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Since the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid working has been considered modern, flexible and efficient. However, the reality often feels different, especially for people new to the team. Probationary periods, intended for arrival, often run in autopilot mode. When face-to-face encounters are missing, relationships remain fragmented. New employees who are supposed to sit alone in the home office and “just go along” don’t get it that way. And they hardly build any real connections with their colleagues.
In this working world, collaboration becomes a real challenge. If colleagues hardly know each other, trust cannot grow and informal conversations are no longer possible, onboarding suffers greatly and the entire team dynamic loses its strength. This is exactly where appreciation becomes more important – not as a nice gesture, but as a conscious leadership tool that creates orientation, security and belonging.
Small, concrete feedback makes visible what easily disappears in the digital world: contribution, commitment, thinking. Appreciation becomes an anchor in hybrid structures. It connects people who rarely see each other. It keeps teams together when closeness is lacking.
