Over the last few years, companies have been working from home. In 2020, however, there has been a rise in companies adapting to this work setup.
There have been many kinds of research conducted to show that employees who regularly work from home are happier and tend to stay longer in their companies. Employees who work from home put in long hours and have a better work-life balance. In fact, those who are working from home dedicate more time to their tasks than on-site workers.
The pandemic has led many companies to rethink how they will operate so that they can digitize employee experience. They want to continue operations and ensure the safety of all their workers.
Multiple organizations questioned if they could make remote work a success for their type of business. They were unsure because they assumed it would lessen their worker’s productivity. Yet there was a successful transition for remote work for lawyers, financial planners, doctors, and therapists.
What does a Hybrid Business Mean?
A hybrid business is when a company uses multiple means to function and communicate with its customers or clients. This can be a combination of internet, warehouse, and physical shops. When a company is hybrid they raise their opportunities as they are able to tap into different sectors of the marketplace. An example of this would be companies who have transitioned to online shopping, not only do they sell their products in a physical store but they can also sell online and reach a wider market.
Work is not limited to people inside an office, as there are people working in labs or manufacturing plants. If those working in a lab or manufacturing plants digitize their processes there will be an increase in efficiencies, improved operations, and optimized output. When this happens you will create a hybrid environment.
A hybrid business combines in-office work with remote work. This kind of setup actually increases your worker’s freedom to work whenever and wherever. It allows them to make time for themselves and still produce quality output.
In a hybrid model, your workers can be separated into office employees, hybrid employees, and remote employees. Office employees are those that need to be in the office, such as on-site workers or manufacturing. Hybrid employees are workers who can work from anywhere but need to have face-to-face meetings to be productive. Remote employees can work anywhere and never need to go to the office.
How Can you Shift to Hybrid?
If you haven’t already now is the time to try a new approach in creating an efficient workplace to improve efficiency and productivity. Here are a few things to consider when adapting to this new norm:
1. Assemble a Cultural Shift
A new concept can lead to a shift in the organizational culture. This will require everyone to be in line and understand the company goals and missions, and act on cultural values that will be implemented. You can not only be ready for the technical aspects but you must all be on the same page for the business to run smoothly. All members should be able to communicate with each other through online video calls and conferences. Collaboration tools can be used to help a cultural shift in your organization.
2. Introduce New Goals and Objectives
Explore the various opportunities of a hybrid workplace to help in creating your new goals and objectives. This helps your employees to perform without limitations and make work more fulfilling. You should boost the morale of your workers so that you transition smoothly into a hybrid environment.
3. Keep Your Employees In the Know
Update your employees and let them know what the company is preparing for in the future. Let them understand the goals of your company to help them transition with the new adaptations of the company environment. Communication with your employees to get their feedbacks to do what is best for everyone.
4. Use Collaboration Tools
A hybrid workplace will require collaboration tools to communicate with each other and clients. You will need various tools to optimize a hybrid environment. It is the ultimate way to make this transition work. You must find the right collaboration tools that everyone can use no matter what kind of employee they are.
5. Track Employees Tasks
It is important that everyone is still doing their work and meeting deadlines despite not being in the office. You can use tools or develop a system where you can track your worker’s output on a daily or weekly basis so that you are sure everyone is meeting their requirements. This will help managers improve performance by addressing any problems necessarily.
The Future of a Hybrid Workplace
Research shows that employees who are satisfied with their respective companies would rather spend time working in other locations than in the office. Most employees want to work at home more often, 37% want to work in the office, 27% want to spend less time at work, 17% want to work at other locations, and 46% want to work at home.
A company doesn’t need its whole team to work from home. It could depend on what jobs each individual has. What is most important is that the needs of your workers are balanced.
Anita Williams Woolley who researches organizational behavior and theory at Carnegie Mellon University is optimistic about the future. She says “It just takes a little creativity and comfort, getting used to a new way of doing things. And so for me, the silver lining in the pandemic is that it has forced organizations to find ways to do that. And I really hope they never go back, because for people’s wellbeing, work-life balance, etc., it just really is better to have this kind of flexibility.”
Now that you are aware of a hybrid business, you can start building a sustainable and efficient process for your organization. One way to go about a hybrid workplace is to maximize the use of technology. Ardent Networks offers collaboration tools that can strengthen your communication and improve productivity, they are Cisco and Avaya. Visit their pages to find out more.
