The Magic of Moments: How to Be Intentional in a Hybrid Work Schedule

Have you ever stopped to consider the power of moments? Each day of our lives is composed of a thousand different moments…some happy, some mundane, others challenging, some encouraging, and a few that are defining.

It’s been said that most people don’t remember days, but they do remember moments, especially ones that are both meaningful and memorable.

Here at PHOS, we strive to create as many of these moments for our team as possible. However, when we made the switch to a hybrid work model in 2020 (two days in the studio, three days remote), it took some intentionality to continue doing this well.

Since we made the switch, there have been a few strategies that we have implemented that have helped us create margin for moments, keeping our team connected and encouraged throughout the week to promote flourishing.

Making the Most of Our In-Studio Days

At PHOS, Wednesdays and Fridays serve as our “in-person” days. These are often marked by meaningful check-ins, lively chatter, coffee walks, and a sprinkle or two of surprise moments.

They’re our business + fun days.

And this is intentional. We take advantage of the 16 hours we have in-person each week to give our team the freedom and space to reconnect, invest in client and team member relationships, and take in the energy that comes from being in a shared environment.

While moments happen more organically on these days, we still have some subtle strategies that make them more prolific. For example, on a bi-weekly basis, we provide a catered lunch and an extended break for our team members to enjoy a meal together.

We also have a tradition of gathering in the lobby to commemorate any and all “mission moments.” Every time our mission is fulfilled, one team member is selected to add a new lightbulb to the PHOS Light Wall, while the rest of the team cheers in celebration.

As much as possible, we also like to schedule the majority of local client meetings on our in-person days. While we love the convenience that a video call provides, we can’t deny the benefit of face-to-face interactions, especially when it comes to building trust with the clients we serve.

Are Defining Moments Still Possible on Remote Days?

You may be thinking, “It sounds easy to intentionally embrace moments when you’re in person, but what about the remote work days? How do you cultivate these types of moments online?”

Those are great questions.

One thing to remember about moments is that they can be both spontaneous and crafted. So while our in-person days are driven more by spontaneity, our remote days challenge us to intentionally create opportunities for these types of moments.

Here are a few ways that we do this at PHOS:

Monday Huddles

Our team kicks off every week with a Monday Huddle. This is simply a time for our team to touch base at the start of the week and connect on a personal level through a fun prompt, such as “What is something new you learned over the weekend?” or “What was a personal highlight from the past week?” This time also provides the opportunity to share any big or important announcements with the team, like upcoming events, new team members joining, or a new client partnership.

Team Shoutouts

Every other Tuesday, our entire team jumps on a Zoom call for an hour-long meeting. The first 30 minutes are set aside entirely for team member shoutouts. For a half hour, our team takes turns sharing specific ways we’ve seen one another live out our core values of leadership, creativity, love, integrity, and community.

Slack Channels

Slack, our team communication platform, allows us to create different channels of communication. At PHOS, we have three main channels that every team member is part of:

• General: This is a channel for all the important announcements, such as team meetings, company-wide updates, new policies or protocols, upcoming events, etc.
• Celebration: Here we celebrate anything that fulfills our mission. This could be a new client partnership, a raving Google review, a team member “workiversary,” the launch of a client website, or the opening of a PHOS-sponsored care center (which will serve women and children impacted by extreme poverty and sex trafficking). We love how this channel invites our whole team to celebrate these wins, no matter how big or small.
• Community: It’s all in the name, but this channel is a hub for everything that’s not work-related. Here you’ll find fun Friday polls, random holiday announcements (like National Seafood Bisque Day), our afternoon jams, highlights from the weekend, and more.

Apart from these, we have more niche channels that team members can join, such as “Pets of PHOS”, a community prayer channel, one for our pickleball players, and a channel for all things AI.

While these are some specific things that our team has leveraged to create community and connection on remote days, they could easily be customized to fit the needs and interests of your own team and company.

Ready to Create More Margin for Moments?

Is your company considering making the switch to a hybrid work schedule, or do you simply want to craft more meaningful moments with the people on your team? Either way, let’s connect!

We’d love to chat with you more about some of the lessons we’ve learned in the 4 years we’ve embraced this model and help your team flourish by strategically channeling the magic of moments.