A good place to start would be explaining what a hybrid workplace is. A hybrid workplace is one where your workforce is split between several locations and contains a mixture of remote workers and workers who are in the office. You’ve probably heard that it’s the future and with recent events shining a spotlight on remote and flexible working, we’ll see more and more companies adopt a hybrid way of working.
Don’t just take our word for it, here are some stats. A global survey carried out in 2021 found that 66% of leaders say they are considering redesigning office space for hybrid work, 73% of employees want flexible remote work options to stay and 67% of employees want more in-person work or collaboration post-pandemic.[1] So there you have it, the pandemic has proved that people want the best of both worlds, face-to-face interaction and flexibility. So, that begs the question, how do you get your team ready for a hybrid workplace?
Adopt suitable tech
There is no point in having a hybrid workforce if no one can get it touch with one another, makes it difficult to collaborate. On that note, make sure your workforce has access to the appropriate tech. This includes conference calling, video calling, instant messaging apps and even project management tools.
Hopefully, you’re already using many of these tools but just in case you’re not, it’s crucial to get familiar with them and use them on a daily basis if you want a hybrid workforce that can work together efficiently. Communication is key!
Find a balance
To get the most out of hybrid working and a hybrid workplace it’s important to strike a balance. Work to your team’s strengths, understand that your team may have differing views when it comes to hybrid working and take this into consideration. The pandemic has proved that some people are more productive when working remotely, whilst others may need the face-to-face interaction.
Finding the sweet spot amongst your team is crucial to maximise productivity and collaboration. Reap the benefits from both modes of working, focus the face-to-face interactions around maximising creativity and remote work for those tasks that are better performed without distractions.
Stress the importance of face-to-face interactions
Even if you’ve got workers who are comfortable working 100% remotely, there are so many benefits to meeting your colleagues face-to-face. Having a hybrid workplace means you’ve got a place for everyone to convene, so make the most of this space and if you haven’t there are plenty of co-working spaces you can benefit from.
These face-to-face meet ups don’t even have to be work related; they can be social get togethers where you simply get to know the people you’re working with better. They can be weekly, fortnightly or even monthly, point is, in order to work and collaborate effectively you need to know the people you work with beyond what they look like in front of a computer screen.
Reward all hard work
With the hybrid way of working it’s tempting to reward workers who spend more time in the office as they have more ‘visibility’. As someone who is managing a hybrid workforce, make sure you don’t fall into this trap and ensure you’re treating all work equally. Hard work is hard work, whether it happens in the office or at home.
Hybrid is here to stay
So, make the most of it. If this way of working is new to you, it will take some adjusting to, but the pandemic has highlighted that the office 9-to-5 is an outdated mode of working. For the sake of employers and employees a hybrid way of working means boosted productivity, boosted morale, better mental wellbeing and a host of other benefits. Follow these tips and you’ll have your team ready for a hybrid workplace in no time.
[1] https://www.statista.com/statistics/1226730/global-hybrid-work-trends-employee-employer-post-pandemic/
