Ever found yourself in the mix of working in a blended atmosphere? Organizations are adopting new trends and technologies in how we work. Similarly, these organizations are adopting different approaches to handling their workforce. You can work in person or operate remotely.

A hybrid model allows both in-person and remote workers. At some point, the remote worker may still schedule a time to go to the worksite. A blended workforce is manageable once you incorporate the right technology. Such technology could be Zoom for video conferencing or RescueTime for monitoring productivity.

Types of Hybrid Word Models

For you to manage a well-oiled workforce, you need to know and adopt an appropriate model.

Here are some:

Split-Week Model

Split-week approaches divide the week into a suitable working pattern. For example, one can work from home two days a week. After that, the same employee will work on-site for the remaining three days.

Some organizations may opt to split the week among varying departments. For instance, the front office may come to the company on Mondays and Tuesdays. Similarly, the sales team may be on site between Wednesdays and Fridays. The management may need this model to promote face-to-face interceptions regularly.

The drawback of this model is less time for cohesion among teammates. However, its benefits are as follows:

• It offers work-life balance.
• It saves costs for the employees.
• Enhances Productivity

The At-Will Model

It is a flexible approach where a staff member chooses the most suitable design. The staff may come to the office when the need arises.

It is a suitable method, especially where social distancing is a requirement. For some organizations, you must request to work on their premises. One of the great advantages of this model is that it works on mutual agreement. The downside is that there could be a risk of reduced employee loyalty.

Working Shifts

Placing your team on shifts is a typical working arrangement for particular organizations. You can schedule them to alternate between the morning and afternoon hours. One team can operate at the site on the morning shift.

The second team can work remotely during the morning hours and on-site during the afternoon hours. The disadvantage of this model is that an irregular working shift may enhance stress. Otherwise, the benefits are:

• It maintains continuous operations
• Promotes flexibility among workers
• Opportunities for Advancement as shift work can sometimes lead to more rapid career advancement.

Week by Week

A company may use this method to alternate its staff weekly. Specifically, one department may work offsite for one week while on-site the second week. Such variations allow other teams to update and review other tasks in the office space.

Notably, the disadvantage is that it may have inconsistent working hours. If your availability is irregular, it may be against you. The advantages are:

• It eliminates traveling stress
• It can be adapted especially to changing conditions like family emergencies
• Enhances Focus and Productivity

Benefits of Hybrid Work

The benefits of hybrid working models are many, but here is the summary:

Increased Productivity

Different employees work best in different places. Some do great at home but might get distracted. Others prefer the office because it's easier to work together and learn new things. Both ways have their good and bad points.

Before working from home, ensure you operate in a calm environment. Some organizations use tracking software like Clockify to measure your productivity. Such a tracking tool helps one identify time wasters and concentrate on priority tasks, increasing productivity.

Flexibility

Since COVID-19, working methods in different industries have shifted. A mix of in-office and remote work, or a hybrid system, has become popular. It's flexible, allowing some employees to work better from home.

A flexible workplace promotes the working morale of the staff. If you work from home, you will avoid incurring travel costs frequently. In the process, you will be saving money. An example in this case is tailoring your working hours to fit your schedule.

Reduced Costs

Employers are great beneficiaries of a hybrid system in terms of cost aspects. For example, when departments are working on shifts, there is no need for additional offices. The organization will maximize the available space and manage the present workforce optimally.

The organizations are free to implement a hit-desking strategy. Hot desking is a method where no staff has personally assigned desks. This approach works better in a hybrid system because employees rarely meet at once.

Disadvantages of a Hybrid System

Every system has two sides. It is not enough to understand one side alone. Here are the cons of a hybrid system:

Limited Interpersonal Relationships

Forming interpersonal relationships with your working colleagues can be tricky. There will be reduced interpersonal relationships under this distributed working model.

Overworking

Some bosses think people working from home aren't as productive. Such beliefs make them do more work than they are on site. More workloads mean more work hours, leading to burnout.

Role of Technology in Hybrid Model

Operating in a hybrid environment requires adopting various tech tools. There has been a rise in the number of essential tech tools on the market. For example, an organization should have video conferencing tools like professional-grade headsets, webcams, speakerphones, and in-room video conferencing solutions from Logitech, Yealink, Jabra, JPL, HP Poly, and JLab to promote video calls and chats to enhance the work experience.

In addition, companies should acquire project management software like Trello. Such software helps the manager assign tasks and deadlines and track progress.

The security of data is a big concern in a hybrid system. You can choose to protect sensitive data by using the right VPN. Furthermore, companies need to maintain privacy when connecting people from different locations.

Tracking employees’ progress could contribute to better management. You can use tools such as Clockify or Toogl to monitor productivity or track their working hours.

Future Initiatives With Hello Direct

A hybrid model is not ending soon. Instead, it expands its roots in many organizations to deliver better results. Due to its diverse benefits, such as reduced costs and improved work-life balance, many companies choose it. Before settling for it, you must assess your ability to operate under this system. Contact us now and remain relevant.