While many companies are going remote-only, there are those who are adopting a hybrid workforce model instead. This means that for a certain number of days of the month, a person is required to come into the office. The rest of the time they are able to work remotely instead. There are numerous benefits to a hybrid workforce. One of them is the ability to meet face-to-face with team members to work on projects and collaborate more effectively. Another benefit is that companies can lease smaller buildings since everyone won’t be in the space at the same time. To make a hybrid model effective, there are some important tips and tools that businesses can use to be successful, here are 7 of them.
Improve Your Internal Communications
Internal communications are important for a variety of reasons. It’s the most important way to connect and communicate with your staff. How will you announce corporate changes? How will you tell employees about exciting new benefits? How will you share annual reports? Internal communications are like internal marketing teams. When you have something that needs to be shared and action taken, internal comms teams can create campaigns to get the information out. There are often multiple channels to share this content from. If you are going to be a hybrid company, you need the best internal communications possible.
Leverage Desk Booking Software
Many hybrid companies don’t offer staff their own desks when they are working in the building. This allows them to make more efficient use of the space. For employees, this means that they need to book a workstation in advance when they are going to be in the office. A good desk booking platform simplifies this process. Instead of needing people to manage desk assignments, all the work is done in the software system. This can ensure that there are no double bookings, streamlines processes, and improves employee satisfaction.
Tools That Make it Easy to Collaborate
Collaboration tools are essential for any hybrid workforce to be successful. These tools help you stay in sync with your team, manage projects and tasks, track issues and bugs, and more. You’ll need a way of communicating with your remote workers that’s flexible enough for any situation. You need to be able to send quick messages about tasks you’re working on. You also need a way to communicate detailed project updates. Plus, a tool that can help you meet face-to-face via video calls.
Internal Chat Software
Slack and Microsoft both have options that can help your team communicate internally. Both of these tools have the ability to show whether someone is online or not, to connect with a group or with an individual, and more. You can even quickly share documents and collaborate using good chat software.
Team Meetings
Just because your team isn’t always in the office doesn’t mean you won’t still need a way to meet as a team. Team meetings are a great way to keep your team motivated and aligned with one another. You don’t want to overwhelm people with unnecessary meetings, but it is important to connect regularly as a team. Create an agenda before you start. Make sure only the key stakeholders are in the meeting. Keep the meeting as short as possible. No one likes wasting time in meetings that could’ve been an email.
Universal Expectations and Standards
Too often, businesses try to implement hybrid work models that only apply to some people. The most successful companies offer hybrid options for everyone that can work offsite. This means that if all your work is primarily done on the computer, you can do your work remotely. Creating a universal set of standards and expectations for the company can alleviate any frustration people might feel over staff members who are getting special treatment.
Fully Outfitted Home Office
A fully outfitted home office can help you to be more productive. Businesses that offer hybrid workplaces often provide a stipend to help people pay for ergonomic workstations that can improve their work. Employees need a comfortable desk and chair, a computer monitor at the right height, a phone or headset if their role requires it, and good lighting.
Conclusion
If you’re looking for a way to improve your hybrid workforce, these seven tools can help. They improve employee communications, boost morale, and help to streamline tasks. If you’re moving to a hybrid model, make sure you have these bugs worked out before you start.
