Hybrid working that really works: lessons we’ve learned so far

Welcome back to my blog. It’s already been three months since we moved into our new home in the heart of Reading. Which makes this the ideal time to reflect on the benefits of our new office space, and the efforts and guard rails we’ve put in place to make hybrid working really work for our people.?

It’s estimated that 83% of UK organisations have hybrid working in place, according to a May 2023 report by the CIPD . But – like 24% of hybrid organisations – until recently, we didn’t have any formal guidelines in place. So we took our move to Reading as a chance to change that. To give our people more clarity about what we expected from them, and support around how to most effectively communicate and collaborate with their colleagues and peers.???

We have four guiding principles behind in-person working. It should:?

• Have staff wellbeing at its heart
• Protect and enhance our culture?
• Be output-driven?
• Increase, not hinder, team productivity?

We now categorise our people into three groups:?

1. Remote or field-based. People who work remotely with infrequent travel to the office. This group includes roles where attending the office regularly could negatively affect productivity, and individuals that live a considerable distance from Reading (we’re based all over the country – from Devon to Dundee, and everywhere in between!)?
2. Flexi-remote. These individuals are primarily remote, but make regular trips to the office. These are typically monthly anchor days that are focused on opportunities for collaboration and training. Of course, they’re welcome to work in-person as much as they’d like??
3. Office hybrid. This category covers roles that we feel benefit from peer-to-peer learning, such as our business development and customer care teams. These people have a set working pattern and number of days in the office, with, usually, a weekly team anchor day?

Our people team worked tirelessly to ensure that all our people felt supported and listened to as we prepared to move to Reading and formalise our office attendance. One of the biggest hurdles was travel and travel costs. In fact, 2024 data from 华德士 found that 46% of workers are deterred from working in the office because of the financial impact of commuting. That’s why we amended and clarified our expenses policy, so no one would be left out of pocket if they travelled to the office.??

Feedback about our new workspace – designed by OP – from our people, our customers, and other visitors, has so far been overwhelmingly positive. On days when occupancy is high, there’s a real buzz about the place – with increased collaboration and social connection (especially on pizza and quiz nights!). We’ve even had a few occasions when we’ve run out of formal desks and people have been hot-desking in the kitchen… There have even been queues for the coffee machine!??

But there’s a flip side. Like many other hybrid companies, we struggle with low occupancy – particularly on Mondays and Fridays. But it’s up to us to give our people a reason to come into the office – colleagues and partners to meet and collaborate with, or events run by our Culture Club team. The old adage of ‘build it and they will come’ doesn’t quite hold true anymore; you need to build the space and create a reason for people to come in. Free fruit and other snacks just aren’t the draw they once were (although you’ll find plenty of both should you stop by). There must be a positive benefit, for all parties, to entice people back to the workplace.??

In our efforts to make Ciphr a successful hybrid working organisation, we haven’t only focused on creating a great workspace. When so many of us spend so much time working virtually, cracking that virtual collaboration and sense of connection is vital, too.??

We rolled out new ‘ways of working’ guidance back in February, that focuses on how to hold effective virtual meetings, Teams etiquette, and other tips for working digitally. But we still have a lot of work to do to get things working properly. The pace at which the company is moving and changing means it sometimes feels impossible to focus fully on the person (virtually) in front of you – I see fellow leaders responding to emails while on calls, and I’m guilty of doing the same thing.?

In this age of the attention economy, the most valuable thing we can give to our people and colleagues is our full, undivided attention. No pings. No multi-tasking. Just being right there with them (even when you’re not physically with them). It’s easier to create that time and space when you’re face-to-face with someone. But in the virtual world, there’s always something that’s competing for your attention.??

Our people are our greatest asset, and we’re asking them to do too much. I’m a big fan of the drama Blue Lights (I’m an old romantic at heart – those who have seen the show will know what I mean). One phrase the characters use often is take a beat. Simply put: pause. We need to do this. Taking care of our people is my biggest priority and I worry that I have ‘overloaded’ Team Ciphr somewhat. The leadership team is actively reflecting on this.?

So that’s my challenge for the next month: giving people my full attention, doing less not more whether we’re face-to-face or not. Now, over to you. If your organisation is doing hybrid working, how’s that going? What’s not working for you? Or, what steps have you taken to make it a better working environment for your people? Let’s discuss! I’m keen to hear your thoughts in the comments.??