If you’re a business owner, you know there’s always more to do than there is time to do it.
That’s why many owners are turning to hybrid work schedules to get more done.
Not only can a hybrid work schedule lead to happier employees, but it can also increase productivity.
But what exactly is a hybrid work schedule, and how can you make it work for your business?
- What Is a Hybrid Work Schedule?
- What Really Happens When Employees Are Put on a Hybrid Work Schedule?
- What Are the Benefits of a Hybrid Work Schedule?
- What Are the Negatives of Hybrid Working?
- How Do You Make a Hybrid Schedule?
- How To Manage a Hybrid Work Schedule
- Hybrid Work Schedule Best Practices
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Wrapping Up
What Is a Hybrid Work Schedule?
A hybrid work schedule allows employees to work their regular hours during the week, with flexibility for working from home.
The most significant difference between hybrid and remote work is that hybrid work requires in-office time, while remote workers complete all work from home.
The time a worker spends in-office vs. at home will depend on the business’s guidelines.
In many cases, managers and staff will come to an agreement together.
What Really Happens When Employees Are Put on a Hybrid Work Schedule?
When employees go onto a hybrid schedule, they’re no longer under the watchful eye of supervisors.
Some companies will require employees to be available or online between set hours, while others will allow staff to set their hours.
What Are the Benefits of a Hybrid Work Schedule?
By the end of 2021, 45 percent of US employees worked from home all or part of the time.
More than 90 percent preferred the work-from-home model, with a preference for hybrid work.
So, let’s look at a hybrid schedule’s most significant benefits.
1. Better Productivity
Productivity is one of the biggest benefits of a hybrid work environment.
A study by Owl Labs showed that 90 percent of workers surveyed were equally or more productive when working from home.
This increase is due to an ability to choose or change work hours.
2. More Flexibility
Hybrid work environments provide far more flexibility than in-office environments.
When you allow your staff to take advantage of flexible working arrangements, you can facilitate an environment more conducive to productivity.
3. Better for Parents
A hybrid work option is highly beneficial to parents and families.
Employees with childcare concerns or other family commitments can choose a flexible schedule to manage their workloads and personal obligations better.
4. Lowers Costs for Business
One of the biggest perks for business owners is a hybrid schedule will lower overhead costs.
Your electricity, HVAC, and water bills will all go down with remote work.
In addition, your consumable use will decrease because you’ll use fewer paper and food products.
5. Improved Company Culture
Employers who adopt a hybrid work schedule will find that their employees are happier and more productive, leading to better company performance.
Increased performance and happiness can lead to a more flexible and efficient company culture.
6. More Efficiency
A hybrid work schedule facilitates efficiency by eliminating the risk of lateness.
Staff can hop online at their scheduled time without worrying about traffic or public transportation.
In addition, people tend to be more efficient when working in a comfortable environment.
7. Reduced Environmental Impact
Hybrid work schedules have environmental benefits, too, because remote work helps lower your carbon footprint.
Remote work will limit vehicles on the road, decrease your in-house energy costs, and allow you to shift to a smaller facility if necessary.
What Are the Negatives of Hybrid Working?
Hybrid work has plenty of benefits, but there are some downsides to this work arrangement to consider before making the switch.
1. Work-Life Balance
One major drawback of hybrid work arrangements is maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
For example, some workers struggle to step away at the end of the day, making it difficult to disconnect entirely.
This imbalance can lead to increased stress levels and difficulty relaxing after work.
2. Reliance on Technology for Work
Remote work requires a heavy reliance on technology.
Unfortunately, unless the employer is willing to offer a stipend or necessary equipment, that reliance on tech could cause undue stress and burden for staff.
3. Team Building Can Be Difficult
Team building can be a challenge with remote work.
Despite the availability of chat and video conferencing tools, there’s still an air of impersonality to hybrid work.
The nuances of in-person interactions don’t exist, making it difficult to cultivate relationships.
4. Collaboration is Tricky
A hybrid work schedule can make team collaboration more complicated.
Since your staff will complete most of their work remotely, they may find it harder to build relationships and work effectively in teams.
5. It Can Be Hard To Keep Up With the Schedule
Remote work requires discipline and cooperation between employees and supervisors.
Employers need to be sure their staff can keep up with work schedules.
If one link in that chain can’t keep up with the hybrid schedule, the entire chain could falter.
6. It Doesn’t Work for All Industries
Hybrid schedules don’t work for all industries.
Many workplaces can shift to hybrid seamlessly, but some will struggle.
For example, sales jobs could be tricky to do from home because success often relies on face-to-face interactions.
On the other hand, bloggers usually don’t work in an office because they can write from anywhere.
Potential for Fewer Opportunities for Advancement
The limited in-person interactions of a hybrid schedule can lead to limited advancement opportunities.
This can be disheartening to employees who want to excel yet feel their accomplishments aren’t seen by their supervisors.
How Do You Make a Hybrid Schedule?
Creating a hybrid schedule requires flexibility, cooperation, and a bit of trial and error.
Here are a few suggestions to keep in mind when developing your schedule.
1. Set KPIs
Set key performance indicators (KPIs) that your staff can adhere to.
KPIs will give you a clear indication as to whether your employees are meeting their goals.
In addition, they’ll tell you whether a hybrid schedule works for your team.
2. Test Different Schedules
Different schedules work for different people.
So, when you initially switch to hybrid work, be prepared to test out a few different schedules before settling on one that works.
3. Figure Out What Works For the Most Employees
Survey your employees to find out what works best for the bulk of your staff.
For example, if only a few employees prefer hybrid work, you can offer a hybrid option to those who want it while allowing other employees to work in the office as they please.
4. Figure Out What Boosts Productivity
As with determining a basic schedule, you want to figure out the best productivity hacks to unlock efficiency.
Whether it’s two in-person days a week or a set number of hours, you want to choose the option that best benefits your company.
Check out some blogs about productivity if you need ideas.
5. Try a Cohort Schedule
A cohort schedule is a set hybrid schedule all workers follow.
Everyone will work from home on the same days when you choose a cohort schedule.
In addition, you might not offer the option to work from home on sick or personal days.
6. Try a Staggered Schedule
Staggered schedules are similar to cohorts in that they’re structured.
However, in-office and remote days will vary by employee.
For example, you could allow employees to choose their in-office days or require a certain number of employees to be in the office daily.
7. Try a Flexible Schedule
One of the critical tenets of hybrid work is flexibility.
It allows staff to work in a way that suits them best.
So when developing your hybrid work schedules, consider allowing employees to take complete control over how much time they spend in the office.
How To Manage a Hybrid Work Schedule
Here are a few tips you can share with your employees to manage an efficient hybrid work schedule.
1. Categorize Your Tasks
Creating a categorized task list is an excellent way to get organized.
First, order the list from most urgent to least.
Once you complete your list, you’ll have a clear picture of what needs to be completed and when.
2. Prioritize Your Tasks
If you’re working remotely, it’s easy to get distracted by things that aren’t urgent.
So, take a look at your list of projects and prioritize those that are more urgent.
This will ensure everything gets wrapped up in a timely fashion.
3. Focus on Communication
Communicating with others about work projects helps ensure all tasks get completed.
If someone doesn’t know how often you will be available, they might expect too much from you or get frustrated when they can’t reach you.
4. Use Technological Tools
When adopting a hybrid remote schedule, be prepared to adopt new technology, too.
You’ll need the best tools to keep your productivity on track, which could involve stepping far outside your company’s comfort zone.
Also, scheduling software can make the transition smoother.
5. Set Expectations
Set realistic expectations for others and yourself to prevent frustrations or burnout.
Also, clarify all expectations regarding your job performance and responsibilities with your manager.
When expectations are clear, productivity will go up.
6. Be Open to Changes
In addition to offering flexible work schedules, you should also be open to changes as an employee.
Many hybrid work schedules are a work in progress at first so do your best to be willing to make changes as needed.
7. Get in a Routine
Staff and management must all find a daily routine when adopting a hybrid schedule.
A comfortable routine looks different for each organization, so as you embark on your hybrid work journey, you must focus on what routine works best for everyone.
Hybrid Work Schedule Best Practices
Take a look at the following best practices to help ensure your hybrid schedule succeeds.
Coordinating shared office time can help your employees work better together, especially if a lot of work is based on teamwork.
So if you’re making a cohort or staggered schedule, ensure employees who need to work together or coordinate are in the office simultaneously.
2. Put Effort Into Team Building
Team building is essential to creating a positive company culture.
So, try to engage with teammates and colleagues online, even if this means making time for video conference calls or other digital communications.
3. Set Clear Start and End Times for Each Day
Make your work hour expectations clear so there’s clarity about when the work day ends.
Also, make a conscious effort to create work-life boundaries by limiting work hours or scheduling regular work breaks during the day.
4. Use the Right Tools
As with choosing the right technological tools, you need to factor in all necessary tools that will allow hybrid work to succeed.
This includes considering company phones, laptops, or scheduling software or platforms to make it easy for everyone to see who will be in the office at what time.
5. Avoid Going Back to Old Methods of Productivity Measurement
Hybrid work requires a new mindset in every aspect of your business.
That includes how you measure productivity in the workplace.
In many areas, you’ll need to avoid shifting back to your old measurement methods because those methods won’t apply.
6. Don’t Give Different Opportunities Based on the Amount of Time Spent In-Office
Equity in the workplace is key to creating a well-oiled machine.
In-office staff can be just as productive as remote.
Refrain from showing a preference for in-person staff when laying out or offering new opportunities.
Instead, focus on productivity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you still have questions about how to pull off a hybrid work schedule? Here are a few more answers.
How many days are staff in the office on a hybrid schedule?
Employers and workers should work together to determine how many days staff should be in the office.
In some cases, employers might require half days. In others, they might only require two in-office days per week.
How does a hybrid working model work?
A hybrid work model allows workers to balance working from home and working in the office.
It will enable staff to work in an environment that suits them best.
Wrapping Up
A hybrid schedule is an excellent way for staff and management to reach their highest potential.
Productivity will increase, along with your employees’ quality of work and your overall company culture.
So if you’ve been considering a hybrid work schedule, use the information in this article to determine how hybrid work can benefit you.
Has your workplace implemented a hybrid work schedule?
Leave a comment below to let readers know how it worked out.
