How to Plan Your Company's Hybrid Work Schedules
We have seen huge rises in the adoption of remote and hybrid work models in recent years. Many people like the idea of hybrid work patterns. They offer the chance to achieve an ideal work-life balance while still having ‘one foot in the door’ for occasional office-based work.
In fact, some 44% of employees favor a hybrid working model, while 51% of employers have the same view. But adopting hybrid work schedules comes with a unique set of challenges. Workers must have access to the right technology, and productivity levels need to be maintained.
How do you take what you have now and adapt it to a successful hybrid model?
Tips for Planning Your Company’s Hybrid Work Schedule
Choose a model for your hybrid work schedule
Once your company has decided to move to hybrid work schedules, the next challenge is to decide on a model that suits your business and operational needs. This can vary greatly depending on your business type and the technology and tools you may be using. Tools such as beSlick’s task prioritization can help make hybrid working easier.
Identifying your business needs, the needs of your staff, and the basic practicalities of hybrid work schedules can help you decide which of the following models may best suit you. The following are “cohort work schedules,” and there are other models available that may suit your business better.
1. Staggered
This is the most inflexible of the models. With this model, the days and hours on which your employees attend the office are set by you. This model best suits organizations that use shift work a lot and need attendance within certain hours or businesses that need to ensure a certain level of staffing.
2. 3:2 model
This model consists of a 3:2 working pattern, with three days spent in the office and two spent working from home. It suits organizations who want all their staff in the office on particular days, maybe to coordinate training or marketing. It can be an expensive model as it does not allow your business to downsize office space or infrastructure.
Cost-effectiveness is one of the primary benefits of hybrid working for employers. So think carefully before implementing a 3:2 model, which is rigid when it comes to physical overheads.
3. Bottom-up model
This sees working patterns decided by individual teams and can take a lot of discussion and negotiation. The company may set a framework for hybrid working, say two days per week. The teams then work out which days best suit them as a whole and adopt that pattern.
The main drawback to adopting this model is getting a consensus from various teams. However, if you can successfully implement it, then it does allow your organization to downsize in terms of office space and infrastructure, such as IT equipment.
Take Advantage of Technology
Of course, any hybrid work model presents challenges to the employer. How do you plan for important meetings and ensure teams can collaborate efficiently? They could attend remotely using video conferencing software or use communication platforms to collaborate and work together on projects. With the growth of hybrid working, there has been an explosion of technology that can help.
Additionally, using task prioritization and workspace management software can make hybrid working easier and increase productivity among remote and hybrid teams.
Using an employee scheduling app can also help streamline the process of coordinating and managing remote and hybrid teams, ensuring that everyone is on the same page with their schedules and availability.
Use Time-tracking for Better Productivity
As well as communication and collaboration, you also want to ensure that staff are working their set hours. Again, technology offers you ways of hybrid work monitoring attendance across a working month. By knowing your staff is working the hours required, you can be more confident that productivity will be maintained or even improved.
Be Transparent when Communicating Work
Efficient communication is crucial to success when implementing any hybrid work schedule. This is not just about how your employees communicate with each other but also how you and other managers communicate with staff. There must be 100% transparency as to what you expect from them. This can cover short-term tasks and projects as well as longer-term goals.
Always Coordinate Schedule Changes
As with any type of work schedule, hybrid work schedules may sometimes be subject to change. You may be implementing new processes or systems that require on-site training. If you have to change schedules, you should coordinate those changes with the affected staff and give as much notice as possible.