Ways to Stay Sane When You Work Hybrid

How to stay sane when you work hybrid has become a big question to many people lately. Hybrid working has become quite popular and is on the rise. It is also often used as an interim  solution to keep the COVID risk low and master the back to work challenges. Some growing companies even offer it when they have hired more people than they have office space. This post explains what it means, and breaks down what you need to think about when going into the hybrid work environment.

Disclosure: Sponsored post.

How to Do Hybrid Working Right

Hybrid working is the middle ground between working from home and working in the office. Therefore, this concept has become quite popular since the launch of the COVID lockdowns. For practical reasons like health, childcare and time saving, working from home has become the most popular option. But sometimes a Zoom meeting may fail to cut it all. For instance, a staff member is going crazy staying in their own home all the time. Or, not all of the work can be performed remotely because there is also some practical work to be done.

These and similar situations are where hybrid working comes in.

Effective Communication Is Key

Too many workers are entirely confused as to what they are doing. They know how to do their job, sure, but where and when should they be doing it. In the chaos of everything, middle managers and team leaders forgot how to lead and communicate. Make sure you are laying out exactly when your team members are supposed to be in the office, and when they are supposed to work from home.

Failing to provide this guidance can have lasting consequences for you and them. A miscommunication could mean, for instance,  your disciplining someone for not showing up where they had no idea that they had to come in, or not paying someone for performed work. You get the idea.

And there are further problems to a lack of communication. With no one freely available to speak to, employees can get overwhelmed. Consequently, they can gain symptoms of anxiety that could lead to burnout. Therefore, check in with your staff members regularly. Perhaps set up a weekly meeting simply for people to catch up and voice any ideas on how things should be going in the office.

Take What They Want on Board

While we’re taking suggestions from the staff, it’s important when you’re starting to get one-to-one meetings with every staff member to determine what they want to get out of this. COVID has become a human rights issue, starting with whether someone feels safe in the office due to health reasons and ending with if they’d prefer to work from home for the sake of a work/life balance.

Therefore, it’s important to go into these decisions with their input. Someone might want to come into the office as little as possible due to their health, others might not like working at home alone, etc.

The Practicalities of Hot Desking

Hot desking is a new concept that you might not have even heard of if your office isn’t already doing it. Essentially, no one has an assigned desk anymore due to the hybrid working pattern. Some people are in the office today, some people tomorrow.

There are two ways to solve the problem: You can either declare a free for all, where everyone just sits where they can find an empty space. As long as there are no arguments about proximity to the bathrooms or the good view, this rule should be simple enough. However, to avoid complications you might want to designate tables; like Janet is sitting at desk 1 on Mondays and Tuesdays while John is sitting at desk 1 for Wednesdays and Thursdays, etc.

However, the idea of first comes, firsts gets might be advantageous from both an office peace and logistic point-of-view. If John, for instance, has to change his days in the office due to a dentist appointment, friction might come up when Janet can’t or doesn’t want to switch her day due to her own prior plans and/or commitments.

Clear Out the Desks

Another thing to think about is the content of people’s desks. If you have ever actually cleared people’s drawers, because someone forgot/ignored to do so upon leaving the company, you would see that there is more than files and stationery. People are keeping all kind of stuff in and under their desks. Typical examples are painkillers, hot water bottles for the cold days, desk fans for the hot days, hand sanitizer and cream, masks, tissues. In cold climate regions, there may be even dress shoes to avoid cold feet from sweating in boots when going home. Often those items have collected over the employee’s tenure at the company.

Because no desk is their own anymore, a smart solution might be to clear the desks, and instead set up a communal area of supplies. The same way the office supplies teabags and coffee, you can supply paracetamol, masks, hand sanitizer and extra things that one needs commonly in the office. Being able to treat yourself with selfcare essentials boosts the calm of any employee.

Rethink Your Equipment

Another aspect is the equipment itself. When the lockdowns were first enforced, offices around the country quickly saw PCs tossed out, and replaced with laptops. It’s impractical to haul a monitor and PC home and to work, and vice versa. Right?

While exchanging PCs with laptops is a Must for hybrid working, it does leave companies with the question of what to do with all that extra tech. If they’re still in good condition, and enough space to store them, you could hope time without use won’t outdate their potential for future use, for instance, tempo ray workers, who visit your company to boost their career with an international internship. Alternatively, you can donate them. A lot of places would gladly take in old PCs, including libraries, schools, after school projects, charities, etc.

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