As you are working through your hybrid work arrangement plan, think through a few hybrid planning best practices for your team. Here are three that you can implement.
1. Make Special Arrangements for COVID
As companies navigate the return to the office post-COVID, there are a couple of special considerations you should think about as you plan your hybrid work arrangement.
First, be considerate of different employee needs and health situations. Some employees might have special COVID-related health issues or family obligations that prevent them from returning to the office without some challenges. Provide a safe environment for discussion where the team can talk about what’s on their mind. You might want to consider a phased plan for some employees on an exception basis (if the business requirements can support it) to work more remotely for the first few months as they ease into the hybrid plan.
Second, plan for your in-office health practices. For example, consider your office logistics, including capacity limits, social distancing requirements, office pathways, sanitizing stations, mask policies, and vaccine policies. You might want to consider having some outdoor meetings and team-building activities to decrease the risk of virus transmission.
Whatever you end up doing, make sure you communicate your health plans to your team ahead of time.
2. Document a Hybrid Work Policy
Consider planning and documenting a hybrid work policy that will cover the answer to the following question: What will your team do in the office versus remotely?
Your policy would apply to both operation-based and project-based work and cover the rules of engagement among your team.
The policy’s goal would be to maximize the benefits of the team being together in the office.
For example, office work would prioritize in-person collaboration activities, meetings, and one-on-one discussions. Remote work would prioritize focused time with limited interruptions and meetings. You might even want to consider a “meeting-free” remote day once a week where you limit internal meetings unless they’re necessary.
The policy would also define how and when you’ll communicate, including explaining what technology tools to use and when to use them. For example, the policy could outline when to use group chat and email to communicate with your team.
Once it’s ready, you should document the hybrid work policy so that you set clear expectations with everyone on your team.
Tip #3: Communicate your Hybrid Planning Transparently
Finally, when you’re done planning your hybrid work arrangement, share the options and plans with your team (or people managers if you have a large team) to gather feedback.
Focus on transparency and openness throughout this process. Prioritizing those discussions will help keep everyone in the loop and increase trust among your team members.
Explain that this will be a learning process and that there might be challenges along the way. There’s a high chance that you will not address everyone’s needs, and explaining this upfront will help manage expectations and minimize disappointment.
This is an excerpt from my book: Hybrid Work Management: How to Manage a Hybrid Team in the New Workplace
