Create a Hybrid Workplace in 4 Easy Steps
Covid-19 has forced businesses to adopt new ways of working and remote work has surged during the pandemic. A survey carried out by finder.com found that 60% of the adult population were working from home at the height of the pandemic. The report also revealed that 26% of Brits plan to work from home permanently or occasionally after lockdown.
Many companies are adopting a hybrid workplace model that allows employees to split their time between attending the workplace and working remotely. Flexible working can boost employee satisfaction and productivity and, by extension, improve your bottom line.
Here are four steps to help you find the right balance and build a hybrid workplace that puts your people first.
Table of Contents
Step 1: Understand employees’ work preferences
The first step to creating a successful hybrid workplace is to understand your employees’ work preferences. Some team members may work more productively at home as they have more privacy and fewer distractions. Whereas, other employees may prefer to spend more time working in the office so they can collaborate and get support from other team members.
Speak to your staff and create a hybrid workplace model that suits their needs and preferences. For instance, you could agree that your employees attend the workplace three days a week and work remotely two days. You can use an employee survey tool kit to get feedback and better understand how your staff prefer to work.
Step 2: Invest in workplace tech
Investing in workplace tech will improve your employee experience and boost efficiency and productivity. If you are adopting hybrid working, then you must optimise your workspace and invest in technology that will support flexible working. For example, smart lockers will add another element to your agile environment and support a more dynamic workforce.
Smart lockers are the ideal addition to a hybrid working environment. Our intelligent hot lockers offer a flexible smart storage solution that gives your employees a secure space for their personal belonging whilst in the office, however regularly that may be.
Step 3: Support remote workers
- Set clear expectations and boundaries early and often.
- Equip your remote workers with key tech and equipment e.g. video conferencing software and project management tools.
- Track your workers’ progress but trust your employees and avoid micromanaging.
- Maintain consistent communication with remote workers and always be available to encourage and support your team.
- Check-in with remote workers regularly and be on the look-out for signs of distress.
Step 4: Optimise your hybrid workplace
You should constantly review your operations and look for ways to optimise your hybrid workplace and boost efficiency. You can use workplace analytics to gain a better understanding of your hybrid workplace and employee needs.
A workplace analytics tool like Envoy can give you actionable insights on preferred meeting spaces, peak meeting hours, which video conferencing tools are used the most, and more. Use this data to optimise your workplace and create a more efficient hybrid working environment for your employees.
Summary
Covid-19 has forced companies to rethink how they use their office spaces and more businesses than ever are adopting flexible working models. Follow the above steps to create a hybrid workplace that puts your employees first without sacrificing business outcomes.