Bringing your hybrid workforce to life? Here’s what you need to consider

The?idea of?a?fully?remote workforce?was once considered?a pipe dream, scoffed at by?cynics who labelled it idealistic. Since?the pandemic,?however,?remote work has?become?the norm, and this has?consequently?led?to the?widespread acceptance of hybrid work ?as people return to the office.??

This?sentiment?is reflected among?business leaders?globally,?including?social media giants such as?LinkedIn ?and?Twitter .?In?a recent Gartner survey,?82% of 127 company leaders ?say?they?intend to allow remote working some of the time as employees return to the workplace.?It’s great news for?many employees ?who are?happier ?with a more flexible arrangement that offers better?work-life balance, ?increased productivity , and more time with their loved ones.?

For many companies, especially?small-medium businesses (SMBs), going hybrid is a chance to hit reset and?optimize ?for?the?post-pandemic future. But the shift brings with it a fresh set of challenges for organizations. It’s no longer about managing a remote workforce, but?how to manage a more complex, hybrid one, ?says Elisabeth Joyce,?VP and Team Manager, Gartner Research & Advisory.??

For hybrid work to?work, in addition to?figuring out the digital strategy , corporate policies and culture must be re-evaluated as well.?Here are five key areas to consider before SMBs?transition to hybrid work.

Communicate the new?policies?clearly?

The first thing is to ensure that corporate?policies are?communicated clearly, and early on.?It is important to establish?hybrid work?policies that?are?clear?and consistent?regarding?who?and what kind of job functions are?eligible for hybrid work, what kind of digital tools will be provided,?how?long is the working hours, performance expectations,?and?so on.??

For some teams?and employees, there may?be the?need to have regular check-ins?in the first few months of hybrid work implementation to review whether the arrangement has been effective,?or?if?any?adjustments are needed.?

HR, IT, and senior management will need to collaborate closely together in setting the ground rules, and?take?into consideration?that these policies may need?continuous?refinement as the business rolls out hybrid work arrangement. At the end of the day,?the?transition to hybrid work should?ultimately?improve?employee?performance,?productivity, and?workplace?satisfaction. And it is only when the ground rules and expectations are clear,?can?the new way of work?be?implemented successfully.??

What is?in your employee’s hybrid work toolkit???

Alongside new work practices and policies, your?hybrid?workforce needs the digital tools to?work?effortlessly?from anywhere. Go for a mobile-friendly set-up that allows them to perform their jobs efficiently, while?on the go. Among the must-haves are light, durable laptops,?stable access to internet,?comprehensive communications?and collaboration?software, and?robust?cybersecurity solutions.

Skills and training?make up?the other crucial part of the toolkit.?When SMBs roll out new digital tools and software?to enable hybrid work,?they need?to ensure that every employee is comfortable using?the tools?in their day-to-day work. If not,?training materials should be?provided?so that employees?from?any function and?different level of?tech-savviness are able?to adapt and not left?behind.??

Therefore,?before you send your employees off on their hybrid work journey, have a reassessment of your IT inventory and evaluate whether your employees are well-equipped to do their job?in a hybrid work model. Again, this will require SMBs to have a clear understanding of the employee profile, job function, and?capability to?use?the necessary technology successfully.??

Create the social glue to bind your hybrid team??

That said,?without the?regular?lunches, coffee breaks,?and face-to-face?meetings, the chance for interpersonal office interaction can be lost,?and even lead to inequality between remote and office workers due to?the difference in?face?time with colleagues?that help build?rapport and camaraderie.

To?keep?your?teams tight-knit,?keep?up existing practices such as?regular?one-to-one check-ins,?hybrid?townhalls, or even?virtual happy hour for both remote and office workers?using?Microsoft 365 or Google Meet to?keep everyone engaged,?so that connecting?one another?is simply one click away. This?will require the business to ensure that the office environment and digital set-up for each employee enable easy?and instant?communication?no matter where?they?are.??

While these virtual events may not replace the watercooler chit-chats, they will help foster personal communication and break social siloes.

Put the ‘T’ in Trust???

The shift to a hybrid work model is a culture shift more than anything. But for the hybrid model to work, SMBs need to be?the kind of?employer?who can trust their employees — even if they don’t see them. Trust is integral in?managing hybrid teams . Mistrust, on the other hand, is a?downward spiral ?that leads to a decline in productivity.??

Lead by example and show your team what trust in hybrid work looks like. In this case, do it with your personal work practices and ethics. A leader’s actions are particularly impactful within small teams, a familiar dynamic for many SMBs. Equally important is keeping a two-way conversation going. This creates a mutual understanding between leaders and their teams (and within teams).??

Burnout:?more?common than you think??

Since the pandemic, we are?working longer hours ?and experiencing more digitally intensive days. Fifty-four percent of respondents in Microsoft's Work Trend Index?report feeling overworked , while thirty-nine percent feel exhausted.??

?Burnout?leads to low motivation, poor quality work, and lower productivity. In a hybrid work arrangement where work and personal boundaries blur,?workers have a higher risk of experiencing burnout.??

Take note if your employees are clocking more hours than they should. It could be a sign that work processes need tweaking in the new work arrangement or more resources are?needed. Lay some ground rules within the company to circumvent hybrid work burnout, too. Set a policy?that??encourages?a culture of rest and taking regular breaks . Measure productivity with outcome-driven goals instead of hours worked. Not least, check in regularly on your team to get a sense of their mental and emotional?well-being.?

Managing a hybrid team will take regular tweaking over time to get?it?right. But you certainly?will not?go wrong following?one simple mantra:?keep your employees’ best interest at heart.

?