What are the benefits of a hybrid work schedule
The advantage of the hybrid model is flexibility. Future Forum’s Summer 2022 Pulse found that the hybrid model improves employees’ work-life balance, reduces stress, and increases their overall satisfaction compared to office-based employees.
The hybrid model has also been shown to improve performance, increase focus, and serve as a competitive advantage for recruiting top talent in a historically tight labor market.
Thus, the short- and long-term benefits outweigh the initial discomfort of learning to function in a new system.
Hybrid model types
Let’s take a closer look at the 3 options for a hybrid way of working. There are 3 options.
Fixed hybrid
In this model, employees are expected to commute to the office for a predetermined number of days. This is the route taken by, for example, American Express.
When certain days of the week are set as work days, employees enter the workplace and know exactly who will be there. But this time isn’t always the most productive. In fact, one University of California study found that after each interruption, it takes more than 23 minutes for an employee to regain focus on work, and another study found that the average worker is interrupted in the office between four and 12 times every hour.
So, teams should plan in advance for activities, projects and conversations that are better handled in the office than remotely. To help teams get the most out of the hours they spend together, managers can recommend ways to set up work and process efficiencies from the start.
If you’re a large company, track the work and office schedules of different teams to map their efficiency and help set up appropriate meeting flow and processes. This is a way to harness the potential in the company and ensure that everyone benefits from meeting with each other on a regular basis.
Flexible hybrid model
In this model, employees attend the office irregularly, only a certain number of days or a certain percentage of the working time. This is how Google works, for example.
Anything that gives employees more autonomy (and shows that management trusts them) is a step in the right direction because freedom increases an individual’s personal effectiveness. However, this has to be properly managed, otherwise, there can be a lot of confusion.
Employees may know that they need to be in the office a certain percentage of days, but which ones? Without the guidance of managers, employees would show up at the office and the people they thought they were going to see are not there.
In these cases, managers should opt for some kind of workplace information sharing that is accessible to the entire organization. This ensures that everyone knows on which days specific people will be coming into the office and when they plan to work remotely. (We’ll break down the different tools below.)
Free Hybrid Model
In this model, employees have complete autonomy to determine when and if they attend the office. This system is by far the most flexible and shows the highest level of trust between management and employees.
Managers should motivate employees and show them the benefits of face-to-face meetings because there are types of jobs where personal contact is irreplaceable. For example, meeting at the beginning of a new project… Another tool for positive motivation is to pamper the company culture and provide small benefits such as good coffee, rituals, team building…
How to set up a hybrid model for your team
Give your employees the tools and resources they need to stay connected with colleagues, whether it’s coordinating arrivals to the office, setting the best time for virtual meetings, sharing documents, or booking office space in a timely manner.
Teamwork
Collaboration software has its place in a well-functioning company. Whether it’s virtual meetings (Zoom, Google Meet, Webex), project management (Asana, Monday.com, Trello), or day-to-day interactions (Slack, Teams). Whatever tool you choose, you need to use it correctly.
Another important task for the manager is to coordinate the ideal meeting times for all team members. Someone takes the kids to daycare in the morning, someone has a client meeting, and someone works in a different time zone. Everyone’s needs must be considered to find the ideal intersection of dates. Plus, some employees complete it in the office and others do it remotely. Therefore, the manager must ensure that these meetings are accessible to everyone regardless of where they work.
File sharing
You can share files and documents remotely securely, for example, via Google Drive or Microsoft’s tools OneDrive and SharePoint. Other candidates are iCloud or Dropbox.
Workplace booking
A fundamental issue that needs to be addressed in a hybrid work model is desk booking because unless an employee comes to the office every day, it is inefficient for them to have a permanent desk.
The Ofisly will help you book your seats. It clearly shows the status of jobs in the office and everyone can book a specific place for the time when they really need it. In addition, it also remembers employees’ favorite spots, and spots can be fixed and assigned to employees for specific days of the week.
The employee can then go to work in peace, knowing where he or she will be sitting and not wasting time looking for a suitable place when he or she arrives. The manager in turn manages the application and has an overview of the seat usage.
You can also try the app for free for 14 days at your company.
Choose the right platforms and fine-tune your processes to perfection
Whichever type of hybrid you choose, we wish you the best of luck in setting up your new system.
At Ofisly, we recognize that offices will play an increasingly important role. People want to meet with colleagues but also use their time more efficiently. It’s up to companies to choose a model that works for all parties.
If you’re not sure how to deal with a hybrid model in your company, let’s set up a short meeting or you can try our app for free for 14 days.