'You don't want the remote workers to be 'second class'
How can employers ensure business success in the hybrid work model?
Being transparent is one at the top of the list, said Brock Murray, co-founder and COO of seoplus+, a digital marketing agency, in talking with HRD Canada.
“Being transparent about our long-term vision for the program… was a big thing.
“When we thought of implementing [a hybrid setup], it wasn't just about ‘How's it going to be right now?’ It's also about ‘How do we see it in one year? In five years?’ So trying to set the right messaging, it gave us some flexibility over time.”
Like a lot of companies, seoplus+ was a fully in-office company prior to the pandemic. Forced to turn to remote work during the health crisis, it had a vision of bringing workers back to the office to some degree in the future.
“What we wanted to do was hybrid. We knew, eventually, we'd want to go back to the office to some degree.”
In May, the Royal Bank of Canada started requiring employees in hybrid work arrangements to “come together in person for the majority of the time”.
Technology matters for hybrid model
To be able to do hybrid work, the company needed to have the right technology in place. And as a digital company, it did.
“We already had some of the remote tools, for example, being on Google Workspace and having Google Meet already set up. And people are used to using it. It’s already built in the processes, having Slack for internal communication, already set up.
“For us as a digital agency, we were a little bit quicker to adopt based on already having some of those softwares rolled out. Whereas some of the more traditional businesses, say insurance where they're pushing paper and things of that sort, I think it was a lot more of a struggle to adopt their processes, their workflow.”
There also needs to be a change in mentality for “old school” employers who want to have people in their seats to watch them and know what they’re doing, he says.
Get feedback from employees
When it comes to planning how the hybrid work setup would go, it’s also important for employers to hear from their employees, said Murray.
“Including them as well around very small things,” he said, such as video cameras for meetings, dress codes and expectations for response times.
“The issues or challenges we were having, including them in there helped us create a better policy.”
Over three-quarters (77%) of digital employees want to participate in creating their hybrid work model, according to a previous report.
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Be inclusive with hybrid work model
When employers implement a hybrid work model, it’s important for them to treat all workers – whether they may be working in the office or working remotely – equally, said Murray.
“You don't want the remote workers to be ‘second class’ to a certain degree.”
Employers should make sure that when they’re planning things, everyone has a chance to participate.
“We host monthly social events. We want to try to make it inclusive to those team members [who are not in the office],” said Murray. “So even if we invest in extending the environment, [we] try to make accommodations for them to come if they want.
And in doing that, communication is really important, he said, such as setting up meetings.
“For example, every Monday morning, our entire team hops on a call. Everyone's got their cameras on, we chat, we give kudos, we give thanks to try to build a positive culture of gratitude. I think that's really important.”
Gain buy in-from managers
Ensuring that managers are on board employers’ hybrid work plans is also key, said Murray.
When managers are onboard, it is easier for them to manage their people, he said, adding the biggest success has been when the manager is bringing their team into the office. These teams have lunch together, have fun together and build camaraderie with each other, he said.
This setup is much better than just requiring one or two members of a team to be in the office on certain days so they have to sit alone at their workstations in the office “and do the same work they would do at home”.
“What’s the value of making them sit in their seat?”
HR and business leaders must work together to develop hybrid work policies, because having a one-size-fits-all approach might not be the best way to go, according to a previous report.
