Remote work revolutionized the way people look at their work-life balance and put the spotlight on the unnecessary stress and costs involved with commuting and working on-site. Unringing the bell simply isn’t possible and businesses are left to figure out how to best handle this on a long-term basis. And this is how organizations have come up with a hybrid work strategy.

The rise of the hybrid work strategy

According to the Harvard Business Review, 40 percent of managers report that they don’t have the skills to successfully manage a remote team. They have to look at many new factors:

• how they work with remote workers
• onboarding of new employees
• meetings to schedule management and employee working preferences

The good news is, there’s a way to shift back into the office without taking remote work completely off the table. Hybrid work grants employees the opportunity to both work remotely sometimes and come back to the office.

Here’s what you need to know about developing a remote hybrid strategy that works for your organization.

The great debates

There are a lot of questions about how hybrid work can be executed and best rolled out in the workplace. Here are some of the main concerns.

Staffing

Companies are worried that hybrid work will continue to make employee oversight difficult. How can employees be fully onboarded and integrated into company culture while some are working remotely and others on-site? Without a supervisor to make sure everyone stays on task, how will anyone be compelled to perform at their best level?

Yet, there are ways to make onboarding efficient again.

Productivity and motivation

Managers are concerned about productivity and whether employees can maintain it while working from home. Also, a recent study found that 41 percent of managers are skeptical about whether remote workers can stay motivated long-term.

Hence, all you need to do is keep both remote and on-site employees connected to the company’s life.

Expenses

A large number of businesses are battling one major dilemma. If employees are demanding remote work, what happens to the office space? The rent or mortgage is still being collected. Other bills still pile up. Is the cost of an office still justified?

Develop a winning hybrid work strategy

While all these concerns are valid, companies have found that a hybrid work strategy solves many of them. If you’re interested in exploring such a strategy, here are a few important details to keep in mind.

Choose your model

The Digital Workplace explains that there are a few models to consider, including:

• 50/50 – half time at the office, half at home
• 60/40 – three days per week coming at the office, two days working from home
• 40/60 – two days per week coming at the office, three days working from home

Choose the model that works best for your workforce and business needs.

Keep it secure

While much of the work done in the modern office already exists in the cloud, the key here is to make sure it’s secure. A global study found that 31 percent of organizations have seen up to 24 percent increase in security alerts and attacks. Ensure your company’s cyber security, regardless if you stay remote or shift to hybrid.

Update communication

With some employees in the office and some at home, it’s important that everyone is able to communicate effectively. This would work best with a team communication platform, like Hubgets, accessible anywhere. It also requires greater alignment on meetings and ensuring that everyone is heard, even if they’re calling in.

Make collaboration easy

According to Buffer, 20 percent of respondents report collaboration being their top challenge when working remotely. Make sure that collaboration is easy and the necessary tools are accessible to remote workers as well.

Articulate expectations

Once you determine the model you’ll use, you need to set guidelines for employees.

When do they need to be available, regardless of where they’re working? Do employees need to be working by a certain time? Is there a single day of the week when employees are required to be in the office?

In addition to setting expectations around working hours, what other expectations do you have? Do these expectations vary from one department to another?

A hybrid work handbook can help you get those expectations on paper and distributed easily and effectively.

Build your strategy

Hybrid work may be the answer to your remote work concerns. However, it requires as much planning as deploying a completely remote team.

Use these tips and ideas to determine what your hybrid work strategy will look like. Next, create a plan that works for you and your employees.