Hybrid Working: How To Plan To Return To The Office
Some people see lockdown ending as a good thing, while others are not so sure. One thing that the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly shown us is that not all of our work practices previously were as good as we thought.
The good news is that things are not returning completely to the way things were, at least not straight away. So even when the lockdown completely ends, it may be some time before everyone can return to the office fully, as we are likely to have social distancing restrictions and other changes for many months to come (2). So a balance or hybrid model is now being talked about and we have some time to figure out what works best.
From a wider point of view, if there were practices in place previously that either individuals or companies did not like, then any new models should never replicate these existing bad practices (3); this can be seen as a chance to rectify any issues as well.
New Normal: Where To Start
The key elements of any hybrid model, for both employers and employees, are flexibility, trust, choice, and equal access to opportunity, regardless of location (2).
As an organisation, if you feel you can adhere to these principles then you are at a great starting point.
As an employee, if you feel you were able to adhere to these requirements during lockdown, then making sure they are maintained must be a priority of the new normal.
“Flexibility, trust, choice, and equal access to opportunity regardless of location are the key elements of any hybrid model.”
We may not have known it at the time, but when we all started working from home we began on a journey that would cause a shift in the work-life (3) paradigm that is comparable to workers moving from the fields to the factories and then on to sit at desks.
New Normal: Preparing To Go Back
There are a few different approaches that can be taken to returning to the office that will allow these above principles to be implemented correctly. Some institutions will insist on a full return to the office-based model, while others know this will result in their employees being unhappy and potentially looking for more flexible options elsewhere (2).
To design hybrid work properly, you have to think about it along two axes: place and time (3).
Organisations need to first decide on the flexibility of their “Hybrid New Norm” option. Do you want flexibility to extend to both “place” and “time”? Or just one of them (3)? This may seem a strange place to start, but employees certainly prefer to work at certain times as well as different locations.
As an individual, did you get used to sleeping in for longer during the pandemic months? Did you prefer to start earlier and get a jump on the day so you could finish earlier? From a productivity perspective, did the organisation notice any trends in terms of meeting times or preferences? This may seem like a small matter but considering this seriously can help to increase employee productivity and therefore company output as a whole.
In the graphic, you can see that there are different options (3) when it comes to deciding the level of flexibility. So, when you personally are returning or all workers are returning, deciding this as a priority can set you up to adapt to the new model.
New Normal: Expect Things To Be Different
The new hybrid model should be different for most of us and so it will take some adjustment. To expect this and to predict some of the challenges will help everyone to overcome them.
From a positive point of view, this new way of working may have transformative benefits for individuals, businesses and even communities (2). Employers, as well as employees, should start preparing to deal with the complexity of new remote working models (2), whichever one you choose to adopt.
One of the key concerns for people is if they choose to remain at home, will that affect their job security and input? Peter Cosgrove, Future of Work expert, raised this issue in the Irish Times recently and referenced the concern that home workers are potentially “more likely to be made redundant'' and if the organisation lacks one of the key elements of a successful Hybrid Model, “trust”, then the perception that people at home do not work as hard may creep in (1). This is human nature in many ways, because we are used to trusting our eyes and some employers may not trust what they can’t see (1).
However, to challenge this theory, we have to look at how productivity is measured. Our capacity to operate at peak productivity and performance varies dramatically according to our personal preferences (3) and this makes sense.
So when implementing hybrid work, two considerations must be incorporated into your planning:
The preferences of your employees
The ability of others to understand and accommodate those preferences (3).
The new hybrid model will require the implementation of two different working arrangements: remote and office. So remote workers need to be protected as they are less visible, but this should not mean they become less involved in decision making (3).
If you feel that there won’t be equal access to opportunity regardless of location for all employees, then making sure the right protections are in place before creating your hybrid model is vital. Or choosing the one that will have the least impact on this could also be considered.
Conclusion
Normal has changed but by sticking to the key elements of a hybrid model (flexibility, trust, choice, and equal access to opportunity), you can help to safeguard both the employees and company from issues that might arise.
Everyone must ensure that any new hybrid arrangements accentuate the company's values and support its culture (3), as well as empower its workers. Hybrid work arrangements should be designed with both the individual human concerns in mind, not just institutional ones (3).
So, in short, start with what you want to achieve but also what you can achieve from hybrid working in the beginning. Then, decide on the principles you think can be adhered to and only then create your hybrid model based on what is possible.
Remember, we have time on our side to get it right, but a good start will help to set up future success.