For the average office job, working from home has most likely become the norm. When COVID-19 regulations started requiring people to work from home instead of their usual office space, companies soon realised that not working in the office didn’t necessarily negatively impact productivity. In fact, it may have even increased productivity.

Furthermore, employers could even save more money by having employees working from home, such as by using smaller office spaces or by using less electricity.

From the classic Monday-Friday, 9 to 5 working week (realistically 9 to 5:30), to the ability to work from home being the standard. In 2019, it all changed for office jobs around the world, and there was a significant culture shift for many employees.

Since then, the traditional in-the-office workweek became old-fashioned. In fact, the concept of 9 to 5 could also be considered outdated. It was first coined back in the 1920s by Henry Ford of the Ford Motor Company, before becoming standardized by the Fair Labor Standards Act in 1938, to counteract the exploitation of workers. But the number of hours you are required to work in a day doesn’t necessarily equal productivity, with tests of 4-day working weeks being trialled across the UK.

The term Parkinson’s Law springs to mind – and refers to the adage that “work expands to fill the time available for completion”. When given fewer hours, but the same workload, the work is completed at the same level.

Just at a faster, and more productive rate. With that being said, hybrid working doesn’t mean fewer hours sent working. A hybrid arrangement purely allows for more flexible working.

Is hybrid working the best solution? And how can you make a hybrid work environment work?

What Is Hybrid Working?

Defining what exactly hybrid working is, really depends on the business.

Every hybrid set-up is completely different, varying not just by the company, but by the week or by the month.

Hybrid working is the flexibility to work both from home and in the office, or somewhere else altogether.

Hybrid working models have now become a staple, stemming from the results of COVID-19 where many workers found themselves either going into the office less or not at all.

As social distancing regulations began to lift, team members started going back to the office, thus, hybrid teams were born as the knock-on effect.

But the concept of hybrid working isn’t entirely new, with businesses trying to adopt this mix over the past decade. Many work lifestyle changes that experts expected to take place over the next decade has been fast-tracked to accommodate the needs of the new working world.

Now that employees are allowed to go into the office, they may choose so, or if they want to stay home, they can choose so too.

But there are also less flexible options. Many businesses may require employees to come in twice a week. Or maybe three times a week. The days may be chosen by the employee, but the company may have a more rigid and fixed structure, such as every Monday and Tuesday. It is worth noting, that available workspace may also have an effect on this, with smaller companies opting for a more hybrid model.

What Are The Benefits Of Hybrid Working?

The benefits of hybrid working really come down to individual choices. Having the flexibility to sometimes work in the office or to sometimes work from home is beneficial. So what are the benefits of each?

The Benefits Of Working From Home

• Less time spent commuting with public transport
• Less money spent on commuting and eating out for lunch
• More work autonomy
• Improved work-life balance and job satisfaction
• More time in the day for mindfulness activities
• Higher motivation
• Improved productivity (depending on the individual)
• You can hire talent from across the country or the world
• Accommodating for employees with disabilities
• Lower company overheads
• And of course, the reason why it all started – to avoid catching contagious viruses

Benefits Of Working In The Office

• It can be difficult to build bonds with colleagues at home
• Easier to work together
• Some people are less productive at home
• Prevents loneliness and isolation
• Change of scenery
• Avoid difficult home environments
• Use high-quality equipment and tech
• Knowledge gaps become noticed and training can be provided
• Face to face contact helps relationship building

No choice is better than the other, and that’s why combining the two allows employees to experience the best of both worlds.

Finding that balance becomes easier in a flexible and hybrid working environment, freeing up time to take care of errands, pick up their kids from school, go for a run after work, be home for a delivery and more.

In fact, a recent study on employees views of hybrid work indicates that almost half of employees would look for another job if their employer didn’t offer a hybrid working model.

How To Make Hybrid Working Work?

Following COVID-19, companies had to restructure their approach to working, to a work from home model.

They discovered an array of cost-effective and productivity-enhancing benefits for both them and their employees, however, as beneficial as working from home may be, companies soon discovered the negative impact of working from home.

Just a couple of days in the office can be important for some people’s well-being and mental health.

It is important to create a specific hybrid working policy (or policies) that benefit both parties. Whilst a hybrid working model may suggest employees split their time between the office and at home, this could be one or the other. An employee may live too far away to commute into the office often or at all. Alternatively, an employee may struggle with their home environment, thus making it more important to be in the office.

Survey Your Team

You should first survey your employees to find out what they want or need.

By involving your employees in this decision, you can collaboratively create an environment that is motivating and productive, and with the needs of each employee in mind.

An employee engagement survey is an easy way to get the opinions of employees, which should be done anonymously. An anonymous survey will influence a more truthful and honest response.

The results of the survey will help you understand exactly what makes your employees happy and motivated, and what the demand for hybrid working is at your company.

Be Aware Of Your Employees Wellbeing & Mental Health

As hybrid work looks to continue post-pandemic, providing ongoing mental health support for your hybrid workers is extremely important.

Without access to the office, or the company of their colleague’s and peers, the potential isolation from working from home can be harmful. As an employer, you need to be attentive to the needs and mental health of your team.

Some ways you can do this is by offering work-life balance training that helps promote healthy habits that can help them disconnect from work.

When you work in the same place as you live, it can be hard to disconnect. Mindfulness activities can also help – such as virtual yoga sessions, virtual tea breaks and more. Have employees block out an hour in their diary once a week, for them to read, go for a run or whatever they choose.

Equal Company Perks

There should also be equal company perks and attention for either choice.

With employees potentially being solely WFH employees, they may miss benefits such as company food and drinks, events and more.

Consider sending things to your employees at home, such as snacks, drinks and more. You could also hold virtual events, such as quizzes, games or drinks.

Activities and competitions can really make the experience better. You can also hold one-to-one or group conversions so that remote employees stay feeling connected and part of the company culture.

Use Cloud Collaboration Tools

One of the most important ways to make hybrid working work is to build the right IT infrastructure that will support seamless collaboration in a hybrid workplace.

IT infrastructure broadly refers to a set of components that are the foundation of an IT service, including infrastructure software. Find out what IT infrastructure is here. These include productivity and collaboration tools.

If you haven’t already, you need to set up the right software’s that aid and streamline your operations and communication.

Popular collaborative working platforms include Google Suite, Trello or Slack. These tools will improve communication and will be critical when using a hybrid working model, and can bridge the gap between feeling isolated and feeling a part of the team.

You can use these collaboration tools to create group chats that promote non-work related topics that people have in common. From dog photo sharing groups to pizza Friday’s.

However, not using a full package solution can have employees jumping from platform to platform. This puts a strain on hybrid work, however, Microsoft Sharepoint combined with Microsoft Teams is a great solution. At GRIT Consultancy, we recommend one of our Microsoft 365 business plans, which provides everything you need in one place to keep your hybrid working environment productive and cohesive.

Remote Access Policies

For hybrid working to fully work, remote access policies may be needed. If employees need to gain access to the company network from places other than the office, that data needs to be accessed securely to minimize the risk of data breaches.

One way to do this is through Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), which can help keep remote working secure by using encryption protocols to build a secure passage for your information to travel through.

Can You Trust Your Employees?

A big factor when looking at the success of hybrid working is the ability to trust your employees. You will need to trust that they will be able to complete their work. If they can’t, why is that? Perhaps there is inadequate training.

You need to clearly define what hybrid work means, and what is expected from your employees. Nobody wants to be micro-managed, but open communication is needed.

Partnering With An IT Service Provider

Managing a hybrid workplace can be difficult, even when properly implemented. Having the right tools is one thing, but there are still numerous challenges with having some employees working from home and some in the office.

Having an IT service provider can lead to improved security and support. As employees work from home, there is increased exposure to security risks. A professional IT service provider will be able to assess your network security and help protect you from security vulnerabilities.

How Can GRIT Consultancy Help Your Hybrid Working Strategy?

Here at GRIT Consultancy, we can help you set up a range of cost-effective and comprehensive plans. From online backup services for your hybrid workers to our complete Microsoft 365 Packages.

We offer affordable, flexible support packages to suit the needs of any business, both big and small.

Get in contact today.