Hybrid Return to Office: Is it Possible Now?

With the rising popularity of remote work, a new model surged: a hybrid return to the office. Thus, now managers face the tough decision of choosing between the traditional structure and the new one, and many wonder if the innovative method could bring benefits to their company. 

Not everyone knows some important facts about the hybrid work model, and you must learn everything you can to properly organize the structure of your company. Read this article to learn everything you need about the subject. 

What Is the Hybrid Work Model?

Many people talk about the hybrid work model, but if you haven't implemented it, you may have no clue of what they mean. 

The hybrid work model is a specific workplace structure that's different from everything you've seen before. To follow a hybrid back-to-work method, your workers need to have the opportunity to work on-premises or from home. 

Thus, the hybrid work to get back to the office consists of a return-to-office plan where a part of your hybrid team works there while you manage the other one online.  

The term appeared in 2020 for the first time, and it has become more famous ever since. It has given managers and employees many opportunities to change the usual workplace structure to ensure the company has incredible results. 

In 2020, many people found out that they worked much better from home. Therefore, managers can now use that to the company's advantage and have two separate groups of workers. You can now enjoy the best of both worlds! 

Should Your Company Go Back to Work with the Traditional Work Model?

If you've managed your company for a long time, you may not want to change. Your return-to-work strategy might simply include going back to the traditional model. 

However, you should keep several things in mind before you make a choice. Firstly, hybrid workplaces are very new, and it may take some time for you to get accustomed to the structure. Thus, you need to be very patient. Otherwise, you can't see any results. 

On the other hand, thousands of workers have said hybrid work changed their lives because they're much more productive when they work from home. They can make their own schedules while fulfilling their daily tasks, and they show better results than they did when they worked on-premises. 

Lastly, remember that restructuring your company is not an easy job, but implementing the hybrid work model could bring you benefits that nothing else can. The innovative structure is challenging for many, but it's also very rewarding.  

Why the Hybrid Work Model Works Better

If you implement the hybrid work model as a return-to-office plan, you can get the best of two different work management approaches: you get the flexibility of a team working from home, and the rigidity of workers who are in-premises. 

You may be used to the traditional model, but the hybrid structure is much better because it gives you unique benefits. 

A good way to organize your hybrid office is to have them all at the office on specific days. You could, for example, ask them to go there when you need to have orientation sessions. 

Then, your workers could do their tasks from home, particularly the ones where they need to concentrate. Many people believe they can focus better when they have the environment they want, which is something you can do in a home office. 

Although the hybrid work model hasn't been around for too long, it is a return-to-office plan that can give you unique benefits you can't get anywhere else since no other approach combines on-premise and remote work. 

Employees Ask for the Hybrid Model

At some point, many managers believed remote work could never be a good solution for their company. However, they quickly felt surprised due to the amazing results that it can have. 

Different managers all over the world spend a lot of time designing the return-to-office plan they may implement in the future. To do that, they have asked workers – and most employees want the hybrid model! 

When you implement a hybrid return to the office, you allow your workers to do their jobs in a place where they feel comfortable.  

If you talk to your employees, you might notice that some of them enjoy working from home. They feel at ease and quickly complete their tasks. Many might mention that they like the flexibility that remote work offers. 

However, others may tell you that working from home is too distracting. They may say they prefer to be on-premises and have a specific structure because flexibility can make them lose their focus. 

Thus, the only way to take advantage of both types of workers is to implement a hybrid office concept, which allows you to explore the employees’ capacities, use them in the proper environment, and ensure the company improves. 

It Is the Best of Both Worlds

The main advantage of implementing the hybrid work model is that it guarantees a flexible workspace.  

In your experience as a worker, you may have felt as if the day doesn’t have enough hours. Many employees feel like that as well. Nonetheless, with a hybrid return to the office, you can ensure that your team has a completely different experience. 

If you use a hybrid back-to-work strategy, you can empower your workers. They don’t have to do their job on a specific schedule – now, they can work from home, complete their to-do's, and make sure they do that in their most productive hours of the day.  

While some people prefer doing everything during the morning, others choose to work in the evenings. With a hybrid return-to-office plan, your workers can choose whatever fits their productivity hours! 

Implementing a hybrid back-to-work method ensures you get the best of both worlds: productivity and flexibility, remote and on-premise work! 

You Need a Strategy and Proper Equipment to Succeed

If you have read a lot of articles about hybrid workplaces, you may have noticed that people sometimes describe it as a utopia. However, that's not the case – you have to work very hard and make difficult choices before you start enjoying the benefits of the model. 

As an example, suppose that you choose to implement the hybrid method, and you want to hire new workers for your team. Now, you don't need to limit yourself to the people living nearby – you can get employees from any place in the world, which is incredible. 

Nonetheless, there is also a disadvantage: you need to learn how to use the proper apps and programs to conduct the interviews and organize the recruitment process. At the same time, you have to ensure all the candidates have a steady internet connection. Otherwise, they might not be able to work with you. 

Therefore, when you think about the hybrid work model, remember that it's a great method to implement in your company, but it doesn't mean that it's an easy structure to build. You have to organize everything and make decisions that may be challenging sometimes. 

Start with Your Management Staff

To implement a hybrid work model, the first thing you need to organize is your manager's role in the new structure.  

Your managers are the people who guide the team, so they're essential puzzle pieces to make the hybrid working function properly. Consequently, you have to determine where they live and how much time they need to spend in the office. 

Nonetheless, the specific characteristics of the hybrid model depend on your company, so there's no rulebook to follow. You need to examine what your business needs, and then you can develop the right strategy. 

Take a Look at Your Structure

If you already decided how to organize your managers in your hybrid back-to-work strategy, then it's time for you to take a close look at your team structure. 

Write down how many workers you have, where they live, and other important data. You could, for example, ask who can work on-premises and who could do it from home. Furthermore, you should differentiate between part-time and full-time employees. 

When you're designing a hybrid return to the office, there are a lot of things to keep in mind, and your structure is one of the most important ones. Certain employees could never work from home, and you must learn to identify them – delivery people and production line workers are good examples of that. 

Don't Forget About the Technology

Technology is essential when you're designing a hybrid return-to-office plan. Remote work is possible due to technological advances, so you must keep that in mind when you're organizing your structure. 

Once you have your workforce structure ready, and you know how you can organize your managers, it's time to sit down and determine what kind of hybrid work technology your team needs.  

The type of company you run may dictate the technology you need, so you must assess everything about your business before deciding. You may require, for example, different types of software and hardware, or services such as VPNs. 

Fortunately, there's a lot of technology available online. Even so, you have to determine what you need, or you risk wasting time trying useless apps and installing programs for no reason. 

You Can Guarantee Productivity... But Only if You Work Hard!

Enhanced productivity is one of the best qualities of choosing a hybrid return to the office, and many managers pick that model because of it. They understand that it can help your team work much better, so they work hard to organize it without any issues. 

When you have a remote team, organizing their tasks correctly is crucial if you want to ensure productivity. People who work from home can easily get distracted, which is why setting deadlines might be a great idea. 

Moreover, you should also organize the tasks, so you divide them evenly among your workers. Everyone must have a specific amount of work according to their job. Consequently, you have to consider if they're working remotely or not before you can decide what they have to do. 

Hybrid Work Is the Dream of Flexible Workers

A hybrid return to the office is something flexible workers dream of. Not everyone enjoys working from home but having the possibility to choose gives people a lot of freedom. 

Even though hybrid work favors flexible work arrangement, you should also consider a specific structure when you're developing your return-to-office plan. 

Hybrid offices can work wonders, but your employees need a structure they can adhere to. Otherwise, they might feel lost or lose focus easily.  

A good thing to do is to schedule frequent meetings and ensure the whole team is there. If remote workers cannot attend, they can be present via video call. Consequently, everyone has a specific activity to attend to. 

The Future Could Be Hybrid

Many managers don't know how to structure their return-to-office plan because they're scared of the future. They have never implemented a hybrid structure before, and everything new has its risks. 

If you feel afraid of trying out the hybrid office model, keep in mind that many other Human Resources workers and managers feel like that as well. However, if you take a look at what employees want, you might notice that they all ask for the new method because it's effective and flexible. 

Everything new is daunting and challenging, especially if you're managing a business. Nonetheless, changes can also bring you new opportunities to succeed at what you love, so why not try it out? If you ensure your structure favors the company and allows your team to function properly, you may have incredible results! 

Keynote Takeaways

Even though structuring a hybrid return-to-office plan is not easy, many workers believe it's the future of office work. 

The hybrid model allows managers to enjoy the best of both worlds – you can have a remote team and one working on-premises. 

Therefore, if you work hard and structure your model correctly, you can ensure that your team works like a well-oiled machine. With a hybrid office, your company can improve, and your workers can feel much better!