As the world recovers from the Covid-19 pandemic, lots of workers are choosing to work from home for convenience, safety, and productivity. However, there are a lot of important factors that must be accommodated to make hybrid working safe and beneficial for both employers and employees.
Create socialization opportunities.
Remote workers can often feel alienated and alone without the vibrance of coworkers in the office. If possible, creating opportunities for employees to socialise with each other allows them to have a small break from the monotonous, lonely life of working from home. Whether in person or through a video call, this can be highly beneficial to all employees, but it shouldn't be mandatory. Many people will be happy to communicate through email or video call, but feel uncomfortable meeting people in person, especially if Covid-19 cases are on the rise in your area.
Communicate effectively.
A lot of information can get lost in translation when your only form of communication is emails, so employees must have alternative ways of contacting their coworkers. Video calls and in-person chats can be incredibly useful as they allow employees to see each other and convey their ideas more fluently. Managers must also be available to answer any questions employees have, whether it’s regarding their workload, remote working, or in-office safety measures.
Use a communication system that accommodates everyone.
Some employees may prefer to communicate through video calls, others through email, but having one system for all employees to use can be incredibly useful for fluent communication and collaboration. Especially if employees are hybrid workers, platforms that allow communication between large groups, in a range of different formats – messaging, video calls, voice calls etc – can prove essential.
Encourage team engagement, exercises and shared goals.
Working from home can be lonely and employees may feel cut off from others working in the office or their own homes. If you can’t arrange in-person meetings between employees, having shared team goals and exercises can make everyone feel included, wherever they're working from.
Be understanding of circumstances
While some employees may be eager to return to the office full time, others may feel uncomfortable or just prefer working remotely. While every organisation will have different measures in place for different job roles, it is important to understand that employees will have different circumstances too. Working parents may need to work from home completely or split their time between home and the office due to childcare availability, and those with vulnerable family & friends may want to stay home to prevent putting their loved ones at risk.
Frequently check in with employees
Not having employees in the office full time means it is even easier to miss the signs that they are becoming overwhelmed and anxious. It is also a lot more likely that employees will start feeling overwhelmed and anxious when working remotely, usually down to feeling isolated and a lack of communication.
A lot of remote workers will not have the setup and equipment needed to perform their job comfortably and safely, so these problems will have to be discussed with employees and a solution found.
Consider switching from “hours worked” to goals and deadlines.
Working from home may not mean employees are focused and working for 8 hours consistently every day. Usually, the same quality & quantity of work is produced by remote workers and office workers, even when remote workers are not at their desks all the time. For some organisations with remote workers, it may be a good idea to move from tracking the hours of work and changing to a more target-based approach.
Build trust between employees and management.
By not micromanaging employees and letting them work on their terms, management can develop a relationship built on trust and mutual respect. Employees will, in turn, be more comfortable coming to their managers with problems, questions, and opinions, creating a better work environment and a mutually beneficial understanding.