While hybrid schedules offer numerous benefits, they are not without their challenges. It’s important to recognize and address these challenges in order to successfully implement and maintain a hybrid work environment. A hybrid work schedule offers the best of both remote and in-office models.
Thanks to the benefits for both employers and employees, hybrid work arrangements will likely persist beyond the pandemic. In order for them to work, though, leaders must understand the power differentials they create within teams and take steps to level the playing field. Where individuals (including the manager) on a team are located relative to others matters, as does each individual’s skills in relationship building. The authors offer four strategies managers can take to manage the structurally inevitable differences in power that arise in a hybrid environment. Not doing so can damage relationships, impede effective collaboration, and ultimately reduce performance. Work schedules have come a long way from the traditional 9-to-5 office-bound model.
Tools and Technologies for Hybrid Work
Whether that’s nipping to a doctor’s appointment or collecting children from school, blended working allows employees to create a healthier work/life balance—and you know what that means? So, we’ve already mentioned that a hybrid workplace setup is bespoke to each company. https://remotemode.net/ It’s where employers can assign days where an employee’s physical presence is needed. This could be for collaboration sessions or team-building exercises, or it could land on the day where company meetings are held—and employers must set this expectation upfront.
- No more rushing through traffic or dealing with crowded public transportation.
- Maybe you want to be home when your kids get off the bus at 3 PM, so you work mornings in the office and then finish out the afternoon at home.
- When we don’t see each other every day, it’s easy to make assumptions about other employees – we keep these assumptions positive, trusting that everyone is doing their best and making responsible decisions.
- How can you assess an employee’s performance when you can’t physically observe their every move?
It also maintains the benefits of face-to-face interaction and collaboration that comes with on-site work. Or if you want to build your network through a professional association, you might choose to work remotely https://remotemode.net/blog/guide-to-understanding-hybrid-remote-model/ on days they commonly hold events. Extensive data across surveys indicate that most people want hybrid work arrangements — that is, a mix of in-person and remote work — as we continue to move through the pandemic.
Improvements in employee engagement & productivity
Those who are less skilled at coordinating work within such a complex system may find they’re constantly out of sync with colleagues and managers. Not all individuals are equally skilled at operating within a hybrid environment. The ability to effectively navigate in a hybrid environment is itself a skill and therefore a source of power. Hybridity requires employees to be ambidextrous — able to balance between and navigate across both worlds — in a way that fully co-located or fully remote working don’t. Resource access differs depending on whether the employee is located in the office or outside of it. Employees in the office have ready and quick access to technology and infrastructure to support their work.
Use tools to monitor productivity to help you and your team members understand where some processes may need to change. Get feedback regularly from employees and managers to help you gauge how they’re doing. The nature of work is constantly changing, and companies that can grow with it rather than resist it will have a much better chance of success in the long term. According to 2023 remote work statistics and trends, 28.2% of full-time employees work a hybrid model, while 12.7% work entirely from home. Smith has decades of experience advising businesses and executives on all aspects of recruiting, compensation, management, and leadership development — and his take on this phenomenon is insightful. The hybrid working model has also resulted in longer, more restful sleep for employees.
Roll out hybrid work policy to the extended team
The “always on” culture is another challenge that persists, where employees feel pressure to respond quickly to messages outside of regular working hours. Adding this up, you can see how allowing employees to choose their WFH schedules could exacerbate the lack of workplace diversity. Single young men could all choose to come into the office five days a week and rocket up the firm, while employees who live far from the office or have young children and choose to WFH most days are held back. Firms often suggest employees work two days a week at home, focusing on individual tasks or small meetings, and three days a week in the office, for larger meetings, training and social events.
This has led to a more diverse and inclusive workforce, with employees from different parts of the world. Hybrid work schedules allow employees to have a better work-life balance by eliminating the need for long commutes and providing more flexibility in their workday. In addition to communication, clear guidelines and expectations should be established. This includes setting expectations for availability, response times, and deliverables.