The Office of National Statistics tells us that before the pandemic, only 5% of the workforce worked mainly from home. Additional data confirms this number. Pre-pandemic, 65% of employers either didn’t offer regular working from home or only offered it to less than 10% of their workforce.
Post pandemic, that 65% is estimated to have dropped to around about 35%.
Although the government-mandated working arrangements have long been scrapped, it seems that working from home is one legacy from the pandemic that we are happy to hold onto.
While some employees would be happy with a 100% remote working arrangement, most would prefer a balanced schedule where they distribute their time between the office and home.
This balanced model, or hybrid working as we have come to know it, has required experimentation and significant preparation from many organisations. Some sectors such as tech or digital have long been able to support remote work. However, for other sectors, remote working was unchartered territory. It has involved a radical mindset shift as well as more practical implications.
This 2 part guide will discuss everything employers need to know to implement effective hybrid working.
Why should you consider hybrid working?
The pandemic forced remote working and it’s become apparent that many of us thrived within it. Since then, today’s employees have come to expect, and want, it.
Businesses that don’t offer hybrid working are now the exception rather than the rule. Organisations that don’t offer it risk higher levels of employee turnover, less employee engagement, and being unable to attract new talent. Hybrid working has become so valuable to employees that repeated surveys have found that employees are prepared to leave for better flexible working opportunities if they aren’t offered in their current role.
On top of employee expectations, hybrid working also carries other financial and cultural benefits for organisations. It can reduce estate and facilities costs, as well as enable employee well-being, and support diversity and inclusion.
What are the benefits of hybrid working?
The benefits of hybrid working fall into 2 camps. The benefits for your employees and the benefits for the organisation.
The employee.
- A better work/life balance.
- Fewer distractions = better productivity rates
- No commute means more time for family and friendship commitments
- Travel savings
- IT upskilling
The organisation.
- Financial savings on office space and utilities
- Happy employees = higher work rates and motivation levels
- Reduced absenteeism
- Attracting new talent
Hybrid working appears to offer the best of both worlds. It facilitates connection and working relationships while allowing employees the greater levels of flexibility they crave.
How do I plan for Hybrid Working?
The steps employers need to put into their Hybrid Working planning will vary across sectors. However, there are some universal concerns that all organisations will need to consider.
These include
- Strategy, policies, and expectations.
- What is OUR definition of hybrid working? This may need to look different depending on role and job function. It’s a tricky one for organisations to tackle, but the facts are that even within an organisation, some jobs support hybrid working, and some don’t.
- Training. For line managers this may be around successful hybrid management and leadership. For the hybrid workers themselves, how do you conduct training and enable ongoing professional development?
- Company culture, communication, and engagement.
- The organisational impacts of hybrid working, such as technology, employee wellbeing, inclusion, and facilities.
Hybrid working in detail.
We’ll take a little look at these in more detail.
Hybrid Working policies.
Hybrid working falls into the band of ‘flexible working’. If you already have a flexible working policy in place, it’s up to you whether you adapt your existing policy or establish a Hybrid Working policy that stands on its own.
For more information on which models fall into “flexible working”, read our recent blog on flexible working here.
Whether you are adapting an existing policy or developing a new one here are some points you’ll need to cover.
- What roles or role types are eligible for hybrid working?
- How would an employee request or be eligible for hybrid working?
- How does hybrid working intersect with other types of flexible working?
- How does hybrid work impact other related policies? For example, data protection, IT security, or expenses claims.
- How will hybrid working be managed across the team? It’s likely that hybrid working will be a popular choice. The policy will need to factor in caveats to allow for sufficient staff coverage.
The legal implications of Hybrid Working.
Depending on the flexible working policies you have in place, there may be legal implications for hybrid working. For example, there may need to be contractual changes made to the terms and conditions of employment.
However, hybrid working and other flexible models can be undertaken informally without contractual changes. Whatever route your organisation takes, it’s important that employees and managers understand the differences and the implications of both.
Delving into the nitty gritty, it can get a little complex. For example, employees who work at home 100% of the time normally have their place of work address as their home address on their contract of employment.
There are sometimes implications on insurance and tax as a result of hybrid working. For example, if an employee wishes to work part of their week outside the UK.
The nuances are great. Sometimes it’s best to seek legal advice so you can support your employees through any changes or issues that may arise.
Inclusion and fairness.
Well implemented hybrid working can support inclusion and fairness through its ability to widen opportunities to those unable to work in an office-based role. However, poorly managed hybrid working can have the opposite effect through inequality of workplace opportunity and an “in and out” culture.
To create a positive hybrid model, employers could think about
- Ensuring the equality of workplace opportunity for those at home and on site.
- If you can’t support hybrid working for a particular role, is there an alternative flexible working practice that may be suitable instead?
- The possibility of conflict between employees and having a plan in place to deal with or reduce the risk of any issues that may arise.
If you would like to read more about the impacts of remote working on tech career progression, you may find our recent blog interesting. Alternatively, you may be interested in Will remote working affect tech salaries?
The employee lifecycle.
Hybrid working affects all aspects of the employee lifecycle. As an employer, it’s important to identify where your current practices need to be changed to support hybrid working.
Things to think about are
- Are your hybrid policies clear and have they been well communicated to hiring managers or recruitment partners?
- What would the induction process look like for hybrid workers?
- What do training and development look like for hybrid workers, and how do you implement these to support their long-term career plans?
- Performance management. Are there changes you need to make to the process?
- Reward and recognition. Are your hybrid workers being recognised for their contribution?
As you can see, there is so much more to effective hybrid working than just ensuring your team have a WIFI connection.
There’s masses to think about if you are planning on proofing your organisation for future working models.
Next time in part 2, we’ll discuss how hybrid working will affect
- employee wellbeing,
- performance management,
- technology and equipment,
- manager training and development
- communication
Are you looking for help to find tech talent for your hybrid digital role? We can help. Reach out today.