Creating a successful hybrid work environment
Everything to consider before implementing hybrid work flexibility
RTO: The latest corporate acronym to add to your vocabulary. RTO aka “return-to-office” was recently coined as companies big and small shifted from remote work to a hybrid or completely in-person schedule.
Whether your organization is leaving it up to each employee to decide if and when they commute in or you’re attempting the full swing back to a five-day in-office schedule, there’s a lot to consider in managing your team’s transition.
Chat with your team
Deciding to return to an office will have a domino effect on your individual employees — they may need to relocate, plan (and pay for) child care, or reorganize their schedules to account for a commute. Before making any sweeping decisions, talk to them. Open up lines of communication to see where they are in the desire and ability to return to an office space and gather considerations and challenges as specific to your team as possible — chances are good that your team members will let their opinions and priorities be known if you simply ask them.
Beyond your organization’s decision making process, it’s important to keep that communication open to continuously check in on your team and listen to understand their work styles, preferences and needs. Incorporate a blend of 1:1 meetings or tools like Team Member on a Page to allow multiple avenues for your team members to transparently share how they work best.
Set clear hybrid work goals and expectations
Your team has probably figured out a good flow after working remotely for so long. Transitioning to hybrid work allows for some long-overdue facetime, but it may also disrupt some of those same workflows and schedules they’ve come to rely on. In order to be as helpful as possible, your organization’s hybrid work policy should clearly outline expectations like when everyone should be in the office (or has to be if you’re mandating days in person). Are you allowing for asynchronous work? Do different teams alternate days? How do employees communicate when they’ll work in the office and when they’ll be remote? Deciding who goes where and when as soon as possible will help get everyone on the same page — plus it’ll limit the times employees commute in just to get on another Zoom call.
In terms of policy, work closely with HR to ensure clear expectations for remote and hybrid employees. If your organization expects teams to be in the office three days a week, say that. If employees get to choose which days, great. Say that, too. Be as specific as possible up front so your employees know what to expect. A clear roadmap will help them plan accordingly and alleviate some of those unspoken concerns — like worrying whether added facetime (or lack thereof) will affect their career trajectory and success.
Prepare the physical spaces — and the virtual ones
Because of COVID-19, most organizations adapted to remote work in real time. Intentional transitions to a hybrid work environment leaves teams much more time to prepare. That said, there’s no shortage of things to consider when engaging in hybrid work. Think through your physical office: Have you outgrown it since using it last? Will you implement a hot desk policy or assign a space for everyone? Do you have the right meeting room technology to patch in remote workers and engage in virtual collaboration?
Aside from the physical space, you might want to shore up your virtual tools too. Create a shared calendar that shows when everyone will be in the office to alleviate confusion. Request that employees add a house emoji to their Slack status if working from home. Think through anything you might need, set it up, and give your team enough time to adapt before jumping into hybrid work — few things will lower morale like confusion.
Adapt, iterate, repeat
As the past few years have shown us, the way we work can change suddenly. If you and your team aren’t prepared to adjust your plans in the face of change, or acknowledge if something isn’t working, your success is at risk. Outline and carefully revise a hybrid work strategy before announcing additional changes to your team. If armed with clear next steps, your employees are much more likely to be on board.
Note that the job isn’t done once the shift to hybrid work is complete. Consistently evaluate ways in which your organization can streamline processes, improve workflows, or implement new tools that might be better for your team.
While the road to a successful hybrid work environment might be more in-depth than it initially seems, considering each of these best practices is key to a more seamless transition. If you’re ready to dig into hybrid work strategies for your organization, 18 Coffees is here to help. Between our organizational development experience and change management expertise, we’ll have your hybrid work plan up and running in no time. Let’s get started.
