Simply said, hybrid work is a paradigm used by organizations to provide flexible working conditions for its employees, allowing them to work from anywhere they want, on their own schedule. Many organizations have been compelled to embrace remote work since last year, and the majority of them have realized that this mode of working is favored by many employees.

Many firms will keep remote work choices available in the workplace to accommodate their employees’ desires. According to research, nearly half of the respondents (48%) would want to work remotely some days and in the office on others.

Because remote work is here to stay, hybrid work is as well! However, hybrid ways of working do have some downsides, which is why organizations need to follow certain best practices to manage their hybrid workforce.

Let’s dig deeper into what employers can do to successfully manage hybrid work in their organizations.

According to a new WeWork and Workplace Intelligence survey, 75% of employees are willing to forego at least one benefit or perk in exchange for the flexibility to pick their work environment, while 64% are willing to pay up to $300 for access to an office space.

Although hybrid work is valued by many employees and has the potential to dramatically improve workplace culture, it is not without challenges and drawbacks. Because hybrid work typically entails a mix of in-office and remote staff, organizations must figure out the best approach to handle both modes of operation.

Follow these steps to enable your hybrid employees to succeed.

1. Understand your employees’ needs and preferences

To mitigate the negative sides of remote work, it is important to understand its impact on employees’ engagement and productivity. As employee collaboration is one of the most common downsides of remote work, it is crucial to understand the consequences of employees being physically separated.

According to the previously mentioned research, employees decide where to work based on what they need to get done for work (39%) and who else plans to be at the workplace that day (37%).

Understanding employees’ preferences and their nature of work is, therefore, crucial for setting up a successful hybrid work strategy.

2. Set and communicate clear goals and expectations

Achieving good organizational alignment has never been easy, and today it is more important than ever before. Hybrid work makes organizational alignment even harder, which is why clear communication around an organization’s strategy, goals, mission, and vision is crucial.

Unfortunately, only 61% of workers say they receive the right amount of information about what is happening in their organization.

Distributed workforce needs to have a clear understanding of their common goals. When employees and groups have a good understanding of what is expected from them, their work location should never stop them from achieving their objectives.

3. Make employee communications your priority

Proper employee communication is an absolute prerequisite for successful hybrid work. Many employers are still struggling to bring their communication efforts to the next level, but most of them have made workplace communication their number one priority.

Based on research:

• The #1 expectation from employees is that their employers communicate effectively, but
• Only 42% of employees say their company does a good job of communicating overall.

Lack of proper employee communication technology is often the biggest blockers in improving remote communication in the workplace. In contrast, best employee communication apps are designed to enable employers to mitigate the downsides of remote work by making information more relevant and easily accessible to every employee.

4. Frequently ask for feedback

Hybrid work requires better employee listening efforts. Your employees’ feedback is crucial for understanding the impact of hybrid work on employees’ well-being, motivation, engagement, collaboration, and productivity.

Read Also: How do You Prepare For a Hybrid Work?

This is why organizations across the world are implementing regular employee surveys. While they used to do only annual employee engagement surveys, some of them are now collecting daily feedback from their workers.

However, many employers are struggling to get feedback from their employees, especially those who are hard to reach such as deskless and frontline workers. Using the right technology that enables you to reach the right employee, with the right content, at the right time is crucial for collecting valuable feedback from your employees.

5. Give guidance

You employees should never be guessing if and when they should show up in the office. Although the hybrid work model ideally sits in the middle of remote-first and office-first, it can easily get pulled in either direction without clear guidelines.

For that reason, it’s important to establish new rules, procedures, and best hybrid work practices. For example, if collaboration and in-person meetings are important for some of your teams, you may want to define two days in a week when these teammates must get together in the office.

6. Don’t discriminate

Recently, Dropbox raised an issue that many people have neglected with the hybrid model — promotions and benefits might not be awarded equally. As Dropbox’s statement said,

“Hybrid approaches may also perpetuate two different employee experiences that could result in barriers to inclusion and inequities with respect to performance or career trajectory.”

Research on this topic also supports the idea that office workers are more likely to be promoted. According to a survey by Gartner, 64% of managers are more likely to give office-based workers a higher raise than remote workers as they believe that office workers are higher performers.

Organizations should invest in training managers to identify biases against remote workers during performance reviews.

7. Introduce new benefits for remote employees

Because of the emergence of hybrid work, employers need to rethink the perks and benefits they offer to employees. While car allowance and travel expenses used to be a good perk, today this benefit doesn’t apply to many employees.

Instead, employers are looking for more relevant perks for their remote workers. For example, some employers offer compensation for internet and electricity expenses, some offer home office supplies such as standing desks, some pay for coworking spaces, and some even offer mental health services.

8. Assess and update your organization’s tech stack

If you are looking to implement the hybrid work model in your organization, you first need to make sure that your organization’s tech stack can support it. Since the emergence of the pandemic, many software providers have been adjusting their technologies to support remote work.

Luckily, modern employee apps, employee engagement software, and employee communication tools enable employers to adjust to the new ways of working, keep their employees informed, safe, and productive.

Another important benefit of this technology is its ability to connect various tools into a single platform. Today, the technology ecosystem in organizations is becoming extremely complex, and integrating technology is on every organization’s to-do list.

How do You Maximize Productivity in a Hybrid Work Environment?

Learn how to maximize productivity and efficiency in a hybrid work setting with these best practices and strategies. From establishing clear communication channels and setting goals, to fostering a sense of community and providing necessary resources, we’ve got you covered. Ensure your hybrid team is successful with these tips.

As more and more companies shift to a hybrid work model, it’s important to ensure you’re making cultural changes that work with the new paradigm, not against it. While the primary benefits of hybrid work are well known, such as increased flexibility and the ability to attract talent from a wider geographic area, there are common pitfalls that can make it challenging to maintain the same level of productivity as in a traditional office setting.

Here are some best practices and strategies for maximizing productivity in a hybrid work setting:

Establish clear communication channels and protocols

One of the key challenges of hybrid work is ensuring that all team members, whether working in the office or remotely, are on the same page. To address this, it’s important to establish clear communication channels and protocols. This might include using video conferencing for meetings, setting up a chat platform for real-time communication, and regularly checking in with team members to ensure that everyone is on track.

Set clear goals and expectations

In a hybrid work setting, it’s even more important to set clear goals and expectations for team members. This will help everyone stay focused and on track, and will ensure that work is being completed efficiently and effectively. Consider using project management tools to help set and track goals, and be sure to regularly review progress with team members.

Encourage flexibility

One of the biggest benefits of hybrid work is the increased flexibility it offers. To fully realize this benefit, it’s important to encourage team members to find the work schedule and location that works best for them. This might mean allowing team members to work different hours or from different locations, as long as their work is being completed to the expected standards.

Foster a sense of community

In a hybrid work setting, it can be easy for team members to feel isolated or disconnected from one another. To combat this, it’s important to foster a sense of community and connection among team members. This might involve setting up virtual social events, encouraging team members to interact and collaborate on projects, or simply making an effort to stay in touch and check in with one another.

Make sure team members have the necessary resources and support

Whether working remotely or in the office, team members need to have the necessary resources and support to be productive. This might include providing access to the right tools and technology, offering training and development opportunities, or simply being available to answer questions and offer support.

By following these best practices and strategies, you can help ensure that your hybrid team is as productive as possible. While there will certainly be challenges to overcome, with the right approach and mindset, it’s possible to maintain and even improve productivity in a hybrid work setting.

5 Types of Hybrid Work Models

Most hybrid work models tend to fall within five types. These versions of the hybrid work experience differ based on company priorities, organizational policies and needs. What works for one organization may not work for others. A company may need time to understand which approach best benefits them.

1. Flexible

Flexible hybrid work models allow employees to choose locations and working hours based on priorities. A team member may need solitude to focus on a project, so working from home or in a coffee shop may make sense. 

Other team members may need to meet with teams or attend training sessions. In this situation, an “in-office” day makes sense. 

Employees who work in a flexible environment can choose what best benefits them daily (or weekly).

Pros:

• Creates freedom and flexibility for individuals
• Establishes trust among team members and management
• Expands the talent pool and diversity opportunities
• Cuts costs related to travel and office space

Cons:

• Can complicate scheduling in-person teamwork or collaboration
• Reduces visibility regarding in-office attendance and workplace capacity, such as if the office can support a full complement of in-person workers

2. Fixed

In fixed hybrid remote models, the company sets when employees can work remotely or in-office. Organizations that adopt fixed hybrid models often dictate that certain teams must be in the office on specific days, whereas other employees come in on different days. It may also include companies that allow everyone to work from home on predetermined days each week.  

Pros:

• Provides opportunities for in-person collaboration and team building
• Allows employees to schedule appointments or errands during specific times each week
• Simplifies forecasting office capacity, growth

Cons:

• Employees lack individual choice regarding location
• Lost productivity if employees cannot thrive in an “in-office” setting
• Company cannot reduce office space

3. Office-First

An office-first approach to hybrid work expects employees to be on-site most of the time but offers flexibility to choose a few days for remote work. 

Pros:

• Offers flexibility and individual choice
• Promotes company culture and a sense of community

Cons:

• Lacks visibility for which team members will be present in the office and when
• Cannot forecast employee attendance on a given day

4. Remote-First

The remote-first hybrid model usually allows employees to work outside of the office. Companies may occasionally travel to coworking spaces or offices for training or team-building efforts. Companies who work remotely may not even lease or own dedicated office space.

Pros:

• Increased productivity and job satisfaction for team members who want to work remotely on a primarily full-time basis
• Reduces costs for office space
• A wide talent pool with team members not limited by geographic location

Cons:

• Potential for employee isolation
• Challenges to maintaining a company culture and community
• Limited in-person oversight

5. Designated Teams

Organizations can also designate which teams work in the office and at home. Some workplaces, like power plants or factories, require on-site workers. But admin staff or sales teams may not need to commute to perform their jobs.

Pros:

• Improves efficiency for team members who may not need to report to the office
• Cuts utility and electrical costs with fewer employees working on site

Cons:

• Risks creating resentment between “at-home” and “in-office” teams
• May alienate remote-first employees who cannot experience “face-time” with management
• Increased reliance on digital communications and technology