As employers continue to issue return to office mandates and employees resist, IT leaders discussed how CIOs can build new skills for managing hybrid teams at the 2025 IT Indaba.
Although hybrid work has become common in technology companies, there is still tension between IT leaders and their teams, with many employees overlooking the value of in-person collaboration. In a panel discussion titled Leading remote and hybrid teams: The new workplace reality’, Rand Mutual group CIO Keneilwe Gwabeni, acting ICT service delivery manager for planning and governance at Wits University Zethu Lubisi and FNB CIO of Home and Structured Lending Farieda Mayet discussed how CIOs can build new skills to manage remote and hybrid IT teams.
“Remote work has always existed, but it gained traction during the pandemic as IT leaders sought to maintain productivity. While we have evolved since then, leaders often issue return to office mandates when one employee’s productivity declines and the whole team is affected. Today, we need to move from control to trust,” said Zethu.
Keneilwe echoed similar sentiments emphasising the importance of intentionality in designing remote and hybrid work policies. She encouraged leaders to build policies around employees’ real lives and to lead with empathy, equity and inclusion.
“As a leader, you must have a few basic elements in place when implementing a hybrid work model to ensure your team experiences the same safe and connected environment they enjoy in the office. We also need to represent employees across different social and economic backgrounds to achieve true inclusion,” she said.
Maintaining a collaborative culture
While remote and hybrid work are now part of everyday life for IT teams, it remains essential for IT leaders to maintain a collaborative culture and a connected workforce in an environment where colleagues may be on Teams calls with the people sitting next to them.
Farieda shared that when she rejoined FNB earlier this year, her teams were fully remote and spread across different regions, which slowed problem-solving. After introducing a hybrid work model with clear engagement guidelines, she unlocked a new level of collaboration.
“You cannot build a culture on Teams alone. Leaders of hybrid teams must re-create cultural energy through intentional in-person moments. Instant conversations do not happen on Teams. Sometimes innovation starts by rolling your chair to the next desk,” she said.
Zethu added that for hybrid policies to be truly inclusive, they must be role-specific, as different roles have different rhythms and needs. “IT leaders should apply situational leadership both upward and downward. They should know when to coach, support and allow autonomy. Blanket policies can backfire and demotivate high performers. Fairness means adapting to context, not enforcing uniformity,” she said.
