As employers and workforces settle into the new year, change, as always, is sure to be among the major challenges they face.

More specifically, says Kevin Rockmann, a professor of management at George Mason University’s Costello College of Business, this year’s change scenario will be particularly acute within the ongoing evolution of remote and hybrid environments.

Rockmann—who focuses on workplace relationships, leadership and how organizations function amid uncertainty—explains that the “fragmented rhythm” driven by hybrid and remote norms means employers need an even sharper focus on preparing their managers to lead effectively.

For instance, he says, many workplaces are navigating the concept of “microshifting,” where employees make small, frequent adjustments to when, where and how they work to gain balance and control in their lives.

“Productivity pressures are rising even as hiring slows, and that tension affects morale, engagement and retention,” he says. Effective managers are even more critical when employees are dispersed. Employees, of course, need guidance and mentorship, and technology and geographic separation can create barriers rather than enablers to such efforts.

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Getting more proactive about connection

That said, Rockmann offers some paths “strong” managers are taking to succeed.

One, he says, is to establish predictable communication rhythms without being rigid.

“Regular one-on-ones aren’t optional—they’re foundational,” he notes, adding that effective managers further realize that these interactions should be for listening and supporting, “not judging and pontificating.”

Also, he advises that managers not skip these meetings or send messages beforehand that could diminish their importance.

“That relays the idea that the meetings are not really important,” he says.

Next, Rockmann says in the coming year, strong managers must ask not only about an employee’s work, but also about their relationships with colleagues. Raising questions such as: Who is working well with you? Who is absent? What resources do you need from whom, and why?

“This is is not about gossip,” he explains. “This is to create a picture of the social fabric of the organization, so that a manager can help the employee craft their jobs in ways that give them the connections they need.”

Also, in Rockmann’s view, strong managers don’t punish people for not coming to the office; rather, they must “incentivize” employees for choosing that path.

He adds employees realize that incentives are not simply parking vouchers, transportation reimbursements and/or high-quality free coffee (although, in many cases, such things are appreciated).

“Incentives also can be intangible,” he says. For example, lean into recognition: Let employees know how valuable they are and how much they add to the office environment.

Finally, Rockmann says, today’s strongest managers actively and creatively engineer connections with and among employees. They model healthy boundaries around work while also being open to connecting any time during work hours—so employees do not “suffer in silence.”

Strong managers, he says, also facilitate events (think: “hack-a-thons”) for employees that build connections while enabling them to solve difficult problems.

“Most of all, managers must meet employees where they are—even if that means going to a coffee shop in a different neighborhood,” he says. “They are both efficient—meetings do not need to last the full hour—while also being empathetic.”

Rockmann concludes that the majority of managers, unfortunately, are not equipped for leading modern teams; such deficiencies are even more pronounced when they cannot walk around the hallways and easily see where problems may be.

“Understanding a few simple strategies, though, can go a long way to managing today’s more dispersed workforce,” he says.