Hybrid working can offer staff and business owners many benefits but transitioning into this method has its challenges. Since the pandemic, we’ve heard a lot about staff splitting their time between the workplace and home. At the time, it happened out of necessity, but even after the work from home guidance was shelved, this flexible model was something that lots of companies considered using full-time. Having employees who work remotely is possible for many businesses, but it means both the company and individual staff members must adapt.
Staff need to know what their employer expects
Remote working has increased employee productivity, but this is achieved in part by managers and employees having detailed conversations about the future. Transparency gives everyone time to prepare for changes and understand what will be required of them. Primarily, people need to be told if their workload or the type of tasks they do will change if they are based at home. Staff need to know whether they will be asked to work set hours at home and if they are obliged to attend daily video meetings.
Maintaining an effective drug and alcohol policy
Even though it can be more difficult to identify alcohol or drug abuse when people are not in the office, there are ways of managing the issue. To avoid a potential problem and for your peace of mind, workplace testing for drugs and alcohol is a sensible solution. Matrix Diagnostics can help a business to plan and implement a policy that is tailored to the way the organisation works. They can provide advice on the various types of tests and respond to any emergency within two hours, all year round.
Employees need to be highly organised
To keep each aspect of the business flourishing, the team needs to share a diary and also maintain a well-organised program of personal work. This means everyone knows how to contact each other when necessary and no crucial tasks are being overlooked. Furthermore, a daily schedule ensures the business’s social media, content consumption data and website data are carefully monitored to avoid missing out on important trends.
Discussing the practical aspects of remote working
Businesses that have successfully moved to a hybrid model will have communicated with their team about when staff can come into the office and where they will be. For example, people should be told if their desk will now be shared and if so, do they need to book a slot when they are planning an office day. The office layout may be changed as well because people may wish to focus on teamwork and collaboration when they are in for the day.
Hybrid working is becoming more commonplace and appears to be here to stay, but different companies will need different versions of the basic idea. To get it right, a business will need to experiment by making changes and adjustments as they go. This ensures everyone involved can learn what works well and that productivity remains high.
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