All around the world, working from home became the new normal. What started as a contingency plan to work amid a pandemic became the way of working for many organizations. And when the lockdowns started, it was not safe to go to work and most people adopted remote working. But now, there is an increased interest in mixed work schedules as more and more organizations look to get their employees back to the office.
Remote working offers many benefits like reduced turnover, increased motivation and productivity, and better work and life balance. On the other hand, employers are also dedicated to gaining the benefits of working from a traditional office, like easier accessibility, guaranteed environment quality, and many security benefits. So, what can you do as an employer? Consider a hybrid work plan. It has many benefits from both worlds.
What is a Hybrid Work Schedule?
A hybrid work schedule is a mix of remote and on-premise models, and it creates a unique and more versatile environment where team members can shift times in the office with some remote work.
An excellent example of a hybrid work is when workers work from home on Mondays and Tuesdays and in the office for the rest of the week. Irrespective of whether they are at home or office, they have the liberty to choose the time they start working as long as they amass eight hours every day. In this work structure, every employee’s needs are considered while at the same time prioritizing your business’s goals. A hybrid workplace is actually the future of work.
Types of Hybrid Work Plans
When it comes to hybrid work schedules, there are six types that your organization can choose from.
- Office-centric
- Groups or cohorts
- Week by week
- Split week
- Remote centric
- Pick your own hybrid
Office-centric
This type of hybrid work plan is where an employee pledges to work in the traditional office most of their time, but with some remote working choices at their disposal. The office-centric work schedule is suitable for small organizations that have small workspaces and whose workers are very much interested to work in their offices almost all the time and still show some desire to work remotely.
Groups or cohorts
This structure is like many shifts in the office. Here, workers are categorized according to their workload, departments, teams, or the type of job they handle. Every group is then assigned a different schedule in the office.
Group hybrid work schedules will be best if you have departments that need close collaboration. So, by grouping different departments into one, you can easily organize in-person meetings more often and enhance collaboration across multiple departments.
Week by week
In this hybrid structure, your employees will be coming to the office for one week every month. They will connect with their co-workers and do everything that can be done best in the office and go back to remote working for the remaining weeks. If you have employees or teams that need frequent catch-ups monthly and still want to work remotely, this structure will be best for you.
The structure also allows your employees to catch up while at the same time empowering them to work in the setup that works best for them. Implementing this type of hybrid work schedule will help nurture a sense of togetherness that will drive productivity in your workers and still reduce utility bills.
Split week
With this schedule, you assign at least three days every week for remote work and the rest for office work. This means that teams will be working in the office on different days of the week. So, implementing this schedule will be an excellent way to bring every single department into one space while at the same time offering some remote working options.
To make this plan work, you must empower your employees to collaborate and schedule in-office time together. You can also take advantage of the less space usage to evaluate your utility needs and make well-informed choices for your office needs.
Remote-centric
A remote–centric or the remote first hybrid work schedule is where employees prioritize remote working, and they come to the office when they want to. If you have workers that have fully adopted remote working, you can use this schedule to give them the liberty to choose the setting they find more suitable and productive for them.
Choose your own hybrid
You can give your employees the flexibility and independence to pick the days they are happy working in the office. Use this schedule if your team doesn’t necessarily need frequent office catch-ups.
How to Create a Hybrid Work Schedule
Collect data
Even before establishing a hybrid work schedule, you must talk to your employees. You can do that through in-person meetings or even a survey. It will also be a good idea to have your workers create an understanding of their duties and tasks to know the best hybrid schedule that will work for your organization. Alternatively, you inquire what other organizations are doing and how they shifted to a hybrid work schedule.
Separate tasks
Now that you have gathered data from your team, it is time to go through it. Keep in mind that the hybrid work schedule requires you to bring and mix the best from remote working and office working models. Also, considered the types of tasks your employees do, and if they can be best done in the office, have them done there.
Consider equity and inclusion
When it comes to hybrid work schedules, employee equity can be quite an issue. Make sure that your policies are not biassed towards one type of work. Also, all your employees deserve similar chances irrespective of how they pick their schedules.
Start small
Most employees are now used to remote working, so getting back to the office should be done gradually. Consider letting your employees work in the office for at least one or two days a week. This will play a great role in giving them the time and space they need to re-adjust their lifestyles. You can then take advantage of that and schedule your meetings and have in-person discussions with your workers.
Re-asses and make the necessary changes
Just like any other business process, shifting to hybrid working will need some modification. You will face some challenges and hitches at the beginning, which are all normal and part of the process. Therefore, don’t hesitate to rework or reevaluate your schedule and find one that works best for you and your employees.
Remember that the goal here is to improve the systems as you move on. Learn from your mistakes and get frequent feedback from your team to enhance and create a hybrid work schedule that works for everyone.
Summing It Up
Remote working might not be the future but hybrid working schedules are going nowhere. They are an evolving phenomenon and most organizations are experimenting with some models to see what works best for them in staffing for software engineering talent.
Keep in mind you will need the right technology to successfully implement, and manage a hybrid work schedule. At Dev. co, we can help you by handling all your software development needs. Contact us today for a free quote!
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