Managing a hybrid team: Combining in-house staff with VAs

When you’re managing a growing business, getting the right team in place is vital. A powerful option for this is to go down the hybrid team route – working with both internal employees and external contractors such as VAs. But it can be challenging knowing where to start with managing a hybrid team, and how to hire the best people to meet your goals. 

As a team of virtual assistants, we support a wide range of clients and their businesses, including some larger corporate organisations that already have some internal EA support. We become an extension of their team and provide additional support to meet the needs of the business.

This blog post explains how combining both in-house and outsourced EA support works, which situations it’s most suitable for, and tips for managing a hybrid team with success from the start.

How a VA can support your existing team

When you decide to work with a virtual assistant (VA), or team of VAs, they provide flexibility and scalability. VAs can help you grow your operations without the overhead costs of hiring more in-house staff.

But they don’t always have to be an alternative to having an in-house, employed team; you can blend the two and have VAs working alongside permanent team members, enhancing your organisation’s workforce.

We work with several large clients such as City Bridge Foundation, and some smaller ones, who already have employed EAs on board. From our experience, it works really well having our VAs join their team as a well-managed hybrid team offers:

• Better productivity: Team members focus on their strengths for faster results
• Improved morale: You get a unified, motivated workforce
• Business resilience: Adapt quickly to changing demands with in-house and VA support
• Flexibility: Scale hours up or down during peak periods
• Focused support: VAs handle specific roles, freeing in-house staff from admin distractions.

Scott, Head of the Managing Director’s Office at City Bridge Foundation shared the benefits of the hybrid model for them as follows (read more in our case study):

“Everyone works collectively. They share knowledge, share expertise, and it’s become a model that we would likely use forever more.”

When is a hybrid team the best option? 

There are many cases where it’s a great solution to work with a hybrid team. For modern businesses, it’s an increasingly relevant and successful way of working to handle situations such as:

• Managing changing workloads 

As your business evolves, so do your staff and team needs. Working with and managing a hybrid team allows you to adapt to these changing demands in the most agile and cost-effective way. 

• Get specialised skills on demand 

Embracing a hybrid team gives you access to diverse skill sets and global talent pools. Perfect if you need to hire a specialist in certain areas to complement your in-house team’s strengths.

• Support for time-sensitive or one-off projects 

Using VAs for specific projects or ongoing tasks without long-term employment commitments can be hugely cost-effective. We often provide project management support for scaling businesses to provide a solution to a specific problem our client is facing. 

• Bridging gaps during absences 

When team members are absent, VAs can step in to seamlessly fill the gaps. We’ve supported clients with maternity cover, holiday leave, short-term sickness, or even when businesses want to accommodate flexible working requests from their employees. The beauty of this kind of support is that we can simply pick up the reins and step in again for a day, a week or however long is needed. 

• Supporting different time zones or schedules

It’s not uncommon for companies to require support outside regular working hours. For instance, one of our clients frequently hosts events that keep their in-house team working late into the evening. To help, we provide a few hours of support earlier in the day, allowing them to adjust their team’s schedules more flexibly. Similarly, if you work with clients across different time zones, outsourcing VA support can be a practical solution – offering seamless coverage without disrupting your in-house team’s working hours.

• Supporting existing EAs with responsibilities 

Creating a hybrid team model is great for providing ongoing admin support for your existing team members who are often pulled into other duties or spend time away from their desks. For instance, an in-house EA doubling as an Office Manager, Receptionist, or Events Assistant may struggle to keep up with managing busy inboxes and constantly changing diaries, but a VA can relieve this pressure.

Top tips for managing a hybrid team

Of course, there can be some challenges with managing a hybrid team. Gaps in communication can lead to misunderstandings, particularly if misaligned priorities or information silos occur. It’s important remote and in-house teams feel equally valued and included, preventing a damaging “us vs. them” dynamic. 

You also have to ensure everyone is on the same page when using different tools or systems and that you have a cohesive workflow across the team.

Another important thing to note is that your employed team should understand VAs aren’t there to take their jobs away – it’s much more about providing additional support and working with them to meet the needs of the business.

So, what active steps can you take to successfully manage a hybrid team?

1. Establish clear communication channels

Use tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Asana to centralise communication. Set expectations for responsiveness and updates. Schedule regular team check-ins (weekly or bi-weekly) that include both in-house staff and VAs to align goals.

2. Define roles and responsibilities

Create clear job descriptions for both in-house staff and VAs to avoid overlap or confusion.

Assign a point of contact for VAs within your in-house team for day-to-day questions.

3. Foster collaboration and inclusion

Include VAs in team meetings where possible, even if just to listen. Celebrate successes and recognise contributions from both in-house staff and VAs, and use team-building exercises or informal virtual catch-ups to build rapport.

4. Standardise processes

Document standard operating procedures (SOPs) and ensure everyone has access, then share training resources with VAs and in-house staff to maintain consistency. Use project management tools to track progress and deadlines for all team members.

5. Leverage the strengths of each group

Assign duties based on what works best for each role (for example, in-house staff for face-to-face support such as events, reception duties and project work, VAs for repetitive or specialised tasks). You may find you need to adapt roles over time as you get used to managing a hybrid team and learning their strengths. 

Start successfully managing a hybrid team with Virtually Priceless

As you can see, the hybrid model combines the best of both worlds: in-house talent and VAs for scalable support. When you get it right, managing a hybrid team can lead to increased efficiency, cost savings, and a more adaptable business model.

Making this model a success lies in communication, role clarity, collaboration, and structured processes. At Virtually Priceless, we can not only take admin and project management tasks off your plate, but we can also advise on the best way to create your ultimate hybrid team based on your current situation and goals. 

To get support in successfully building and managing a hybrid team, get in touch.