Are you considering a hybrid employee work model for your business? We get it! These unprecedented times have caused significant changes in the world of business and one of those changes has led many business owners to explore the potential benefits of having employees work both remotely and in the office. For many business owners, this is a new concept that you may have never put into practice before. If you’re thinking about a hybrid business employee approach, it’s important to consider a few potential mistakes that you’ll want to avoid for the benefit of your business and employees alike.
Hybrid Work Model Best Practices
In 2020, COVID-19 forced businesses across the world to adapt, and during the shutdown remote work seemed a successful solution that enabled businesses and employees to stay afloat. Now that the world is reopening, many employees want to continue remote work. In fact, 58% of workers said they want a fully remote position (FlexJobs survey). This has caused business owners to consider in-person workspace and remote workers.
While implementing a hybrid model to your business can be great news for everyone involved, its success depends upon proper planning. That’s why it’s critical for business owners such as yourself to develop hybrid work model strategies and policies that avoid potential pitfalls including the following common hybrid work model mistakes.
Inconsistent Communication for Remote Workers: Communication is the key to a satisfying employee experience and is necessary for a business’s success. Rather than utilizing a variety of platforms for communication, you may want to consider standardizing which communication tools you use. Avoid announcement boards or in-person methods for communication and instead opt for digital communication forms that can be accessed equally by remote and in-office workers.
Resistance from Executive and Higher Level Employees: It’s vital to have support for the hybrid work model from the top down. If your execs are not on board, this will be evident to the entire team and your work model is not likely to succeed. Get buy-in from your higher level team and monitor to ensure there is no bias for either in-person or remote employees.
Challenges for Remote Workers: Those who have never worked from home are not likely to understand all that remote workers are facing. A way to avoid resulting misunderstandings is to hold training on the hybrid work model itself, where all roles and difficulties faced from each employee group are defined, explained, and made evident. This may involve having everyone work from home for a few days.
Insufficient Equipment: Remote workers will need adequate technology. Remote workers need to know what technology they can take home, if they will be reimbursed for purchasing office equipment or internet bills, etc.
Lack of Proper Insurance: With employees working from home, it’s vital to consider insurance coverage for home-based work, workers comp for remote workers, and cyber risk insurance due to an increased potential for data breaches. Business Insurance Center can work with you to develop a comprehensive business insurance plan that ensures you’ve covered for every scenario, both for in-office and remote employees.
Best Hybrid Work Model Policies
The success of any workplace program hinges on how well it can be implemented and maintained. For hybrid work models, you must have a clearly defined policy detailed in writing. This helps employees and upper level managers understand expectations and ensures proper conduct. A good hybrid work model policy includes:
- Eligibility criteria for hybrid work
- Training on the hybrid approach and specialized training for remote workers (such as connecting to your virtual private network on their home Wi-Fi or how to prevent data breaches for home work)
- Definition of the hybrid work model, such as if there are days a week an employee is expected to work in person, or if there are specific days and hours an employee is allowed and/or expected to work for either group
- Description of available technology for remote employees to use at home
- Designation of a main contact or remote employee facilitator (for questions regarding remote work; the regular manager should still oversee regular work tasks)
- Expectations for in-office employees
- Processes for setting up meetings, communication, etc.
Best Business Insurance 2021
If you’re ready to give the hybrid business model approach a try, there’s no time like the present! Business Insurance Center agents are here for you every step of the way. We’re happy to sit down with you and review your business insurance to ensure it covers every potential situation your new business model may face. Move confidently into 2022, knowing you’re set up for success!
