Since the pandemic, 74% of people prefer hybrid work over traditional office setups. Even though this is not surprising as everyone got used to working at home, it can be hard making it work for your company.
Creating a successful hybrid work environment means you need to plan, adjust, and use technology to your advantage. As an employee, you need to be open to working alone at home.
Seeing that hybrid working is on the rise it’s vital that you know how to make the most of this new working style. Otherwise, you could risk your employees becoming unhappy and finding work elsewhere.
And, no one wants that!
So, follow this guide and embrace the hybrid work model for your business.
How COVID Changed Work Forever
Without a doubt, the COVID-19 pandemic changed many things in our lives from wearing face masks to go the shop to where we work. The idea of working from home was a rare exception that not many people experienced.
Then, all of a sudden hybrid remote work quickly became our new normal. Although this way of working allowed businesses to keep running and maintain important clients it also came with some difficulties.
For instance, free office spaces cost money and the lack of social interaction makes it hard to build close bonds with work colleagues. However, some people still don’t fully understand what hybrid work actually entails.
Pros of Hybrid Working
Firstly, you need to know the meaning of hybrid work. There is no one definition of working hybrid as companies create their own variations of this method depending on what their employees want and what works for their business.
Hybrid working can look like any of these options:
- Work remotely half of the week
- Full-time remote working
- A combination of the two
As 28% of people are more innovative at work with hybrid models, more employees are pushing for this setup at their workplace.
The benefits of hybrid work models are boosting productivity and wellbeing.
Productivity and Wellbeing
The hybrid work schedule is more flexible than traditional office hours when you have arrived early in the morning and leave at a specific time in the afternoon.
With this new way of working employees have more freedom to determine their work hours and where they want to work.
Although not everyone can work by the beach, that doesn’t mean that you can’t take your laptop to a local coffee shop. Having the choice of when you work and where can make a huge difference to your well-being.
And, if your employees are happy then productivity increases, and businesses benefit from the effects.
Decreases Health Anxiety
Another advantage to hybrid working is that it limits the risk of illness. After the pandemic, this is a new concern amongst the offices so eliminating the risk of becoming sick helps people focus on their work.
As well as this, if someone becomes ill they can stay at home and still meet their quota for the week. This allows people to stay productive even if something unexpected comes up.
Cons of Hybrid Working
In contrast to the amazing benefits of hybrid work setups there are also a few cons to consider:
- Loneliness
- Communication difficulties
However, as you can see, there aren’t many reasons that hybrid schedules should interfere with your work commitments. In reality, it can offer you even more time for personal hobbies and relaxation.
Tips for Embracing This Hybrid Setup in the Workplace
Now that we’ve covered the advantages to working from home and combining hybrid work with office time you might be thinking, how can you implement these changes successfully into the workplace?
Thankfully, there are some tips and tricks to make the transition go smoothly.
1. Focus On Building a Strong Virtual Community
Even though the online space is not the same as meeting face-to-face, that shouldn’t prevent your team from bonding. Nowadays there are several virtual project management and communication tools at your fingertips.
These platforms can help you bring remote workers together and fill the void from the lack of interaction with team members. This can help employees feel less lonely and support businesses with meeting deadlines.
2. Provide Equal Rewards
One potential problem that can happen because of hybrid work structures is that employees start to feel like they are missing out on rewards and achievements.
You can create rewards for remote workers by organizing feedback or hosting events that highlight the amazing work your team has done. As well as events, you can also send out free goodie bags to staff.
Receiving a freebie can be a wonderful incentive to keep working for your company and will brighten up people’s day!
3. Set Clear Guidelines
As the online space is more open it can be hard to introduce policies and guidelines to a virtual workforce. However, it’s important to determine your company rules when transitioning to hybrid work.
For example, you need to come up with new ways to deal with absences, missed deadlines, and performance skills. Once you have these details sorted you shouldn’t run into any problems.
Keep Culture Alive
Planning events and organizing hybrid virtual communities is just one part of keeping your company culture alive with remote working. But, you can also do other things to keep your staff happy.
You can do regular check-ups on everyone’s well-being. This shows that you care about your staff and are invested in their happiness as well as their work ethic.
Encouraging the team to focus on health and wellness is a great way to keep a positive atmosphere online. Why not try doing an online yoga class for the employees? Or, provide workshops on meditation?
Anything that maintains a good, friendly workspace!
Go With the Flow and Welcome Hybrid Work
Adapting to hybrid working might seem challenging at first as you have to navigate a whole new dynamic and learn new software but once you have the basics covered all you have to do is have fun with it!
Use these tips to make the most of hybrid working.
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