Hybrid Without Intent: The Silent Risk to Team Impact
In the first post in this series I noted some benefits of remote work for some people and raised my concern for teams and organizations exposing themselves to considerable risk by being fully remote, or not utilizing on-site days intentionally and strategically. I identified 4 Risk areas that I’ll be exploring in this and coming posts.
This group of Risks homes in on the “Silent” factors.
Risk Category 1: Productivity
While this post explores Risk Category 1: Productivity, it is really about Impact (the positive kind): The Impact each individual can have in contributing to their work. While productivity is possible without impact, Impact is hard to find when productivity is low.
Risk 1: Reduced Productivity due to loneliness.
23% of employees feel loneliness . . . a Silent Threat to Team Performance . . . linked to increased burnout, declining productivity, and rising attrition
Humans are social beings - an undisputed fact. Gallup reported in 2024 that 23% of the global employees surveyed reported feeling loneliness (Over 1 in 5 People Worldwide Feel Lonely a Lot) . There are many studies and articles exploring the connection between loneliness and productivity, the authors of an HBR article called it a “Silent Threat to Team Performance. Loneliness has been linked to increased burnout, declining productivity, and rising attrition” (HBR, Sept 2025).
Wouldn’t you prefer your team members working with or alongside members of their own teams?
Some remote workers have found solutions, such as leveraging “work buddies”, or “body doubles”, where they enter a virtual work room with other people and just work. Just being “in the room” with others seems to help people focus to get stuff done. It’s also used by individuals in person, meeting up with working buddies in coffee shops – for a concentrated few hours of work.
Wouldn’t you prefer your team members working with or alongside members of their own teams?
Some definitions to keep in mind. (Oxford English Dictionary)
Team (noun): two or more people working together
Team (verb): work together to achieve a shared goal
Teamwork (noun): organized effort as a group
Risk 2: Risk of Reduced Productivity due to team member stress
This may be a result of Risk 1, and is, perhaps amplified by global geo-political affairs, resulting in further reduced productivity.
This risk dovetails well into the 1st risk. And the work-buddy solutions individuals are using can mitigate this to some degree.
Risk 3: Risk to the team and organizational Culture and Team Spirit
This includes the lack of opportunity to create it the collective culture, resulting in decreased productivity and possibly increased turnover.
Workplace culture can be the shared set of values, goals, attitudes, and practices that characterize an organization. (HBR 2024: How to Build – and Improve – Company Culture). There are many articles online about the importance of culture to productivity
Thoughts on mitigation:
The value of team time together, both working, creating, and relaxing, in light of these risks, is something that could be of significant importance to the team and the organization.
. . together: working, creating, and relaxing, helps define the team and organizational culture, decreases loneliness and may dissipate stress. . . Team members gain a broader perspective, and develop collegial relationships & opportunity to understand each other’s strengths and approaches
This time together can help define the team and organizational culture, decrease loneliness and may dissipate stress as concerns aired and shared may feel easier to carry. Team members working alongside team members, vs working alone or with strangers, have the opportunity to recognize similar situations and gain a broader perspective, and develop collegial, if not empathetic, relationships that form the framework for trusting collaboration. They also have the opportunity to understand each other’s strengths and approaches.
. . leaders, pick-up on nuances, explore situations and pro-actively address concerns as they are raised
In person interactions benefit leaders, enabling them to pick-up on nuances, explore situations and pro-actively address concerns as they are raised and reduce ‘mole-hill-mountains’ to their appropriate size. Additionally leaders who are aware of what team members are experiencing may better understand and respond to changes in productivity.
While it is possible to foster genuine conversations virtually, nuances such as body language and side-comments are easily missed off camera and off mic.
How often do you have the opportunity to hear concerns and empathize (A Non-Negotiable Leadership Skill: HBR: Apr 2025) with team members who are feeling uncertain – or even recognize when employees aren’t shining?
I am a Leadership Coach. Our Leader of Impact Program can help mitigate these risks.