New to hybrid working? We’ve put together a guide on the main areas you should be looking at.
The route to hybrid working will be different from company to company. For some it may have been a carefully planned, strategic decision. For others, it may have been a result of the global pandemic forcing workers into their homes. Your route will no doubt have influenced how you set up hybrid working within your organisation and how it is managed. It is always prudent though to review how you work, within any aspect of business and working life, and the same applies here.
There are many factors involved in being a hybrid workplace, and it’s important to consider best practice approaches, particularly as hybrid working is still a relatively young concept in our working world, though it has had to grow up a lot in recent years.
And despite the news stories of bosses ordering workers back to the office, research supports that hybrid working is still a strong working model adopted by companies and isn’t likely to be going anywhere soon. Indeed, predictions for 2025 are that hybrid working will rise in prevalence, full-time office mandates will fall, and the ability to work flexibly and with more control over our work/life balance will be a key part of decision making when workers are choosing companies to work for.
So, what is best practice when it comes to hybrid working?
We know there’s much to consider and many challenges to address, and that in itself can feel pretty overwhelming. We’ve put together a guide on the main areas you should be looking at.
Regular Team Today blog readers will knowhow much we love a good plan. Planning is essential to anything and everything. And when you’ve got a plan for hybrid working, you’re already halfway there; you have a blueprint that everyone can work to.
At the core of an effective hybrid working plan is to determine the hybrid work schedule you will use. This could be fixed or flexible, staggered or shifted, or a blend. It could be to specify the number of days workers should be in the office – a popular one is 3:2 – or to allow them to choose themselves. It could be driven by the types of work people do, or key dates in the company calendar. It could even be driven by team type.
However you choose to proceed, a hybrid work schedule that everyone is aware of is crucial for planning, communication and transparency. We’ve prepared a guide here to help you identify the best one for you.
It’s a delicate balance when you’re operating with a multi-location workforce, to ensure that the wheels keep turning and your people are happy. The key here is to ensure that caring and compassionate leadership is embedded in every part of your company and ethos; your policies and procedures, your approach to training and development, including how to empower and equip your managers to be able to manage well in a hybrid environment.
Whilst there are many positive health and wellbeing benefits of remote working, there is an increased risk of staff feeling isolated and cut-off from the office, sometimes referred to as proximity bias – where office-based colleagues feel more connected with the business – and also the risk of burnout if remote workers don’t ‘switch off’ between work and their home life. Accessible and open communication is crucial here, so that colleagues feel they are still part of the team and are in regular and easy contact with managers.
Initiatives to help build collaboration and promote a positive culture in the team are important too, and managers should model good practice by working in the same ways as their teams, by switching off at the end of the day, by being there for staff, and by recognising how to support them.
As hybrid working is a blend of office and remote working, companies have responsibilities towards both settings. The approaches though will differ, as your influence on a person’s home working environment is minimal but your responsibility is to ensure they are correctly equipped to do their jobs, including being able to communicate with the office and colleagues, and that proper risk assessments are in place to identify any health and safety risks and adjustments needed, for example, the need for ergonomic furniture or Display Screen Equipment adjustments.
Within the office, you should consider how to adapt the space so that it becomes a space fit for multiple-use working. This may include dividing space into different zones depending on their use, e.g. hot desking, creative spaces, meeting spaces, social hubs, and quiet spaces.
Technology is the key to keeping your hybrid workforce working and connected. Equipment should be at a standard to enable home and office working, including considerations about security and data protection when away from the office.
You will need equipment and software to hold hybrid meetings, to accommodate any business support needs for visiting staff, and to facilitate in-office collaboration time as well.
In your suite of IT software, you should consider hybrid planning tools, interactive workplace tools, and tools your teams will use to communicate.
You need to have robust health &safety policies in place, adhering to relevant legislation, and considering the changing needs of workers based in multiple locations. This should include consideration of lone-working, home office setups, fire safety and first-aid cover in the main office, and a focus on mental health and wellbeing for all staff but paying close attention to the risks associated with working remotely, and being mindful of the danger of burnout.
Hybrid planning software, such as TeamToday, can be a very effective management tool here. For example, you can schedule key role holders into office planning and identify any trends and patterns relating to staff that may indicate they are struggling and need help.
We’ve all heard the horror stories about people joining a meeting online only to find the connection drops, or that nobody can hear them, or, worse, when people have an unfortunate incident with a filter. Horror stories aside, when run well, hybrid meetings are a brilliant tool for keeping teams feeling like they’re not working at a distance. We have a lot of tips for meetings, including the importance of outlining expectations, using the right technology, good use of visual and interactive aids, and effective facilitation to enable everyone to be and feel included. These tips work for any type of collaborative working where you’re bringing teams together in different locations.
For more insights and articles about hybrid working from Team Today, visit our blog here.