During December we held a webinar on how to make hybrid working work. It was a lively and informative discussion. On the back of it, we’ve created our top 10 tips for businesses to consider.
Tip 1: There is no one size fits all approach
This is deliberately the first tip, because it straddles everything. Let’s call it the master tip. Organisations need to find their own unique balance between flexibility and productivity.
Tip 2: Trust
It’s crucial to treat people like the adults they are. Be open, set the business rules, let people follow them.
Tip 3: Enable your business
The right hybrid model should be a business enabler and help to solve challenges. Things like a challenging office location.
Tip 4: Structured flexibility
That may seem like an oxymoron, but to make hybrid working work it’s important to set clear objectives and priorities, as well as regular meetings to facilitate.
Tip 5: Flexible flexibility
Some love working from home. Some don’t. For example, many of our attendees felt that mature employees still prefer to be in the office. So, be flexible with your people, not prescriptive.
Tip 6: Follow the crowd
Not advice we normally give, but recent graduates see working from home as the norm. So, if you want the best from the new crowd, you need to structure working practices accordingly.
Tip 7: Embrace the difference
Trying to replicate everything you do in the office at home doesn’t work. Accept that and find ways to maximise productivity in each unique environment.
Tip 8: Don't forget the importance of soft skills
There is a concern that too much working from home means missing out on developing social skills. There’s no silver bullet for this, but it’s something to be mindful of.
Tip 9: The importance of good mental health
Whilst flexibility can unquestionably be a good thing for your people’s mental health, it’s harder to monitor remotely. So, look to put a process in place to keep this front of mind (if you’ll excuse the pun).
Tip 10: Don't let perfection get in the way of better
It would be disingenuous to say remote working is perfect. But, really, was "always in the office" perfect either? Working to explore the balance and make it better should be the priority.
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Summing up
Always remember the benefits.
A flexible approach to giving the people what they want increases staff retention, helps attract a better quality of candidate and, when done well, means people actually enjoy meetings when they happen. Really, it does.
But be mindful of the challenges
Of course, it’s all very well and good doing this, but there are challenges. You may find a culture clash. You may find that some people are at risk of burn out, as the boundaries are blurred, and they never switch off. You may find there’s friction between those who can work from home and those that can’t. And you may find it’s hard for leadership teams when their people aren’t always right in front of them.
No-one says it is easy, but the general consensus is that hybrid working is here to stay. So most organisations probably need to embrace it and make it work for them.
