What Is Hybrid Work Style?
The hybrid working model is a work style that allows employees to work from both at home, and in the office. This means that the employees are required to go to the office on some days of the week and the rest of the days they are allowed to work from home. Depending on the company, this hybrid arrangement may be implemented on an alternate week basis, meaning that employees from the same departments will work in the office one week and employees from other departments will work from home. The following week, those who worked from home will work in the office and those who worked in the office will work from home. Another way companies implement hybrid working is by allowing employees to come to work whenever they need to for meetings or presentations and go back home to finish their remaining work that can be done individually. Regardless of the arrangement, work hours are still maintained from 8 am to 5 pm or 9 am to 6 pm.
Advantages Of Hybrid Working.
Significant Improvement In Work-Life Balance
Employees are able to save traveling time on certain days that they will be working from home and this allows them to pursue other activities such as learning a new skill or catching up with friends they have not been able to meet for a long time. This is because they have the freedom to run their own errands and as well as go wherever they want to go when they work from home instead of having to come home and change. Moreover, employees are able to spend quality time at home with their families during lunch hours as well as take short breaks when working since it is unsupervised. This allows them to feel a sense of satisfaction which also helps to improve their work quality.
Flexibility Increases Productivity
When working from the office employees have to complete all their tasks during the work hours. While some days might be productive for them, a 9 am to 6 pm timing every day might get boring and unproductive. Therefore, if on certain days employees are allowed to work from home, they will not have to adhere to the work hours to finish their work. They will be able to work early in the morning or late in the evening, whichever time of the day they feel the most productive. This flexibility helps to reduce the stress levels of employees and increase their productivity levels.
Lower Expenditure
When working from the office, employees must spend on transportation and food every day. This expenditure can be reduced if they are working from home on some days. Employers will also be able to save costs on electricity and office space rental when not all employees come to the office on the same days as lesser space will be required.
Improved Employee Retention Rate
Since hybrid working provides employees with more flexibility as compared to working only from the office or only from home, it keeps them satisfied, motivated and happy. Employees will not feel isolated due to the lack of interaction with their colleagues as they will have the opportunity to interact with their colleagues on the days that they are working from the office. Furthermore, they will have a longer time to rest as well as be less stressed about having to follow a rigid work timetable when working from home. Therefore, when companies implement hybrid working, there will be happier employees which will increase the employee retention rate.
Suggestions On Implementing Hybrid Working.
Set-up A Hybrid Working Approach
When hybrid working is introduced in a firm, the first thing that should be done is to build up a system that allows the hybrid working to function smoothly. Companies should devise a strategy for determining which departments should work from home on certain days and which should work in the office on those days. Making a strategy for how to carry it out will guarantee that employees have enough days to speak with their coworkers about critical job-related issues and catch up sessions, as well as enough days to work at home and complete tasks on their own.
Equal Treatment Of All Employees
Employees working from home should be entitled to the same benefits as employees working from the office. Certain departments might not be able to work from home as their work requires them to be at the office, for example, employees working under the operational department. Even with a hybrid working system, they will have to work from the office most of the time. Employers may believe that certain employees are putting in more effort because they see them working in the office, whereas employees who work from home may be perceived as less hardworking because their employers do not see them. As a result, employees who work from the office are more likely to be promoted. Employers should prevent situations like these.
Conduct Employee Surveys
The transition between working from home to working from the office to having a hybrid working might be difficult for some employees to cope with. In order to ensure that the working experience of the employees is suitable for them, employers should conduct surveys regularly to get employees feedback on how well they are coping with their new work arrangement and what they need to perform better.
Arrange The Office Layout
When fewer employees come to the office each day, less office space is required. Therefore, the office layout should be arranged in a way that accommodates fewer people. The ability for employees to book their working space should also be implemented since different departments will be working from the office on different days and the sitting spaces will no longer belong to an individual employee.
The Healthier Way To Adopt Hybrid Work Style.
Setting Up A Personalized Workstation
In the office, we are provided with an appropriate workstation; however, at home most of us do not have a suitable desk setup where we are able to work. Hence, we tend to sit on our dining table chairs or on our bed for long hours to work. This affects our posture as well as causes us to have body aches and feel discomfort. When you're sitting, the strain on your lower back increases and the pressure increases even more when you slouch. Your vertebral discs begin to absorb the pressure, resulting in a stiff back throughout the day and, in the long run, spinal degeneration or other chronic back issues. In order to prevent this, it is important to have an appropriate workstation consisting of an ergonomic chair and table which will allow us to maintain good posture, prevent body aches and boost our productivity.
Ergonomically Designed Chairs
APOL’s ergonomic chairs are designed to support you according to your needs. The 4D adjustable armrests allows your elbow to be placed at 90 degrees from your shoulders which helps to relieve the strain on your neck and shoulders. While the multi-functional tilt mechanism allows you to tilt back in your seat at the right angle and the full-length backrest recline allows you to tilt 165 degrees. To maintain a neutral posture while seated upright, both feet should be flat on the ground. Fortunately, every ergonomically designed chair is height-adjustable, so you can alter the height of the chair to fit your needs by pulling up on the right lever.
We do not have to be working the entire day to be productive. Instead taking regular breaks will help to boost our energy levels as well as increase our focus. We can take a nap or exercise during these short breaks on APOL chairs as the full-length backrest recline allows the chair to go almost flat. Furthermore since the chairs are made with Cloud Tech™ Foam, it is incredibly soft and bouncy to rest on.