Here are some tips to help employers make a smooth transition to more hybrid working and to feel more relaxed about this set-up:

Offices throughout the UK have adjusted to hybrid working thanks to the changes to our working lives brought about by the pandemic. However, there is still unease among some employers about productivity, ease of communication and some of the practical matters that need to be dealt with when teams are working more remotely.

Here are some tips to help employers make a smooth transition to more hybrid working and to feel more relaxed about this set-up:

Put the right tools in place. Establishing the following will give you the right foundation for hybrid working success:

• Business mobile tariffs with flexible contract terms
• Hosted telephony
• Mobile WI-FI
• Microsoft Teams with VOIP Integration
• Beefed up security measures to protect your business data
• Shared documents

Set expectations clearly and reiterate them

Making sure your teams have clear guidelines and boundaries and are aware of your policies and expectations regarding deadlines, working hours, meeting attendance, response times, etc, will give everyone a clear framework. Remember, if you want your teams to adhere to certain working practices it is important to make sure you do the same as managers.

Keep talking

Silo working is a big risk of hybrid and home-working and it isn’t simply about people not wanting to be managed or overseen – it can be a sign of diligence, too. Some team members just want to get their head down and plough through tasks rather than to talk about the work in hand. However, this isn’t always the smartest way of operating as far as the wider company is concerned, so, again, it is important to lead by example on this. Communicate with your staff often, let them know of any changes, successes, or plans, offer them support and broker collaboration with colleagues where appropriate.

Be flexible

One of the reasons many employees favour hybrid working is the flexibility it can bring. It is wise to allow this flexibility when it comes to working patterns. By all means have a defined plan in place, but some give and take around how employees complete their hours makes for a cohesive workplace.

Track progress

If, as an employer, you are nervous about your staff being ‘out of sight, out of mind’, then put a work schedule in place, detailing what tasks are to be achieved against a timeline.

Over-monitoring can be counter-productive

While you might want to be kept in the loop it isn’t helpful – either for employees’ productivity or their mental health – to have the boss ‘breathing down their neck’ with rapid-fire texts or long, daily video chats. Establish set channels of communication for particular types of discussions, ask teams how they prefer to be communicated with and allow them to get on with the tasks in hand, while making it clear that managers are on hand for support and structure. Quarterly staff surveys can be useful to help you get an anonymous insight into how your teams are faring.

Celebrate successes

Look for reasons to celebrate your team members successes and broadcast them. This is something you probably do as a matter of course when you are all working in the office. Keep this going while you are working remotely – everyone functions better when they feel appreciated.

Get in touch today to find out how Uplands Communications can help you keep your business communications running smoothly: https://www.uplands.co.uk/contact-us/