Introducing hybrid working to your business

Under the government’s recommendations to work from home where possible, many people will have been out of the office for almost a full year.

This has become the new norm for many workers who have found working from home to offer greater flexibility in their working and personal lives and better finances and lifestyle due to not having to commute every day, whilst businesses can also enjoy benefits such as employee retention and can recruit from around the whole UK.

Even though there are some benefits to working from home arrangements, many people still feel the need to work from the office, whether this is due to technology restrictions or the need for social engagement and collaboration. To be able to get the best of both worlds, you could implement a hybrid working model at your business. Here are some of the ways you can make a hybrid model work.

Set the rules of office working

In the early days of hybrid working within your business, there is still a chance that COVID-19 can still be a threat, so it is important that your team only come into the office on the basis that they observe rules to keep everyone safe. The rules to consider are:

• Only using the office for essential business, such as meetings or if you require access to specific software unavailable at home.
• Maintaining a two-metre distance if COVID-19 is still a threat.
• Meeting rooms and workspaces must be booked in advance.

Workplace planning

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, your workplace will likely have been set up to accommodate the whole of your team, regardless of the size. However, with your team hybrid working, there is likely to be more space on your premises that you could use for other purposes.

You may want to use this hybrid working model as an opportunity to redesign your premises to reduce the number of work stations, and possibly add more meeting rooms, social or breakout areas that staff can use for wellbeing.

Have the right equipment

If a member of your team had their own workspace before the pandemic and saved all of their work locally or used physical documents or files, this is something that you might need to change.

To have flexible working arrangements in your new layout, your team may be required to hot desk, which is where no place will have one owner, and anyone can sit at a space as long as it is available.

If your team has already been working from home, you may have supplied them with a laptop, which they can continue to use when they move back into the premises, but you may need to provide the correct equipment at the office, such as a docking station, keyboard and a mouse so that your team members can connect and work comfortably.

Discuss the decision with your team

If people from your team have been able to work effectively from home, there is no need to move them back into the office if they don’t want or need to.

When considering a hybrid model of working, talk to your team to see how they feel about the transition to make sure that they are comfortable with their new arrangements and that they have the correct facilities to do their work.

Cyber security

When remote working, cyber security is incredibly important, as workplace firewalls may not be in place to protect against computer viruses or cyber-attacks.

You may therefore need to invest in additional cyber security to allow your team to work both at home and in the office safely.

Using free space

With fewer people using your office space due to hybrid working, aside from repurposing the space for your team, you could also consider sharing your office space with other businesses.

This could prove beneficial as it will help to save money by sharing the cost of the office with your new office roommates, and can allow you to network with other businesses.

You should only consider sharing office space with another business if you can implement COVID-19 prevention measures.