Hybrid Schedule Benefits and Best Practices
Hybrid work is the practice where employees work some days in an office and some days at home. This model is here to stay, and the shift happened in just a few years. According to Gallup, before 2020 only around one-third of remote-capable employees were on a hybrid schedule, and 8% worked fully remote. As of February 2022, 42% had a hybrid schedule, and 39% worked entirely from home. It’s projected that work from home numbers will go down by the end of the year as more companies figure out what will work best for them and their employees. In a majority of cases, a hybrid work model is the solution of choice. We decided it might be helpful to write this blog explaining the benefits of hybrid work, as well as the best practices that can make it work for your organization.
What are the Benefits of a Hybrid Work Schedule?
There are many physical and mental hybrid work schedule benefits for both employers and employees. These include better employee wellness, a more competitive ability to recruit and retain talent, and even increased productivity.
Better Employee Wellness: Before the pandemic, MIT was already engaged in research about the benefits of a hybrid work schedule. They found employees in a hybrid work model slept better, experienced less burnout, and spent less money going to the doctor.
Recruiting and Retaining Talent: The same study from MIT found that employees working in a hybrid model were 33% less likely to quit compared to those on a traditional schedule. Another poll from Condeco found that over 80% of employees at all levels of the organization want a hybrid schedule. Whether you’re making new hires or want to retain key talent, offering hybrid work is a perk to some, and an expectation to others.
Increased Productivity: It’s estimated that employees who work an average of 1.4 days a month more than their in-office counterparts, leading to three weeks of additional work per year. When employees are able to set their own hours to some extent and work around the events in their life, it means they can be more focused during the times they are working.
A hybrid work schedule allows employees to experience these benefits while also gaining the social connection and cultural benefits of being in the office a few days a week.
What Is a Typical Hybrid Work Schedule?
There are many hybrid work model examples to consider, each with its own kind of schedule.
Split Team: Some members of the organization or department are fully remote, while others are fully in the office.
Hybrid Shifts: Everyone is in the office some days at the same time, and works remotely on the other days.
Flexible: Employees are expected to work in the office a certain number of days each week, but they get to decide which days those are based on their schedule.
Overall, flexible hybrid work seems to be what is the most desired by employees. At the same time, this model can compromise some of the benefits of being in the office. If the point is to connect with your colleagues and collaborate, but no one else is in the office that day, the desired effect won’t be achieved. This is why each company must develop a model that works for its goals. At Moser, we offer our employees the choice to come to the office if they want, but also allow flexibility for workers to be fully remote if they desire. This not only keeps our staff happy, but allows us to recruit new employees wherever the best talent can be found.
What is known is how many days employees prefer to work from home versus in the office. According to data reported by VentureBeat, spending three or four days a week working from home and coming into the office for one or two days is most desired, from entry-level up to the C-suite. For instance, you might require everyone to be in the office Monday and Tuesday, and then let them work from home the rest of the week.
How Do You Propose a Hybrid Work Schedule?
The approach to proposing a hybrid work schedule is different for an employee versus company leadership.
For Employees: If you are proposing a hybrid work schedule to your boss, the first thing to consider is timing. If they have just announced everyone will be required to work from the office full-time again, as much as you might not want to do so, this is probably not the right time to make the hybrid proposal. This is because of our second tip, be specific about the benefits. If you can demonstrate that hybrid work leads to better outcomes, you are more likely to make a successful appeal. Lastly, offer a trial run. This gives your organization a chance to see the benefits for themselves without feeling they have made a permanent decision.
For Managers: In the case of managers, it’s more likely you are trying to get employees back in the office. It’s important to start this initiative with an understanding of what employees need and prefer. After two years of remote work, people have gotten good at working from home. Will you be reducing your workload to account for time spent commuting and lost productivity due to distractions in the office? It’s also important to come to the table with clear benefits you want this change to achieve. Simply insisting employees come back to the office as a matter of control might cause more losses than gains. Companies can also consider presenting a hybrid model as a trial run, gathering employee feedback after a month or quarter to see if the change is going well.
What Should Be Included in a Hybrid Work Policy?
There are several hybrid work schedule best practices to document in writing as your company moves forward, including:
Eligibility criteria for hybrid work
Expectations of hours worked and hours of availability for meetings
Technical requirements and software which must be used for communication
Days it is expected to be in the office, as well as clear methods of tracking
Access to key resources, including channels for providing feedback
If you’re looking for a hybrid work policy template, SHRM, the Society for Human Resource Management, has provided one you can copy-paste. They also have many other excellent resources for teams currently using or migrating to a hybrid model.
Moser Consulting Can Support Your Hybrid Schedule
Whether you need help with the IT setup for your hybrid team, or want support on your tech company’s business structure and organizational culture, Moser Consulting can help. We have decades of experience helping organizations weather change, from the big picture to the small details. Our top talent, combined with leading technology, can be a valuable resource for you as hybrid work transforms your business for the better. Contact us today!
