergencies.

Communicate regularly

Communicate Regularly

Effective teleworker management requires strong communication and collaboration practices. Set guidelines regarding response times, shared calendars and documents, and preferred communication methods for various situations.

Engage your teleworkers daily

Regular interaction and engagement provides opportunities for managers to clarify expectations about the work to be done, helping to ensure that the time working away from the office is productive.

Be available to teleworkers
You don’t want to micromanage teleworkers, but you do want to be available and supportive, track progress, and keep them in the loop. The same goes for employees working in the office—make sure they are available to collaborate and communicate with teleworkers as needed.

Use reliable technology tools

If teleworkers can't access files or struggle to make themselves heard on a conference call, the telework arrangement will hinder the employee’s productivity. Make sure teleworkers have access to reliable tools to make collaboration possible.

Foster effective teamwork

Foster effective teamwork

If more than one employee is working remotely, treat telework as a team activity rather than an individual one. Develop a team schedule and a teleworking system that is consistent with the needs of your agency. 

Help teleworkers avoid multi-tasking
With your teleworkers, figure out ways to avoid multi-tasking. Video conferences instead of phone conferences work well. Encourage people to stay in working mode and off email back-and-forth as much as is feasible while still ensuring agency operational goals are met.

Establish strong relationships with teleworkers

Check in as needed using collaboration tools such as shared docs and spreadsheets through SharePoint, or phone calls, chat and video conference calls which are available through Microsoft Teams. Invest in your professional relationship by showing you are supportive of their success and want to help them achieve their goals rather than just check on their progress and numbers.

Build effective project management practices

Organization is critical for teams that mix teleworkers and office workers. If available, it’s a good idea to use cloud-based tools such as SharePoint so that everyone can access the files and information they need at any time. These tools also offer efficient ways to communicate, organize projects across teams and set deadline reminders.

Reflect and adjust

Reflect and adjust

Over time, you are likely to face challenges related to managing teleworkers. It is important to build in time to have open and honest discussions with employees regarding telework and work performance. Solution-oriented discussions can help ensure the sustained success of telework programs and arrangements.

Establish regular check-ins

Set aside time on a regular cadence (e.g. monthly, quarterly) to discuss telework. Discuss what is working well with the current arrangement and what could be improved. Brainstorm changes to address any issues and follow up at the next check-in to see if those changes have led to improvement.

Learn more

Additional information on telework at the Commonwealth.

Back to Hybrid Work for Commonwealth Employees

Hybrid Work for Commonwealth Employees

Image credits:  Shutterstock

Help Us Improve Mass.gov  with your feedback

Please do not include personal or contact information.
Feedback