Compelled by the pandemic, remote working model has been a favourite to both employees and organisations. For businesses it is cost-effective, whereas for employees, it saves them from the hassle of daily commute. Yet, a lot of companies prefer working from the office. It fosters teamwork, helps you understand the organisation better, and improves communication. So, if you, as an organisation, can ensure utmost safety, your teams could feel comfortable to return to the office.
However, there’s a higher possibility that travelling to work and back every day could be inconceivable to most of your teammates. And why not? We have all been staying in for over 2 years now. However, fret not! You always have the option of hybrid working.
What is Hybrid Working?
With a hybrid work model, you allow some employees to work remotely and the rest to work on premises. You basically split your teams/departments between working in-house and working remotely. For example, your content team can work from home, while your strategy team can show up to the office.
How to Make the Hybrid Work Model Work?
To make the hybrid work model a success, you need to spend time in planning the new WFH model. It is imperative to create policies that benefit both WFH employees and in-house teams. As an organisation, you should ensure both teams feel equally recognised. Here are a few things you can do to ascertain that the hybrid work model becomes a success:
1) Create Separate Yet Equal Benefits for Employees
If this work model isn’t executed the right way, you could make your employees feel discriminated against. Hence, you must reconfigure the benefits you offer to both the teams. For example, if you provide travel allowance to the team working from the office, you could offer WFH allowance for the electricity and internet bills. If you hold workshops on-premise, ensure that it is accessible to the team working from home as well.
2) Build a Virtual Community
Your teams can make use of virtual project management and communication tools for effective communication. This will help both the teams to exchange files, monitor work, or even strategise together without a hitch. Hence, go for tools that not only keep a track of work, but also help in building a digital community.
This digital community will help you bridge the gap between your in-house team and remote employees. By doing so, the chances of your remote team feeling isolated could drop significantly.
3) Adjust How You Conduct Meetings
You won’t need to hold meetings every day to share project updates once you switch to the asynchronous communication style. Project management software can help you accomplish these tasks. However, if you need everyone together for a brainstorming session or pivot meeting, you might have to schedule them in advance so everyone can be on the call without any inconveniences. People working from home will have enough time to set up a quiet space for themselves for attending such meetings.
At ExtraMile, we offer employee engagement solutions and modules that help organisations build a sustainable and cooperative work culture. So, get in touch with us to foster communication and engagement within your team!