Transitioning Your Workplace Model to Hybrid

8/23/2021 | By Marella Gimenez

The corporate landscape is transforming into a new form because of the accelerated changes from the pandemic. The pandemic affected many businesses, and employees suffered from job losses and remote working. Hence, there is a need to act upon the situation to ensure that your business will continue thriving.

One of the ways businesses try to adapt to the situation is transitioning to hybrid working. The hybrid model promotes flexibility in work. The employees will follow a specific schedule when they need to come to the office and work from home. It aims to balance your business, enabling your employees to have a work-life balance and a meaningful work experience.

What is a Hybrid Work Model?

When the pandemic started, we were forced to work remotely as many establishments closed for the public’s safety. However, now that we have vaccines rolling, the hope of ending the pandemic lingers in everyone’s mind. So what will happen after the pandemic or when it is almost over? Transitioning to hybrid working is what most business managers will answer.

What is a hybrid work model? Hybrid work advocates flexible working, attempting to achieve better remote working and office work experience. There is no uniform way of implementing the hybrid work model. Companies have interpreted and implemented it in different ways, depending on how their organization needs it.

In a hybrid workplace, employees have the option to work both remotely and in-office. They usually follow a specific schedule on when they could work from home and when they need to be physically present in the office. Google follows a system wherein 60% of its employees come to the office three days per week. However, the number of in-office days still depends on the employee’s role.

Hybrid work enables a company to control the number of workers in the office and ensure that health protocols are followed. Safety is not the sole purpose of hybrid work. It also provides your company many benefits such as sustainable employee experience, higher productivity, and efficiency.

What to Retain and Change when Transitioning to Hybrid?

As you transition to hybrid work, there are some things that you need to retain and change in your company.

Access

Thanks to technology, information became more accessible. Onboarding and sharing information is quicker and easier since employees could make files open to many. A team could work simultaneously in Google files and collaborate through online meetings. As managers, you must ensure that no one in the workforce gets left behind, especially in adjusting to the work-from-home setup.

Advancement

Mobility is not much of a problem in a hybrid work model. Companies have a larger pool of talents from different countries, making the teams more diverse. When working with other offices, you no longer have to worry about going there as they are one call away. The hybrid work model and technology allow your workplace to make both remote work and in-office experiences better.

Authenticity

With all the possible changes brought by transitioning to hybrid work, the authenticity of the organization must remain. The impact of your business on communities should not be changed. You can do this by retaining the unique personalities of your workers and continuously working by your vision and mission.

Key Things that Your Transition Plan Should Address

Transitioning to hybrid working requires a lot of time for planning. There are some things that your plan should address to make sure that the implementation will be successful. If you are currently planning to transition to a hybrid work model, here are some questions that you may ponder during your meetings.

• Which teams will work in the office, which will work remotely, and when?
• How are you going to track who is in the office — and how are you going to accommodate them?
• How is the transition going to happen?
• Do you need additional training to prepare your team for the transition?
• Do you need to renovate your office workspace to make hybrid work possible?

The questions mentioned will help you get a clearer picture of the transition process. It will also help managers establish the right policies for their company. With the proper implementation of policies, your employees will experience more minor struggles adjusting to the new work model.

As you transition to hybrid working, you need to consider if your workers have enough equipment required for remote working. Another factor to consider is the situation of your workforce’s communities. Their condition may affect their availability to go to the office.

Concerning the last question, you should also consider the changes in your workplace. Similar to any other business, you need to comply with the health protocols in your area. It is to ensure your team’s safety, especially those who will come to the office.

Other companies like Google, HubSpot, and Salesforce have already started implementing hybrid working. They share how their company copes with the pandemic and the necessary processes for flexible working. You can read more about them to give you an idea of how you can apply them to your business.

8 Tips on How to Successfully Transition Your Team to a Hybrid Work Model

Having a flexible workplace means that you also need to know how to monitor your team. Here are some tips on how you can transition your team to a hybrid work model.

1. Prioritize your team’s safety, mental health, and well-being. As managers, we are responsible for making our employees understand the business’ decisions. You can explain to them that hybrid work is for the safety of everyone.

As you implement hybrid working, make sure to hold weekly or bi-weekly one-on-ones to check in, coach, and get feedback from your employees. It will help you foster relationships between in-person and remote teams.

2. Plot and draft a clear transition plan and communicate it to your employees. Your workers must fully understand the changes in the processes that will happen and their role in it. Making your communication means clear and consistent will also help them adjust better to the hybrid work.

3. Establish a clear compensation philosophy. Compensation and benefits become more complex in a hybrid work setting. It would be best to communicate to your workforce how their salary, bonus, and equity philosophy will work.

4. Enable collaboration between team members — anytime, anywhere. Teamwork must remain in a hybrid work setup. It is true that employees who are working remotely feel less connected to their co-workers. Hence, it is essential to create collaboration spaces to maintain their employee experience. It might also improve their productivity, especially for those who need someone to work with!

5. Prioritize outfitting the space with the right tools! Equip your workplace with the things your employees need when they come to the office. It should be fit for holding online meetings and working spaces.

6. Ensure that the entire team has equal opportunities regardless of their work setups. If you are working remotely, you might feel that you feel left out at work. It isn’t easy to voice out your opinions and build connections. However, you must ensure that the employees in your organization have equal access to opportunities.

7. Train, train, and train them! Hybrid work highly depends on technology. For your business to keep up with other companies, you need to prepare your employees to use the tools. Proper training for your employees will lead to higher productivity and efficiency!

8. Ask your team for their honest feedback. Similar to getting feedback from communities, your employees’ feedback is also essential. It will help you know how you can improve the implementation of hybrid work in your company.

In Conclusion: Right Transition to Hybrid Work = More Benefits for Your Business

This pandemic has led us to many realizations. We realized that there could be other ways on how employees could work. As we conduct remote work today, it is more likely to stay for a long time even after the pandemic. Hence, companies created and implemented the hybrid work model.

Transitioning to hybrid working is not easy. Planning takes a lot of time, and the whole company needs to make adjustments. However, a successful transition will give benefits to your company and your employees. Are you ready to make the transition? Don’t worry; KMC Solutions is here to help you.

KMC Solutions offers workspaces for companies of all sizes. We also provide staff leasing services that will make your work easier. We are the largest coworking and staff leasing service provider in the Philippines. Our facilities are present in Metro Manila, Cebu, Clark, and Iloilo. 

If you are looking for an office space to start your hybrid work transition, we offer virtual tours for you. Our workspaces are safe as we also comply with the safety protocols. KMC is here to provide COVID-19 business solutions to enable your team to work in the HQ, near home and from home. Contact us now, and kickstart your transition process!