By Lee Jonson
With the traditional 9 to 5 culture coming to a complete halt because of the COVID-19 pandemic, many industries and startups are opting for a hybrid work model. The hybrid workforce meaning is to have a workforce that is working from home and also in the office at specified periods. This is changing the outlook on what healthy work environments should be like. Which virtual and in-office rules and perks are essential to the office, what should be the extent of autonomy given to the employees and many such questions arise.
The objective of increasing work productivity can not be achieved without creating a safe and healthy environment for your employees to work in. The efficiency of a workforce is entirely dependent on the morale and motivation of the employees that make it whole. I’m sure you’re wondering what a healthy hybrid work environment is supposed to be like; worry not, this article will tell you all about it!
WHAT DOES A HYBRID WORK MODEL MEAN?
The hybrid work model combines the traditional 9 to 5 and work from home culture in an efficient way to be convenient for employees. It gives the employees flexible hours to complete their work and a specific timing decided for in-office work and/or meetings. It’s a really good model especially for people working in the media or the tech industry. It is convenient and also provides a pressure-free environment for employees to work in.
A hybrid work model also offers them more room to improve and grow according to their own pace. Many people dislike interacting with people and the 9 to 5 culture inevitably forces them to be surrounded by many people for the duration of their work hours. Having the option of not directly interacting with your colleagues while you’re working is a preferable choice for many introverts!
HOW DO YOU CREATE A HEALTHY HYBRID WORK ENVIRONMENT?
Are you unsure of what you should do to make sure your hybrid work environment is safe and healthy? Worry not, we’re here to help you out! So here are 6 effective tips to create a healthy hybrid work environment:
- Communication is the key.
For a hybrid workforce to be a safe space that breeds productivity, active communication plays an extremely important role. Communicating with your employees and creating a space where they can express themselves as well as the first and foremost step to creating a healthy work environment. Active communication helps you understand your employees’ needs and also helps you convey your vision and expectations from the workforce to them.
- Don’t pick and choose! Be inclusive.
Inclusivity is essential to upholding morale and motivating your employees. Letting them be a part of all the activities in the enterprise is a way of making them feel valued and included. It makes them more likely to be more involved in the work and everything related to it.
- Host informal interactive meetings.
Having informal meetings where employees can interact with each other and know each other well is very important to create a safe space and a healthy work environment. Knowing each other’s interests and strengths can help maximise their potential. It will also be extremely helpful when you’re trying to delegate or host events. It can create a healthy bond between employees and reduces the possibilities of workplace conflicts.
- Creativity has no hierarchy!
Any and every employee is creative in their way, and all of them are capable of coming up with creative ideas. A hierarchical system, where only some employees engage in brainstorming sessions, limits the potential of many others who don’t get a chance to express and showcase their creativity. Letting all your employees have a say in the creative process is a good idea to increase productivity in the workforce.
- Have meetings to discuss negative and positive changes and help the employees grow and learn.
Having separate meetings with every team and/or department to help them understand and work on their flaws is always helpful in creating a healthy hybrid work environment. If employees feel demoralized their productivity would decrease too. Encouraging their good work and helping them understand the negative aspects of their work is important to create a productive hybrid work environment.
- Hold creative workshops to help the employees learn valuable skills.
Organizing and hosting creative workshops for your employees to help them learn valuable skills increases their potential and makes them more versatile. Many people prefer remote work because they’re socially anxious or introverted like minimal interaction. Many people have trouble managing their time and showing up to the office on time. Hosting workshops to help them learn vital skills like these are important for them to grow and be more efficient and productive.
CONCLUSION
A hybrid workforce’s meaning is a work schedule where both remote work and in-office work are combined to increase flexibility and efficiency. To make a productive work environment, it’s important to create a positive safe space for learning and a healthy work environment. This can be achieved through active communication, inclusivity, giving your employees the resources, feedback, support and upliftment they need to grow and improve.
Well, that’s the gist of what you need to create a productive hybrid work environment, we hope this article proved helpful to you!
