Hybrid working

Why is everyone talking about hybrid working?

As we move towards a post-Covid world, it looks like hybrid working – in which some or all staff split their week between home and the office – will be the new normal. Companies including Google and Siemens have said their employees will be working from home for part of the week, and many organisations are planning to reduce their office spaces and change how they are used.

What does it mean for employers?

It might sound like a simple case of creating a rota for who is in when, but getting hybrid working right takes careful planning – and getting it wrong can have serious implications. Leaders need to consider a range of issues including how to deliver it fairly, without exacerbating existing inequalities or developing an in-vs-out influence gap. They also need to plan how to use the office and opportunities for formal and informal collaboration. 

So what should you do?

Make sure your leadership team agree on what hybrid working means and how it will work within your organisation. Upskill your teams on hybrid job design, and implement a team-based approach to deciding which parts of roles should be done where, when and by whom. Train managers to support and communicate with people they don’t see every day. And reframe key people processes, such as recruitment and reward, to support a hybrid approach.