The pandemic has disrupted the traditional way of 9 to 5 work at the office. It has brought a transformation in the way people worked for all these years. Organizations, as well as employees, have adapted well to the remote, work from home or hybrid work culture. Pandemic has made employees, as well as employers, understand that many jobs can be done from home and organizations can have increased productivity with this setup. In fact, organizations are so happy with the outcome that many have decided to continue work from home or the Hybrid model even after the pandemic ends.
Employees also accepted this new work model with open arms as they have to spend less time travelling and could work from the comfort of their homes. But with all this arises the big question – How to maximise hybrid working employee engagement? But before getting into further discussion let us first understand what exactly is a Hybrid workplace or a Hybrid work model.
A hybrid work model is nothing but a plan scheduled by an organization that incorporates a mixture of remote as well as in-office work for their employees. Each organization has its own rule while following the hybrid setup. Some organizations might allow their employees to choose the day they want to work remotely and come to the office while some organizations have a fixed date set for each employee. Some of the reasons why employees, as well as employers, are happy leading a hybrid workforce are as follows:
How to Boost HR Productivity and Effectiveness?
For Employees
Better work-Life balance
A flexible or hybrid work culture helps the employee to have better control over his/her work schedule. Therefore they can manage their time for personal as well as professional duties.
Better Productivity
The hybrid work model gives employees the freedom to work when they are most productive. They have the flexibility to work when they are comfortable. For example, some might be productive during the early morning while some might be during the evening. Therefore employees can utilise their time according to their convenience.
Increased Job Satisfaction
Earlier people found it difficult to manage personal lives as well as professional lives. Due to flexible work arrangements employees are happy to work from the comfort of their homes and manage their personal lives. This has increased employee job satisfaction.
Reduce exposure to illness
The majority of employees are worried about their health and safety, especially during this ongoing pandemic. They are worried about contracting an infection and therefore prefer working from home or following hybrid work culture for theirs as well as their family’s safety.
For Employers
Lowers expenses on office space
Leading a hybrid workforce lowers the expense of an organization in many ways. Since only a few employees would be coming to the office at a time, having a small office space is enough for a hybrid work model. Hence organizations can save on real estate expenses.
Hire Global talent
The remote or Hybrid work model gives organizations easy access to hire the best talents at different locations. This gives rise to the wider talent pool and therefore organizations have access to specialised skills and this, in turn, improves the overall productivity.
Though there are several Pros of leading a hybrid workforce, organizations are facing one major challenge and that is – Hybrid working Employee Engagement. Although for many industries hybrid work model is the future, organizations should have smart strategies to improve employee engagement.
The Future of Remote Working in India
Let us have a look at how to maximise employee engagement for a hybrid workforce.
Make everyone feel included
An inclusive workplace is where each employee feels valued for the work they do and their suggestions and opinions are taken into consideration. Each employee should be given a chance to speak and give inputs. This gives each employee a sense of inclusion and they feel like a part of the group.
Managers or Team leads can conduct regular meetings during remote work setup and take suggestions from their team members. Creating an environment where employees feel free to talk as well as acknowledging any differences is very important. This helps organizations to improve employee engagement to a great extent.
Use good HR software
There are chances of employees getting distracted from work during Work from home setup while some deliberately take advantage of this. To avoid such situations organizations should switch to HRMS software to track employee performance. There are many software like Performance management systems, Attendance management systems, etc. that track the working hours of employees.
The HR department usually handles such systems and they help the employees to focus on their work. With such software, employees automatically become more sincere towards their work and become more engaged and productive in their work.
Conduct fun sessions and games
One of the major challenges that organizations have to face during the hybrid work culture is encouraging the team to work together without any misunderstandings. Due to remote work, a new employee doesn’t know much about his/her colleague and working with someone whom you don’t know is going to be a tricky affair.
Communication only via email or message might create room for misunderstanding. Therefore organizations should take the initiative to conduct games and bonding activities. This way employees get a chance to know their colleagues and this, in turn, helps them to be more comfortable while working together on a project.
Support employee’s health and wellness
Hybrid work culture is new for most employees as well as employers. People are still getting used to this new work model. Conducting regular feedback to ensure employees are not facing any difficulties is very important.
Employees’ mental health and wellbeing should be given priority as some might find it difficult to adjust to the new way of working. Organizations can ensure this by conducting one to one meetings with the employees and making sure they are not facing any issues in their work lives. This step encourages employees and this improves productivity.
Since more and more companies are shifting to the Hybrid workspace, employee engagement is going to be the priority for most employers. By following the above steps, employers can boost employee engagement and ensure increased productivity. Motivating the hybrid workforce and keeping employees engaged is the way to a successful business.
To read more trending HR-related blogs, click here.
