Co-Founder and CEO at Y Scouts, a purpose-based leadership search firm.
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Walk into any Starbucks on a weekday in 2019, and it may have appeared as though the majority of people worked from home. However, a mere 6% of white-collar employees were working remotely during this pre-Covid year; in contrast, 65% of white-collar employees worked from home by May 2020.
During the pandemic, droves of employees grabbed their laptops and vacated the premises of their offices. Ladders predicts that by year’s end, 25% of all North American professional jobs will be remote. As the country moves through the final pandemic stages, some businesses are rethinking the possibilities and considering a transition to a hybrid work policy. How will this hybrid model look?
As the name implies, hybrid work policies offer a blend of two worlds: remote and on-site working arrangements. It’s becoming increasingly evident that businesses must offer greater flexibility in order to thrive, but there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.
Five Essentials For Your Hybrid Working Environment
If you already have a remote work policy that functions well, consider rounding it out with a few more key details. At the very minimum, take the following into account:
1. Wellness Matters
One of the issues that employees identified during the pandemic was that they felt emotionally exhausted and pressured to always be “on,” which is both the beauty and the curse of modern technology. Beyond work-from-home issues, the World Health Organization reported a 25% increase in anxiety and depression during the first pandemic year.
It’s worth noting that prioritizing employee wellness isn’t about prying into the personal lives of your team, but is instead about creating a culture that supports your employees. In this way, leaders can create an environment that encourages more people to successfully participate in work-from-home opportunities.
Leaders can support employees by:
• Modeling healthy behaviors: Culture reflects the values and beliefs promoted from the top. If top leaders work herculean hours, send emails on Sunday and are always available, employees feel pressured to do the same. Demonstrate balance.
• Sharing personal stories: If asking an employee about their wellness seems too invasive, you can mention your own healthy habits and reference the company resources that helped you get there.
• Promoting wellness: Create an environment that values the recuperative benefits of taking breaks. Encourage employees to use their flexible schedules to exercise, walk their dogs, attend to health issues or spend time with their families.
• Asking questions: It’s more difficult to identify that an employee is struggling when your only touchpoints are through a computer screen. Regular check-ins are essential. Don’t just ask what an employee is working on, ask how they’re doing.
2. Optimize Office Days
Overcoming the unexpected challenges of the pandemic often required individuals to wear multiple hats daily—your employees included. If they weren’t doubling up on work to accommodate a business pivot, they were playing the role of caretaker or schoolteacher at home. It’s no wonder that some people may return to the office with less-than-productive habits. For example, hybrid employees may need a friendly reminder on the value of on-site collaboration, communication or even opting to gather in the same room for a meeting over the reflexive video call. Further, months of isolation have exacerbated social anxiety for many and prompted the issue for others.
Procrastination, multitasking and distractions are real issues that leaders must confront as the work world transitions back to the office. Overall, productivity soared for many work-from-home employees, and it’s a trend you don’t want to lose.
Leaders must be prepared with strategies. To encourage employees to gather face-to-face, you could provide incentives such as a team lunch. To promote greater focus, encourage breaks and daily to-do lists. As always, ask for employee input and model the behaviors you want to incorporate into your culture.
3. Engage In Innovative Ways
Some employees may continue to work primarily from home. These remote workers can feel isolated and may miss out on development opportunities. Develop the right mechanisms to ensure that they are not overlooked and implement a no-excuses policy for leaving someone out due to technological issues.
Socializing matters, too. There are many ways to connect and deepen relationships, even when working remotely. Here are a few:
• Virtual happy hours
• Online platforms that support online team-building activities
• Non-work-related Slack channels to give employees a platform to discuss topics like fantasy football, books, pets, recipes and more
4. Ensure Equity In Your Policy
There are employees who either can’t work from home or who may need special considerations to do so. To ensure your policies are as inclusive as possible, include a plan for the following:
• Employees who want to work from home, are unable to do so and want a path forward
• Employees with disabilities or medical conditions
• Pregnant employees
• Employees with caregiver responsibilities
It’s a wise idea to create these plans with the help of an employee task force that can provide a diverse set of opinions on how best to support these groups.
5. Hire The Right Leaders
Your hybrid work policy establishes the direction in writing, but it’s the leaders who execute it effectively. The most effective remote leaders understand the rapid pace of change and are constantly seeking new approaches. They are results-driven and able to develop others to achieve, whether they’re leading on-site or remotely. In this new environment, a high level of collaboration is required. This means better training, cloud-based tools and support for employees who may struggle.
Forging Ahead In The New Normal
Whoever said that drastic times call for drastic measures could probably foresee a disruptor like the 2020 Covid-19 crisis. Companies made unexpected changes that may have otherwise taken years. Now, they can carry that momentum for change forward with a properly-implemented hybrid work model that benefits everyone.
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