You've heard about the hybrid business model. Maybe you are excited about it and think your employees will like it too.
But do you know how to implement it in your company? What are the steps to follow?
In this article, we tell you the six fundamental steps to apply it to the best and with good results.
Among all the revolutions that the pandemic has brought to the work field, there is certainly the hybrid work model.
We have already told you what the hybrid work model is and its benefits (both for employers and employees).
In today's article, we want to offer you a step-by-step guide, consisting of 6 steps, to best adopt it within your company so that it can immediately bring you benefits.
Let's see them together in detail.
1. Do an employee survey to find out what they need
To create a hybrid model that works for your business, you have to talk to your employees to know their needs.
By involving them, you can create a working model that keeps people motivated to do their best and increases the productivity of the individual.
Send a survey to find out the opinion that employees have regarding hybrid work.
Make sure you ask questions about how they think they would be more productive and happier. Try to offer them several examples.
Here are some possible questions to enter:
- Can you stay focused when working from home?
- How many days a week would you like to work in person?
- If you had access to an office close to home, would you prefer to go there instead of the company headquarters?
Once you have analyzed the survey results, you will know what your employees think about the hybrid work model and if it can be adopted in your company.
Based on the answers, you will also be able to deduce which type of hybrid work model is best suited to the needs of your employees.
If you do not know how many types of hybrid work models exist, in this article we have written about the 3 most common types.
2. Build your employee personas
Employee surveys are a great way to know the mood of your employees in real-time, but you won't always have the time to do them.
To overcome this problem our advice is to identify employee personas.
Personas, like user or buyer personas, are avatars, the typical representation of your employees. They summarize their characteristics, behaviors, and preferences.
Personas help you stay agile as things change.
They will guide you as you create new experiences and help you stay in line with your employees' ever-changing needs.
3. Implement the infrastructure that will support flexible working
To simplify the work of your employees (both those who work on-site and remotely), it will be important to invest in technologies, such as communication tools and videoconferencing equipment.
Ask yourself if you need new tools or if you can use the ones you already have.
Create office hours to manage on-site traffic and provide flexibility for employees. For example, you can decide that employees will work in the office on certain days/weeks or leave the planning in the hands of the team leaders.
4. Invest in corporate culture
Strengthen the company culture. It's crucial in a hybrid work model that works.
Invest in opportunities that excite your employees, for example by using gamification or by offering unique team-building experiences.
Look overseas, take inspiration from Google, Facebook, Slack, and other big companies: you don't have to copy what they do, but pick what you find interesting and adapt it to your company.
5. Improve the workplace experience
We have already talked about how important it is to improve the workplace experience.
Make sure your employees want to work on-site, are happy to go to the office and see colleagues.
A good office experience guarantees productivity, high focus and justifies the expense of having a physical space in which to meet a few days a week.
6. Collect ongoing feedback
Before doing anything, listen carefully to what your employees have to tell you.
Find an innovative and fun way to collect and share their feedback.
For example, you might have a Slack channel dedicated to writing feedback or send anonymous surveys every six months via Typeform.
Collecting your feedback will help you build a thriving hybrid workplace and allow you to keep innovating.
If you need help implementing a hybrid work model in your business, please feel free to click here. We are happy to help you!
