While hybrid working has been part of some industries for years, it was during the Covid-19 pandemic that businesses across all sectors had to adapt quickly and understand what it really meant to operate and facilitate a hybrid working policy.
From providing employees with the technology required to do their job effectively and efficiently, to changing processes, adapting on-boarding new employees and ensuring adequate support is in place to help construct a fair work-life balance and provide well-being for staff all contributed to new ways of working. Companies that offer a hybrid working model today have been able to evolve and refine full policies which bridge the benefits of office working alongside the learnings of how to navigate home working during the pandemic.
One of the biggest challenges facing companies that offer a hybrid working package is how best to maximise productivity – especially among new recruits who don’t have the existing connections within the company that long term employees have and also require more support and supervision.
To help new recruits establish working relationships and grow into their roles under a hybrid working model, companies need to funnel time and investment into securing the best technology and tools, expanding on their use of communication tools and platforms, and ensuring that transparency and flexibility are at the heart of the business model.
Here are our top priorities that we recommend all companies consider when navigating a hybrid working model.
Team members need the right technology in order to be able to access their work systems and manage their workload efficiently from home, abroad or wherever they choose to work
In addition to the technology itself, companies should offer employees remote support and additional training on how to operate efficiently removing any barriers to impact on output.
One of the benefits of hybrid working is the flexibility it provides for employees. Don’t immediately counteract this by insisting that employees work to your exact office hours – rather, consider the value of core work hours during which time everyone is online, and enable employees to work the rest of their hours as they prefer. This initiative is a great incentive to attract and retain employees and remain competitive in the market
When employees don’t have a physical link to their line manager or leadership team, it can be difficult to feel important within the bigger picture of the business. Increasing visibility helps to ensure all your employees are on the same page in terms of where the business is going – with regular company wide email updates and conference calls are effective ways of bringing everyone together.
Hybrid working doesn’t have to mean that employees spend a certain number of days or office hours working from home. You might find that some employees thrive off the interaction they get in the office and are better suited to office work – in which case, your hybrid working model should support this too.
Don’t assume that everyone wants to work remotely; instead tailor your hybrid model to suit all preferences and ideal work modes.
Read something you found to be interesting or insightful in this blog? Hybrid working is a growing trend across all sectors and industries, with the HW People team working with businesses to ensure that this and other workplace benefits are effectively communicated throughout the recruitment process and beyond.
For more information and to find out more about our team, contact us here.
