This is How to Transition From Fully-Remote to an Effective Hybrid Workplace

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The past 18 months have been a whirlwind for businesses and employees across the globe. 

The COVID-19 virus caught us off guard. And, while some may have been considering going remote before the pandemic, many weren’t ready to take the giant leap just yet. As such, they’ve been forced to think on their feet and to act quickly. 

In other words, it was a sink or swim situation. 

The good news is that, during COVID-19, many businesses fought to make their workforce 100% remote and won. In fact, trends show that there’s been a 159% growth in remote work in the last five years. Businesses with remote teams are now more productive, more efficient, and their team morale is tip-top. Almost 80% of remote workers say they’re no longer stressed.

If these businesses and their remote workers can do it, you can create a new hybrid workplace culture too. Let me elaborate.

In this article, here’s we’ll look at: 

• How Did COVID-19 Impact Businesses?
• Advantages of Working Remotely
• Challenges of Working Remotely
• How to Nurture Your Hybrid Team to Bring its A-Game
• Hybrid Work is Here to Stay – Are You Prepared?

Now, let’s get started!

How Did COVID-19 Impact Businesses? 

The COVID-19 pandemic has instigated quick-moving variables, many of which businesses were unable to cope with because they had no crisis plans in place. 41.3% of businesses surveyed by PNAS said they were forced to close temporarily due to the pandemic, while 1.8% had to close permanently. The number of full-time employees had fallen dramatically by 32%. 

Supply chains, meanwhile, were “slightly disrupted,” while reductions in demand were more disruptive, and created much larger shockwaves throughout industries. Meanwhile, many businesses said their biggest concerns were with employee health. 

The true impact of COVID-19 may not be known for years to come. How a business is impacted long-term will depend on the financial fragility of the individual business, as well as the length of the pandemic/crisis. 

Advantages of Working Remotely

Working remotely can certainly bring a few advantages. Below we break down some of the standout ones: 

Less Stress from Commuting to Work

As previously stated, remote employees say they’re less stressed than when they were working in an office. One of the reasons for this reduction in stress is that there’s now no commute to undertake. And, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, the average one-way commute time is 26.1 minutes, which is a lot throughout the course of a week.

It’s been pointed out that commuting takes “considerable stress on the human mind and body, as well as family relationships.” And while there are a few ways to reduce stress on one’s morning commute, the easiest way is to remove the commute altogether by going remote. 

Makes Businesses More Competitive 

When you transition to a remote workforce, you can be more flexible in your hiring strategy. This allows you to take your pick from a global workforce, as opposed to a local one, which in turn ensures that you’ve got a bigger talent pool at your disposal. After all, 54% of office workers would leave their job, if they could have one with more flexibility.

The ability to hire top talent means that said top talent will be able to drive your business forward and make it more competitive. Not just that, but when your remote workers are happier and less stressed, they will be able to successfully shape the products and services of your business’s future.

Saves Companies Money

One of the greatest advantages for employers that have staff who work remotely is the lower business costs. In fact, estimates from Global Workplace Analytics showed if companies allowed their staff to work remotely just 50% of the time annually, they would save an average of $11,000 a year.

Companies save money because naturally they need less office space to accommodate staff that work from home. These savings include:

• Furniture
• Cleaning services
• Food
• Rent
• Utilities
• Equipment 
• Building maintenance

Companies may even save on salaries, as studies have shown that 36% of employees would choose the ability to telecommute over a pay raise.

Increased Productivity and Performance

Embracing remote work does not mean that there should be concerns about the lack of productivity in the work-at-home environment. In fact, on the contrary, it can be true.

By allowing your employees to work remotely (at least part time) and offering them flexibility, your staff will be able to work where they are most comfortable and will likely be more productive. Research shows that 30% of people value being able to choose the location they work over an increase in vacation time.

Working remotely also usually leads to less office politics, quieter noise levels, less or more efficient meetings and fewer interruptions. A survey of remote employees revealed that 77% claimed that they’re more productive when working from home. 

Challenges of Working Remotely

Okay, so we’ve seen how working remotely benefits both the employee and the business they work for. But, what about the potential disadvantages of such an arrangement? These challenges make it difficult if not impossible for every team to stay 100% remote long-term. A hybrid workforce can provide a solution: 

Time Zone Differences 

Constant collaboration is a crucial part of running a successful business. When everyone works side-by-side in the office, often all it takes is a few minutes for someone to ask a question and someone else to answer it. 

When working from multiple environments, however, it can be difficult for team members to stay in sync. If you’ve got a marketing executive in the UK and a programmer in San Francisco, for example, such time zone differences can cause huge delays. 

Time zones are merciless, and if employees feel they need to stay up late to receive a reply, this can bring on issues, as 41% of workers said they made more mistakes when they felt tired. 

With the right tools, however, time zone differences can be managed smoothly. Anyone in the area of your headquarters can be invited to return to the office at least part time. 

Technology Hiccups 

When something went wrong with technology in your office, you probably had an IT team on standby to come and fix it right away. But what happens when a flustered remote worker doesn’t have access to an IT team but instead is forced to see if anyone on Slack knows how to help? It causes delays and can lead employees to feel overwhelmed and disconnected from the company they work for. 

A work from home policy with clear guidelines in place is a good starting point to make sure employees know where to turn when they need assistance.

Isolation & Loneliness 

Last but not least, not everything about working in an office is desirable. But, as a Harvard Study of Adult Development pointed out, relationships tremendously impact health, quality of life, and happiness. People go to work to do their job, yes. Then, many end up making friends and love the community of working in a proper team who wins together, and perhaps go out for drinks with colleagues after work now and then. 

When your team works remotely, the social aspect evaporates, and this can lead to increased isolation and loneliness. Then, a loss of productivity and enthusiasm can set in. You’ll need to actively work to combat this issue by adopting strategies that prevent isolation and loneliness, including allowing at least some of your workers to come back into the office. 

What is a Hybrid Workplace?

A hybrid workplace, aka hybrid office, is a business setup that offers the flexibility for both remote and in-office staff. In this system, distribution of time spent on and off-site can vary.  

How to Nurture Your Hybrid Team to Bring its A-Game

Unfortunately, taking your team from remote to hybrid isn’t as easy as 1,2,3. There are challenges involved, and you need to put in place processes and implement the right tools to ensure a seamless transition for your team; this will ensure your staff continues to do what they do best and provide as much value as possible. 

First, Provide the Right Work-From-Home and In-Office Equipment 

If some of your newer team members have never worked in your office, there’s a chance they won’t have all the equipment they need from the jump. While some of your workers could have been working from their couches without a second thought, this isn’t the best way to operate. 

In fact, according to a survey conducted by the Institute of Employment Studies, employees working remotely experience neck pain (58%), experienced shoulder pain (56%), and experienced back pain (55%). So, you’re going to need high-quality, ergonomic chairs, desks, and even keyboards because they are essential for your in-office and remote workers, as they can help to prevent musculoskeletal problems.

Here are the items that you’ll need to make sure all of your staff have: 

• Keyboard & desk: We suggest going with a bluetooth keyboard for maximum freedom. Adjustable-height standing desks are also a worthy investment, although a standing desk converter is cheaper and works just as well. 
• Comfortable chair: Comfort is everything if your employees are going to stay productive and healthy over the long-term. Ensure they’re not saddled with a stiff dining table chair by investing in a top-quality office chair. 
• High-performance computer: Your employees may already own a home computer, but if it’s old and slow, it’s going to slow projects down. We recommend investing in up-to-date high-performance computers that allow your remote workers to crack on with the tasks at hand. In fact, 52% of employees who work remotely use a computer that was provided by their company.
• Extras: Laptop stand, lamp, headphones, USB hubs, and anything else you can think of. Desk lamps are especially crucial because they can help your workers avoid eye strain if they’ll be working in the evenings.

While you might want control over the in-office continuity and would prefer to select your own furnishings for the building, consider offering remote workers a stipend to purchase equipment for their home offices if you haven’t already. 

Next, Utilize the Right Software Solutions 

A new generation of software solutions are available to help tackle the disadvantages of remote working. Below, I have segmented the most valuable tools by use to help demonstrate what kind of software your hybrid team needs.

1. Employee Support and Resource Request 

It might well be the case that you don’t know exactly what your workers need right now in terms of equipment. It’s fine if you don’t cover all the bases at first because your team can use a tool like Jotform to let you know what they need as they go along. Jotform is a form builder that has many templates, allowing you to easily create multiple forms that allow your employees to request paid time off, hardware, IT services, and many more. Your employees will feel at ease knowing they only have to fill out a form and not distract a manager from their current tasks.

2. Video Conferencing Apps

Video conference apps will continue to replace face-to-face meetings now that your team is working only partly in-office. These tools have proven their efficacy to help foster collaboration, which is essential since 22% of remote workers have reported missing the team environment. When shopping around for a good video conferencing app, try to find one that will allow your hybrid team to share their screens, has slideshow and annotation capabilities, and which is known for being reliable. 

You’ve got lots to choose from, but the market leaders on this front are Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts. 

3. Project Management Software 

Project management software – like Trello – helps your entire team to stay on top of projects. From a centralized hub, they can see exactly what tasks have been done and what needs to be ticked off next, and they can exchange ideas, share documents, and ultimately meet deadlines together. 

4. Signing Contracts 

A tool like DocuSign helps your team work between home and office by allowing your employees to easily sign contracts and documents without having to meet anyone face-to-face. DocuSign keeps everything safe and secure in the cloud and ensures you and your team have complete confidence in the legality of your (and their) work. 

5. Cloud Storage 

Utilizing a cloud storage platform ensures that everything your team does is digitally inaccessible to anyone who is not a part of your team. It provides a safe and secure place for your team to access everything, which is good for continuity and efficiency. 94% of businesses saw an improvement in security after switching to the cloud. It also helps in retrieving lost data and makes version control more manageable. Google Drive and Dropbox are two of the most popular cloud storage platforms.

6. Communication With Team Members 

Good communication is the bedrock of all hybrid businesses. The last thing you want is for poor communication to create a disconnect in your workflow. 

There are different types of communication tools for different needs. For example, you can use a messaging platform (essentially a personalized chat app) for whenever your team just needs to ping instant messages to each other in real-time. In other words, if something is urgent and needs to be done the same day, messaging platforms are a lifesaver. Your team can also utilize the power of email for whenever the conversation needs to be more formal, too.

7. HR Management Software 

HR management software is vital for employee management – especially now that your team is working partly in-office. Good HR management software should come with features such as employee information management, financial management, and detailed performance reviews. You will also need to have access to automatic onboarding and offboarding since you will no longer be physically present. Using HR software also eliminates the hassle of paperwork and spreadsheets.

Finally, Strategies to Ensure a Positive Company Culture 

Tools will help you lead your hybrid team effectively. But, you also need to put in place a few strategies that will ensure your company culture thrives, especially since 88% of employees believe strong company culture is the key to business success. 

Here are some examples: 

i. Identify ‘Out of Sight’ Individuals 

What happens when a remote worker feels as though they’re not contributing much to the company they work for? Or that their skills aren’t being developed and they are unchallenged? They start to feel disconnected and even demotivated.

Now that you’re bringing some of your workers back into the office, it might be a good idea to take a more agile approach to operations. This means getting people on board a project that they would not usually work on but appeals to them. You could also provide a Learning and Development (L&D) budget so that your employees can take a relevant class to their field. 

As such, their wellbeing will improve. And this is hugely beneficial to your business. As has been shown many times, employee wellbeing is linked to employee productivity, which in turn is linked to profitability. 

ii. Reward Your Team With Recognition and Appreciation 

Recognition and appreciation make your remote and in-office employees feel tied to your company culture, and they both can boost morale and productivity. A failure to acknowledge your employees also has the opposite effect, as a report showed that 24% of employees who felt they had not received recognition from their direct supervisor in the past two weeks had recently interviewed for another position, compared to just 13% who had received recognition.

The problem they and you now have is that a lot of what they do will be unseen. This can reduce the number of times you recognize and appreciate their achievements. It’s a unique challenge, but it’s a good idea to embrace a company culture that gives thanks as often as possible from now on. You could even use one of your tools – such as Slack – to open up a specific channel for thank you’s. 

iii. Include all Employees in Decision Making 

If you want your team to feel as though they’re still a part of your company now that they’re working remotely with others back in the office, and if you want them to embrace your mission wholly, you need to give them a voice. This could mean, for example, including everyone in decision making.

For instance, you could hold team video meetings once a month (or even weekly) where you trade ideas and clarify points together. Invite an open discussion and encourage employees to voice their concerns and pitch their ideas. 

Hybrid Work is Here to Stay – Are You Prepared? 

Taking only part of your team back into the office can sound really scary when you’ve never done it before, and you’re therefore worried everything will go wrong. 

But, as long as you implement the advice in this article, there’s no need to panic. There are tools to help you every step of the way, there are processes you can implement that will tighten up the ship, and as long as you stay engaged with your team by communicating clear-cut solutions, you can empower your entire organization.

If your hybrid or remote team could use support with copywriting or content creation, learn more about Copynoise’s offer. Or, if you’re ready to chat, reach out today.