These days, employees aren’t just prioritizing flexibility and autonomy. They’re demanding it. According to McKinsey & Company, nearly one-third of employees (29%) would consider changing jobs if their employer transitioned back to a fully on-site model. As a result, managers and work models must evolve.

Leadership in a virtual world demands a unique set of skills, including adaptability, digital fluency and empathy. Leaders must cultivate inclusivity, engagement and efficiency. And they must do this while balancing their own abilities to be productive in new terrain.

In this article, we’ll explore how the best remote and hybrid leaders are succeeding in the new era.

Harness digital communication tools

If you’re still communicating the way you did when your employees were in-office, you may be finding it tough to lead your team in a remote or hybrid setting. Post-pandemic, leaders are using an array of digital communication tools to collaborate effectively.

Beyond email, platforms like Slack, Zoom and Microsoft Teams enable real-time communication, instant messaging, videoconferencing, screen sharing, file management and more. Many tools allow others within your organization to see when you’re online. This can help managers track when their team members are at their desks.

Implement regular check-ins

While hybrid and remote work removes some of the office environment’s valuable facetime, frequent touchpoints can help leaders stay connected to their team members. Check-ins can be brief, but the frequency helps individuals within a team stay on the same page.

Check-ins don’t need a formal agenda; rather, they can be a free space for employees to discuss progress and challenges, and get their questions answered. The consistent communication that regular check-ins provide will help your team members feel engaged and connected to your team’s goals.

Set clear, measurable goals

When employees are working from home, the line between work and home responsibilities can become blurred. Employees may get pulled in different directions, including toward the laundry machine, grocery store or kids. That’s why setting and keeping time-bound, measurable goals for your hybrid and remote teams is critical.

Clear and measurable goals and deadlines help keep employees focused and aligned with organizational objectives. For larger projects, it can help to create Gantt charts or similar visualizations that allow teams to break large projects into manageable milestones.

Differentiate tasks for in-office and remote work

If you have a hybrid work option at your organization, this tip is for you. If possible, align team members’ in-person days to get together face-to-face. Why? While certain tasks can be completed independently at home, others are better suited for in-person collaboration. By strategically assigning tasks based on their nature, you can optimize efficiency, engagement and employee satisfaction.

Measure and maintain employee engagement

It’s no secret that remote and hybrid work can often lead to feelings of isolation, which can translate to lower levels of engagement and productivity. The risk of low engagement means it’s critical for remote and hybrid leaders to be attuned to employee sentiment, not just work product.

Use surveys and performance metrics to gauge engagement levels and understand changes at the organizational, team and individual level.

Invest in development specific to your team’s work arrangements

Success in remote and hybrid workplaces requires continuous learning. Managers and employees alike should participate in ongoing training to adapt their skills to their work models, especially if their work arrangements are new to them. Training may include digital communication tools, time management and productivity in a remote environment, resilience and well-being, cybersecurity awareness, and tips for improving remote relationships with coworkers.

Foster inclusivity across locations

If your team has been remote for a while, you may need to align across time zones. Online tools like the meeting planner at TimeandDate.com can help leaders choose meeting times that work for team members across various time zones.

Finding the perfect time for everyone is never easy, and it’s frequently impossible. To create an inclusive remote environment, consider rotating meeting times to the extent feasible so one employee isn’t waking up early or staying up late each time.

Embrace feedback and continuously evolve

While remote and hybrid work have existed for decades, the working world is still getting used to these nontraditional work arrangements. Because of its sudden popularity, the functionality of hybrid work is still evolving. Hybrid and remote leaders should keep evolving, too.

Solicit regular feedback from employees about their experience. You can do this through manager check-ins and employee surveys. Anonymous surveys and open forums can do wonders to encourage honest input.

By staying open to feedback and improvement, your organization can maintain a hybrid or remote workplace that works.