Little by little, things seem to be returning to what used to be our normality. What do I mean by this? People work from offices, leaving their homes daily to earn a living. After spending over a year confined to their homes, many people find the transition back to office work abrupt, and honestly, not everyone wants to return.
Some of us learned to enjoy remote work and even developed a routine based on it, so what happens when our bosses call us to work conventionally? Or rather, what happens when our employees do not respond to our call? What strategy can we develop so productivity levels do not decline and we can resume the previous work rhythm?
As with many things in life, middle points may have the solution.
We have discussed the effectiveness of hybrid work routines as we adapt to a time without the need for preventive quarantine.. We advised freelancers and other workers on some ways to create a hybrid work routine that will suit their specific needs.
We want to address the other side of organizations, those who manage and rule the roost. How can we balance new, comfortable remote work and the already known and necessary conventional work?
Here we tell you.
Understand Your Team’s Needs
You may think that by maintaining constant contact with the people who make up your company, you know and understand what they feel, but this is not always the case. To develop an effective plan, you need to know your team’s needs and come to understand them. Only then will you make an empathetic and responsible decision simultaneously.
The main thing you should do is seek to engage in conversation about this before giving a final order. You can do it through a group or individual videoconference or by talking however you prefer. In this conversation, ask these people directly what their chances of returning to work in the offices are, what their disposition is, and what their feelings are about it.
In this way, you will be surveying your team’s spirits regarding this idea and their possibilities for carrying it out. This will also save misunderstandings and long-term problems.
You can start by asking your team:
- How have you been feeling about relationships with your colleagues lately?
- Do you think you used to be more productive before quarantine, or now?
- How comfortable are you now with your work routine?
- Would you be able to return to work in our offices?
Other questions of that style may arise spontaneously during the conversation. It’s important to remember that you can never please everyone except by making such an important decision. Understanding and having empathy with your employees will favor relationships and indicators of commitment to the company, which will benefit overall productivity.
Highlight Structure’s Importance
Prioritizing health is essential, and your company should focus on the mental well-being of your employees. However, avoid letting emotions dictate your actions. Maintaining order and discipline is crucial for your workplace to operate effectively and improve consistently.
Your workers must know that you care how they feel and that they work in an environment in which they feel comfortable and listened to. However, you must make decisions as adults and give in to specific situations you may not like.
Teams must maintain discipline and structure to develop an effective hybrid work strategy. Because this strategy often personalizes according to each worker’s needs and capabilities, it requires greater organization and practicality. Everyone should be on the same page, even though they are in the office at different times and days.
Be Flexible
I previously stated that a work environment should always have structure and order, even in a creative and open setting. However, we can occasionally review and reform the rules. Today’s changing landscape makes it unreasonable for us to strictly adhere to the regulations we followed before being confined to our homes.
Reaching certain agreements and allowing you to adapt your rules to better suit your company’s and the world’s current situation will help your company move more easily towards a hybrid way of working.
For instance, if the company previously required in-person attendance and limited sick leave or vacation time, you should reconsider these policies. Your team has shown that they can effectively keep the company running, even while working from a distance.
Just as your team must adhere to the rules, you can balance the company’s needs with their own and reach a point where both parties receive what is fair and necessary.
It’s important not to confuse presence with engagement in the company. The most dedicated and efficient workers often show the least amount of engagement through social media or comments at meetings or workshops.
Employees demonstrate their engagement through their results, work performance, and attitude toward their tasks. Whether they work from home or in the office, dedicated and efficient workers consistently deliver good results. It’s essential to identify these individuals.
The unexpected changes of the past eighteen months have established hybrid work as the new standard. As life continues to move forward at a rapid pace, freelancers and companies need to adapt to this new way of working. So, what are you waiting for?
See more articles by Andrea Corona.
