Best Practices for a Hybrid Workforce
Over the past few years, we have seen a dramatic shift. Businesses across the world have moved on from a traditional in-office model to fully remote or hybrid workforces.
In a short amount of time, the global workforce came to a consensus: the hybrid workforce is a welcomed shift from pre-pandemic norms.
Employees are enjoying the flexibility, convenience, and comfort afforded by a hybrid work model. In a study conducted by the Pulse of the American Worker Survey, 87 percent of respondents reported wanting to work from home at least one day a week.
There appears to be little room for negotiation for employers on this front. In fact, we have already seen employees leaving jobs in search of more flexible arrangements.
In an effort to retain talent and adjust to the digital transformation taking place in workplaces across the globe, businesses of all sizes are asking how they should go about adjusting their work environment to keep employees happy and productive.
Employer Benefits of a Hybrid Workforce
While the benefits of a hybrid workforce may seem to be clear on the employee side , they also present businesses and company leaders with several real benefits to their overall operations.
By changing the day-to-day work dynamic, employers are seeing their employees have better work-life balances, helping lower burn-out rates and improve workplace productivity.
The data backs this up, too. Remote workers are noticeably happier since the wide spread adoption of work from home models.
Sixty-three percent of high-revenue growth companies have already enabled productivity anywhere workforce models, meaning employees have the option of working remotely, on-site, or some hybrid style between the two.
On the other hand, the vast majority of negative or no-growth companies are still focused on office space and where people are going to physically work, rather than if the work is actually getting done.
Two other major factors that businesses are experiencing thanks to a hybrid workforce are an increase in employer-employee trust and better collaboration.
By offering employees more freedom and autonomy over their work schedules and preferences, this extended olive branch is helping enrich the relationship between management and employees.
In a hybrid workforce model, employees are feeling less “watched over” and more empowered by their team leaders to complete their work on their own terms. This changed behavior helps deepen staff loyalty, the lack of which has been an ongoing issue that many companies have run into in the modern era.
At first, it may seem illogical that you can be more connected and collaborative when not working in the same physical environment as your colleagues. However, the hybrid work model has done the exact opposite.
Through digital transformation and moving more activities online, businesses are discovering that the infrastructure for increased team collaboration is waiting to be taken advantage of. Hybrid meetings are fast becoming the norm, and with them businesses are finding new levels of efficiency and increased hiring flexibility.
Teams are now communicating with co-workers that they may have never communicated with before. After years of mostly in-office connections, businesses are starting to see more and more employees working with colleagues located in different cities, time zones, or countries.
Through the hybrid (and fully remote) model(s), collaboration is also easier due to the vast toolbelt of digital programs and platforms available to businesses. Tools like Stormboard are opening new doors for how teams think about workflows, collaboration, and meetings. Now, multiple hands can simultaneously brainstorm, create, edit, and share nearly any media format that gets used today.
One of the top hybrid work tips to come from all of this is the realization that collaboration works best in one space. It’s becoming more clear by the day that a functional work space doesn’t have to be limited to a central office.
Hybrid Work Best Practices
Let’s assume your business has been working under a hybrid model for the past year or so out of necessity. But after seeing team members take so positively to the shift, you’ve decided to make it a permanent decision.
Now, the concern becomes about formalizing your hybrid workforce protocols and best practices (and getting buy in across the organization). It’s time to stop operating on the fly and put in place repeatable standards that help ensure the success of your employees.
Here are some of the best practices to keep a hybrid workforce running smoothly:
Fully Buy Into Digital Transformation
One of the best investments a business can make to ensure its hybrid work model continues to produce positive results is to lean into digital transformation.
To usher in a new way of getting things done, businesses need to adopt digital transformation across the board.
Much can be said about the philosophy of digital transformation, but it is important to remember that it's not just adoption of new tech, but an organizational shift in company culture.
By getting large scale buy-in, a company can improve business processes, value for customers, increase innovation, and remain competitive in an evolving marketplace — even with a fully remote workforce.
Adjust Management Style and Expectations
Hybrid best practices goes beyond flexible working or having staff working in the office part time. It can be a huge shift for management as well.
With a hybrid workforce, managers and company leaders need to adapt their management styles and adjust expectations of employees.
No longer can they hold some of the rigid ideas associated with an in-office work model. Instead, with a hybrid workforce, management needs to be more flexible with scheduling, understanding of remote work hurdles, and focused on employee outcomes, not activity.
Make The Employee Experience Standardized
With a hybrid workforce, there will be times that different employees are in the office or accessible at different times. Maybe some employees are in their cubicles more than others, while some may only be in the office once a week.
Whatever the situation, it is critical that hybrid employees are treated equally. In order to keep a healthy and communicative hybrid work culture, businesses should have plans in place on how to keep all employees engaged, stimulated, and appreciated all on the same level.
Provide Adequate Training For This New Era
Even if your team has been operating remotely or from a hybrid model for some time now, it is important to emphasize the right training.
As technology changes and updates, and your business gets more comfortable with its hybrid workforce, continued training on new software and tools should be a priority. One-on-one or small group training is paramount when workflow changes or new practices are thrown into the mix.
It can be easy to neglect training employees adequately when work is done part of the time from home. A quick 30 minute Google Hangout and a few supplemental links don’t always suffice. Therefore, businesses must ensure that training for a hybrid workforce remains a top priority.
The Right Tool for a Hybrid Workforce
Stormboard is an all-in-one tool that helps businesses position their hybrid workforce for success. Whether you are looking for a simple whiteboard app or a complete tool to improve daily workflows and collaboration, Stormboard is built for you.
Go digital and work better together — sign up today and learn more about how Stormboard can benefit your employees, both from home and in the office.
