Maintaining a Healthy and Hybrid Work Environment

 

Many companies globally are being faced with the decision to return to the office, remain remote, or a combination of the two. A mixture of working from home for a part of the week and working in the office for the other portion of the week is known as a hybrid work environment. Another form of a hybrid work environment occurs when some employees are 100% remote while others are 100% in person. Many personnel have become used to working remote because it has been mandatory for quite some time, and they genuinely enjoy being able to work from the comfort of their own home. On the other hand, a fair amount of employees, and staff members cannot wait to get back into the office. This is why a hybrid work environment is beneficial to your workplace. It is an effective way to accommodate to everyone on your team. Like most new dynamics, hybrid work environments have their complications. Let’s take a look at some of these difficulties an organization can face when managing a hybrid work environment…

 

Negative effects of working remotely from home:
• A lack of peer communication and socialization
• Being hindered from exceling
• Feeling a lack of motivation and inclusion
• Increased Isolation
• Disproportionate work-life balance

ALSO READ: Employee Retention and New Hire Complications – How to Avoid Negative Downfalls

 

Here are some ways you can avoid these negative effects
so that you can maintain a flexible environment with your team:

Send promotional items to those who work at home: Sending employees seasonal and other gifts that have your company’s logo on them is a great way to show appreciation to your WFH employees. This reassures them that you haven’t forgot that they are an asset to the company even though they are not in the office every day. Brandit can help you create these gifts and even assemble a personalized kit for your employees! Please feel free to reach out to us so we can help you with your kitting and gifting needs! Be sure to act as soon as possible! Supply chain shortages have increased due to high demand caused by societal restrictions being lifted. This may slow down the shipping process when ordering certain items.

Find time to schedule meetings that are non-work related: Working from home (WFH) employees don’t have the ability to catch up with one another in the break room or at lunch time and it can take away from experiencing the company culture. Meeting with team members during the workday about non-work-related topics helps them communicate on a social level from home.

Level the playing field: Companies are noticing that the rate at which WFH employees are being recognized and given promotions or raises is significantly less than the rate at which in person employees are receiving. Keeping an eye on the success rate of both types of employees and making sure there is a balance ensures equality in the workplace.

Organize a Lunch and Learn: Even as experts in any given organization there is always something more to learn! By offering an educational lunch period it helps build confidence and motivation for WFH employees because it reassures them that they still have the same amount of access to resources as any other employee does. This also benefits the individual emotionally because they don’t have to be reminded that they are eating alone for lunch again.

In Person Events Outside of Work: Organizing events that bring the company together in a non-work-related manner helps members feel a sense of work-life balance and allows for team bonding.

Brandit functions in a Hybrid work environment as well and we are here to help you implement different ways to avoid any complications or downfalls a hybrid work environment may cause. Call us today so we can guide you through these trying times!