Challenges and Solutions in Hybrid Work

The world is experiencing a tremendous change in all spheres of life, inclusive of the business world. Years ago, the only known way of working was getting an office space for daily activities. But this general knowledge has changed, for different reasons.

Notably, the emergence of the novel coronavirus pandemic has inherently contributed to the corporate world yearning for ways to ease the already tensed life of employees. The option of hybrid work has since been adopted as a way forward.

In some instances, workers can choose days believed to be their productive days to work remotely, and from the office space.

However, this work arrangement is not devoid of its cons. Various challenges could be encountered under the hybrid work arrangement, and in this case, three to consider:

Possible Lack of Coherence

This work arrangement can attract inconsistency in teamwork. It narrows down collaboration as employees are rarely present at work simultaneously. This will have an adverse effect on work progress.

This can also create an epileptic continuity, especially if an employee has to leave a task halfway for another person who might encounter a problem trying to complete the task due to dissenting opinions.

Slows Down Work Pace

The unavailability of workers on work premises, either online or physically at the same time, could cause the others on the team to wait for the other member on the team who is not onboard during deliberation for equal representation.

Each employee may have a fragment or portion to oversee, but the intermittent office presence can slow down productivity, and an organization with low output is already heading south.

High Cost of Maintenance

This arrangement means that two different platforms are needed for the two factions. A physical office arrangement is much needed, so also is that of an online outlet for the smooth running of activities.

All these would come at extra cost. Due to the high maintenance cost, the hybrid work arrangement is highly unsuitable for startups that are still finding their footing.

Employers should make work plans in such a way that certain days would be set aside mainly for collaboration

Solutions

To every problem, there are possible solutions. The following are solutions to the challenges mentioned above:

Employers should make work plans in such a way that certain days would be set aside mainly for collaboration, where team members are allowed to share work ideas and fill-in each other on the progress of the project at hand. This creates awareness in all members; should any member of the team would have to work remotely, work won’t be left in disarray and unattended.

Additionally, who wants an organization that unduly wastes time over projects that ought not to take forever? The answer is simple, nobody! Employers should leverage employees who are willing to adjust their work schedules to suit demand. In the case the need to work urgently arises, the employer should however discuss with the workers that don’t mind working under such circumstances, stating what they should expect, especially if it’d involve working overtime.

Coworking spaces may also solve the problem of the high cost of maintenance. Different types of coworking space allow for sharing of office space either for working individually or jointly; for example, those sharing the space might share the rent and cost of maintaining the space. Coworking is highly cost-effective. There is no need to worry about rent increment if another employee is added to the fold. For instance, renting coworking spaces in New York City has since become a normal thing. New York serves as a business hub for lucrative minds, with hundreds of these coworking spaces, you don’t need to break a sweat searching.

Employers should adequately prepare for the cons as much as they envisage the pros

Preparation

Adopting hybrid work arrangements by employers serves various desired purposes like cutting costs and creating a conducive platform for workers (such as the case during the pandemic). However, various challenges could be encountered if not properly managed and executed. Therefore, employers should adequately prepare for the cons as much as they envisage the pros.

Employers should make sure any change in the work plan is expressly communicated to the employees to prevent resistance. Also, enabling ground should be given to employees to help workers work at par; coworking space can solve this problem. Across various cities, there are numerous options that can best suit the budget.

Effective Electronic Leadership in a New Future

Executives have encompassed a new norm this past year. They learned how to manage a hybrid team, with perhaps some at headquarters, and the rest of staff and followers working remotely.

This new era of technology and workspaces has increased the communication between leaders and followers.

Leaving out this important milestone — weeding out some, and focusing on only a few — is limiting the power of leadership. Leaders must be mindful of in-group versus out-group silos and address the group as a whole to meet the needs and objectives of everyone. Leaders are more caring and concerned about followers than ever before, and this is a very positive shift in the mindset of pandemic recovery.

There is no new normal, there is a new future

Developing the electronic leadership skills by learning how to lead electronically (by using Harvard Business Review articles), including trainings with leading vendors, and most importantly, in-house expertise — needs to be showcased.

The differences encountered are:

  • People want to be heard at some point in an electronic meeting
  • Some people do not feel comfortable showing up on electronic meetings
  • People need to be recognized for housing their own electronic database at home
  • People are feeling as if their jobs may be on the chopping block
  • Leaders need to assure people how they are doing financially so that people feel secure
  • Safety is not something to take lightly
  • Some people are fearless while others are still apprehensive about COVID-19
  • Keep the vaccine conversation personal and not open to everyone to avoid conflict
  • COVID-19 is not over until it is over, and there is no new normal, there is a new future

All leaders need to learn electronic leadership. Electronic leadership encompasses many facets. Skills to enhance an electronic leadership environment include:

  • Be at the forefront of the use of new technology
  • Setting strategic direction and a purposeful vision and mission
  • Working collaboratively to retain and motivate talented employees
  • Help the company maintain and develop competitive advantage
  • Meet all stakeholder’s needs
  • Just the right electronic communication is necessary
  • Giving people a voice in meetings is important in this new future

It’s also important to remember, there is a psychological shift for some people because of the pandemic. This shift may mean that they may not want to travel as much, miss out on leisure, and not attend events with large amounts of people. On the other hand, there are communities more assisted in resistance toward COVID-19, such as lifted mask mandates, or where less talk about this past year are welcomed.

Leaders are more caring and concerned about followers than ever before, and this is a very positive shift.

Sentiment is key, and managers at all levels need to be aware of how they communicate to followers, keeping in mind the big-picture at all times. Opinions need to be kept to a minimum about vaccines, masks, apprehension, and people’s viewpoint upon less-apprehension toward COVID-19. We are in a very sensitive time today, and we all know how losses influenced all of us. We must come together in solidarity to embrace the post-pandemic recovery in positive ways.

 

Mostafa Sayyadi works with senior business leaders to effectively develop innovation in companies, and helps companies—from start-ups to the Fortune 100—succeed by improving the effectiveness of their leaders. He is a business book author and a long-time contributor to business publications and his work has been featured in top-flight business publications.

Michael J. Provitera is an associate professor, and an author of the book titled “Mastering Self-Motivation” published by BusinessExpertPress. He is quoted frequently in the national media.

5 Tips for Building a Strong Company Culture in a Hybrid Work Environment

As businesses continue to transition to hybrid working environments, maintaining a strong company culture amongst both remote and office-based employees will be a critical component in achieving long-term success.

Throughout the pandemic, our company learned so much about what it means to be an engaged and efficient workforce. We started having virtual weekly huddles, communicating on Slack, doing Zoom calls from one room to another, and hosting virtual happy hours and trivia. But all those things are material. What allowed us to grow and maintain a strong work culture even though we all haven’t been in-person every single-day was a shared company purpose, teamwork, measurement, respect for each other and trust. Here are five tips for building a consistent and engaging company culture in a hybrid work environment.

Establish Core Values

A company culture should be defined by its people, and not tied to a physical workplace. Developing core values with your employees that are easy to embrace will drive success and fulfilment in life, regardless of your working model. Determine what drives them, what drives you, and what needs to be done in order to succeed. For us, “Together, We Win” seems to be everyone’s favorite core value. It embodies all of our other values, as well as our purpose, and keeps everyone engaged.

Measure Productivity not Office Hours

Gone are the days when direct reports include notifying or asking permission to leave early or for a doctor’s appointment. Instead of counting office hours, measure productivity. Let employees determine when and how they want to do their work, as long as the work is getting done well and according to the company’s overall strategy.

Measure everything that you do as a company, versus office hours. Establish and measure annual and quarterly goals, and both internal and client-facing metrics. Create an accountability chart that distills down job descriptions to very simple boxes, such as with an employee’s name, title, and three-to-seven bullet points outlining their role and responsibilities. The accountability chart allows people to know where to go for what and keeps the ownership of specific tasks with one person.

Make the Office a Great Place to Work

We’ve learned by now that many businesses can work remotely; so it’s up to the employer to make the office a great place to work, socialize, and collaborate to encourage employees to come back when it’s safe to do so. The onus is on the company and is no longer on the employee. Create a flexible, creative, and fun office space.

Instead of putting a policy in place that outlines how many days an employee must be in the office and the number of hours, allow each department to determine what works best for them. Mirror the work from home experience as much as possible toward the physical office space, and it will help entice employees to return.

Encourage True Vacation Time

The work from home and hybrid work culture may lead to less (true) vacation time, so finding ways to encourage and perhaps require time off is going to be the next hurdle for employers. A burnt-out team is never a good thing, and more work doesn’t produce more results. It will be important for employers to encourage staff to take personal time, vacation time, and time for self-therapy.

Employees usually don’t come up with an “a-ha” moment or big work idea while staring at their email in front of their computer. Great ideas normally come on a bike ride, while climbing a mountain, taking a walk on the beach, through meditation, or activities outside the office. In general, employers need to be more compassionate, understanding, supportive, and facilitate and encourage productivity through celebration of great achievements.

Respect the Work Force

Respect both your permanent and remote employees and their work/life setup. We learned that we need to involve our remote teammates even more than we thought now that we’ve worked in their shoes. There is no such thing as office-based and remote employees anymore. All employees need to be equally engaged, encouraged, and included. Everyone can work in a hybrid environment and feel connected, but it requires opening up remote options to engage employees, whether it’s a Zoom meeting to see people on screen more often or a virtual event. And regardless of where your employees are located, it’s vital more now than ever for company leaders to be accessible, approachable, and visible to all employees.

 

KoriCovrigaruKori Covrigaru is the Co-Founder and CEO of PlanOmatic, the biggest and fastest provider of Property Insights and marketing services for the single-family rental industry nationwide.

3 things to consider when implementing a hybrid working model

There’s no question that the world of work is changing. Shifts that were beginning before the outbreak of COVID-19 have only accelerated in the aftermath of the pandemic.

Among the most significant of these, perhaps, is the growing demand for remote work opportunities. And, in response to these important evolutions in employee expectations, business leaders are increasingly interested in implementing hybrid working models in their companies.

But before you make the transition for yourself and your staff, there are some important considerations to address first. 

Prioritizing Security 

Even if your employees are only going to be working remotely a few hours per week, one of the first and most important issues you’re going to need to address is cybersecurity. Protecting your data and your systems can be quite different in a hybrid working model than in a more traditional setup.   

At the very least, you should consider setting up firewalls and a secure VPN that all employees will be required to use anytime they are working, whether they’re working on campus or remotely. Additionally, you should ensure that your employees are trained to ensure system security in remote work environments. This should not only involve requiring them to use the secure portals you have provided but it should also include training in the safe handling of mobile work devices.   

For instance, employees should be required to password protect any device on which work applications are installed. They should also be trained to handle mobile devices responsibly, including ensuring that they know where their work devices are at all times. 

Defining the Role of the Remote Worker 

Now, more than ever, it appears that the virtual office environment is the future of work. But, no matter how important a role remote work is likely to play in the continued success of your business, the correlation between the digital office and the physical office is unlikely to be exact.  

And that means that you will need to clearly define the role, status, and expectations of and for the remote worker. For example, if your hourly employees are working on a hybrid schedule, will their pay rates be the same when working remotely as when working on campus?  

This can be a thorny issue in the hybrid model, because a lower hourly wage for remote work may incentivize employees to use the virtual or physical office space. On the other hand, wages equal to that of on-campus work may be unfair insofar as it does not consider the cost savings associated with working from home. 

When transitioning to a hybrid model, you’ll also need to consider how your workers will be classified. Will they be considered regular, full-time employees? Contract workers? Your hybrid employees’ classification status will have a significant impact on your business, from taxation to entitlements, to labor laws and regulations. 

Mental Health Considerations 

For many employees, the hybrid working model is the best of both worlds because it combines the convenience of working from home with the benefits of on-campus engagement with coworkers and supervisors. That does not mean, however, that all employees will thrive in such an environment.  

And, indeed, even workers who actively sought out a hybrid schedule may find themselves struggling from time to time with the mental health challenges that can arise when working remotely. Remote workers may find themselves feeling anxious about using their work from home technology. They may feel concerned about being able to meet expectations when they don’t have immediate, face-to-face access to their colleagues. They may simply feel lonely or isolated at times when they’re removed from the social environment of the physical office. 

For this reason, it’s important to be prepared to provide mental health support for your hybrid workers. The good news, though, is that such support isn’t difficult to give. For instance, you can help boost your employees’ mood when they’re working remotely by showing them how to create a work-from-home environment that supports their mental health. You might even go the extra mile by providing employees with a gift card to be used to furnish and decorate their home office for both productivity and comfort. 

The Takeaway 

Now, more than ever, employees want and expect to have the opportunity to work from home at least part of the time. And that means that the hybrid working model may well be the future of work. However, there are important considerations that employers should address before making the transition.

The first and most significant is the prioritization of cybersecurity in the hybrid environment, from establishing secure platforms to training employees in security best practices. In addition, employers must clearly define the status of hybrid workers, including establishing fair pay rates for remote work.

Finally, the mental health of hybrid workers must be nurtured, including through the creation of a healthy home office environment. Though there’s much to consider, with such care and planning, the transition to a hybrid model can be seamless and imminently successful.