Navigating Hybrid Work: A Reliable Guide For Managers

If you’re managing a hybrid workforce in the Philippines, this guide can advise you on the right approach. Here we’ll cover hybrid work’s meaning. We’ll discuss its benefits, how to start it, and other tips to build an efficient daily to monthly hybrid workflow.

The demand for flexible work systems is increasing in the modern workforce. There’s even an increasingly positive sentiment towards hybrid working among managers. 

However, when adopting a hybrid workforce, managers must review their execution. Challenges, like reduced informal feedback opportunities, technical difficulties, and inconsistent communication, become more common.

To circumvent this, adopting hybrid management practices that better deal with these hurdles is critical.

What Is Hybrid Work?

The hybrid workforce model refers to when organizations support a variety of working locations for their employees. This model accommodates both in-office and remote work elements.

As long as employees are productive regardless of their location, a hybrid workforce will accommodate that. Both traditional and offshore employees can be part of a hybrid arrangement.

See Also: Discover how you can start hiring your offshore workforce in this article.

What Is Driving the Increase in Hybrid Working Policies?

Hybrid working policies became more popular as companies adapted to the challenges of working during the pandemic. However, its consistent presence in modern workplaces has shown its growth in usefulness as a working model.

One of the reasons why hybrid policies remained after the pandemic is because of their effects on both employee work-life balance and productivity. 52% of US employees reported an increase in productivity as hybrid employees.

Aside from that, companies get to reduce operational costs since they can reduce the need for office space. Given the monthly rental and maintenance costs of managing a large office, reducing this expense is a huge relief.

With these benefits, companies have significant reasons driving them to continue managing a hybrid office.

4 Main Types of the Hybrid Work Model

There are different types of approaches one can take when establishing a hybrid workforce. Here we’ll cover the four main types of hybrid arrangements. By knowing the different types, you can choose the most practical model for your business.

1. Office-first Hybrid

An office-first approach means that most of the time, employees are working in the office. While remote work is still an option, it’s rarely used. This method is the closest model to the traditional work approach before the pandemic happened.

Pros:

• Easier collaboration among employees
• More socializing among employees
• Stronger workplace culture
• Faster feedback loop between managers and employees

Cons:

• Increased office rent and maintenance costs
• Reduced ability to attract top talent who prefer remote work
• Increase in sick days and PTOs
• Inefficient for employees who are doing self-managed tasks

Since employees are in the office more, remote workers are more likely to be overlooked. Therefore, managers need to include remote workers to make them feel more engaged proactively. The more engaged employees are at work, the better their business performance becomes.

Tip for Managers: Consider organizing virtual team-building exercises for both your in-office and remote employees. It’s a fun and easy way to have your workers engage one another even with different work locations.

2. Flexible Hybrid

A flexible hybrid workplace lets employees choose and change when they work in the office or remotely.

For example, hybrid workers who need to collaborate with multiple team members can work in the office. Then, they can opt to work remotely when they have to do mostly self-managed tasks. Another term for this is a hybrid at-will policy.

Pros:

• Improved employee engagement
• Attract more top talent
• More flexibility in the work approach

Cons:

• Scheduling challenges
• Inconsistent communication
• Potentially underutilized office space

Tip for Managers: Given the shifting nature of this model, managers need to adjust by creating some form of structure. Multi-channel communication for important work announcements and established goals is key to great hybrid leadership.

3. Fixed Hybrid

The fixed hybrid model adds some more structure to your workforce. It’s when companies have pre-determined days when everyone should be in the office.

If you need a reference, the average number of days a hybrid employee is in the office is around two to three days. These in-office days are also most commonly during Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

Pros:

• Efficient and predictable office usage
• Better team-building opportunities
• More structured management and operations
• Consistent interpersonal communication

Cons:

• The office must be able to accommodate all employees present
• Potential lack of flexibility, especially for workers who mostly deal with self-managed tasks
• Unable to reduce office expenses
• Talent pool limitation for recruitment

Fixed hybrid makes it easier for managers to coordinate with their workforce given the predictability of everyone’s schedule. However, it can constrain your reach when recruiting skilled talent.

Tip for Managers: If you increase employees’ reliance on the office, consider revamping it. Create spaces that foster easier collaboration and dedicate areas for private work. Doing so gives employees with different work styles a space to be their most productive even in the office.

4. Remote-first Hybrid

In this hybrid model, remote work is the norm for all hybrid teams all the time. Organizations in this model occasionally will use a physical office for needed face-to-face meetings, client events, and so on.

Pros:

• Increased work-life balance
• Wider talent pool reach
• Serves as an additional employee perk to offer
• Lower overhead costs from reduced office expenses

Cons:

• More communication hurdles
• Higher reliance on technologies
• Increased challenge of retaining employee engagement
• Potential for inconsistent messaging to employees

Tips for Managers: Renting a private office or coworking space on a short-term basis is a great way to give your employees a physical location when they need it. It’s a reliable solution, especially for managers of offshore teams. It can even be a non-mandatory benefit you can provide to attract skilled workers.

How to Successfully Build and Manage Your Team’s Hybrid Working Arrangement

After finding a hybrid model that works for your organization, it’s time to start building and managing it. Here are a few tips on how to adopt the hybrid model to your hybrid workers. 

1. Create Clear Guidelines in the Beginning

It’s important to set goals and guidelines for your hybrid team. The flexibility that comes with hybrid work policies is prone to a lack of structure.

It’s best to clearly define the work hours and availability of employees. You should establish the following:

• Core working hours
• Employee availability for collaborations and meetings
• Time zones of global employees

2. Establish Performance Metrics

Next, have clear performance metrics for your employees. You should establish the goals and deliverables as a team and per team member. Incorporate a consistent feedback mechanism for your hybrid team members as well.

It’s also a good idea to document everything as much as you can. According to Vikram Shenoy, Managing Director at Deloitte Digital, documenting everything gives you historical context behind meetings, major and minor decisions, and so on.

Not only does documentation help you find the logic behind certain plans, but it also maintains bias-free decisions. Documentation also helps track team successes. It ensures that the team is aligned to achieve the pre-established metrics.

3. Assess Your Digital Ecosystem

A hybrid workforce has a strong reliance on digital tools. Therefore, before you fully enact a hybrid policy, you should look at your digital ecosystem.

Figure out if your relevant team members have subscriptions to software related to their role-specific tasks. You should also ensure that everyone has access to the company’s communication channels. These include instant messaging tools, emails, and so on.

Given the reliance on digital tools, it’s a good idea to remind your team of how to submit concerns to your IT team. That way, your hybrid teams can quickly address digital issues before they cause significant delays at work.

4. Make In-office Meetings More Productive

When you need your employees to be in the office, it’s best to make the most out of their attendance. Lomit Patel, Chief Marketing and Growth Officer of Tynker, says that in-office work days can be more impactful if used to promote collaboration amongst workers.

If employees are in the office but self-manage their tasks, their presence isn’t the most efficient use of office resources. Instead, use this opportunity for brainstorming work or creative works. You can also use this chance to provide both formal and informal feedback, with the latter being harder to do in a remote vs. a hybrid team.

Workflow Tips for Hybrid Work

In this section, we’ll cover workflow tips you can use on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis. That way, you can create a hybrid workflow with essential tasks for making your workforce more productive and efficient.

Daily Hybrid Workflow Tips

The day-to-day operations involve more micro perspectives on you and your employees’ tasks and goals. Thus, when establishing their daily hybrid workflow, managers must focus on creating structured routines.

Set a Daily Routine

One way to make your hybrid daily workflow more structured is by creating a set daily routine. Even with a hybrid employee, it is advisable to implement a fixed schedule for key sections of the day. That includes designated times for lunch, brief breaks, and the end of the workday.

Add a Quick Regular Check-In

A quick check-in with your team each day is something you should add to your daily routine. This is an approach you should use for both remote and in-office teams. It’s best to make these check-ins quick and directed toward your entire team instead of on an individual basis.

Nicole North, President of Whiteboard Consulting Group Inc., emphasized the importance of these check-ins. They are essential for monitoring project progress and ensuring that everyone is proceeding in the same direction.

Weekly Hybrid Workflow Tips

Your weekly workflow focuses on establishing streamlined workflows for your entire team. That means, your tasks would focus on scheduling and goal setting. That way, everyone is on the same page and work is streamlined.

Plan the Week Ahead

Planning the week makes it easier to know what to expect. Figure out your tasks and the projects your team is working on. Then, designate tasks accordingly. Do this either at the start of the work week or before the end of the previous week.

Define Weekly Priorities

Task management isn’t just about assigning work. It’s also about prioritization.

You should create the main priorities for the week. Then, create a task list that directly addresses these main priorities. You can use task prioritization methods like the Eisenhower Matrix to help you with task prioritization. It can define which tasks are a priority based on importance and urgency.

Add a Weekly Check-In

For the weekly check-in, you still need to address the team instead of individual members. Some topics to bring up during this time would be:

• Weekly Priorities
• Project progress
• Notable individuals or successes of hybrid teams
• Upcoming news (like holidays, team events, etc.)

These weekly check-ins ensure that everyone is on the same page for weekly goals and overall project progress.

Take Note of Who Is In Office and Who Is Working From Home

Your employees may notify you in advance when they’re working remotely or in the office. It depends on your organization’s hybrid policies.

You should take note of which people are working remotely and in the office as it can affect work assignments. For example, people who are in the office can work on more collaborative tasks while they’re there.

If you provide coworking spaces, it’s also a good idea to keep track of usage. That way, you know if this perk is used to its advantage. Plus, you can schedule creative work with your team in these coworking spaces.

See More: Working with a team of hybrid offshore employees in the Philippines? Find budget coworking spaces nearest to you in this post.

Monthly Hybrid Workflow Tips

Your monthly workflow is about macro perspectives on everyone’s projects. This involves assessing overall progress, evaluating team performance, and aligning broader objectives with your strategic goals.

Set Monthly Goals and A Roadmap

After each month, check if you’ve reached the pre-set monthly goals. Use this chance to assess the achievability of your previous goals. Then, use that information to inform your next month’s goals.

Once you have your monthly goals, you now have a central objective to direct your work roadmap. In the roadmap, you should include:

• Ideal weekly progress rate
• Main tasks for each section of the roadmap
• Monthly milestones

With the roadmap, you have a reference for when you create your daily and weekly tasks.

Monthly Progress Reviews

While the daily and weekly check-ins are for the entire team, monthly progress reviews are different. They should be individualized and thorough.

Communicate with individual team members about their strengths, and areas of improvement. After, suggest a plan of action based on their areas of improvement. This approach ensures team members have a clear framework to address any challenges effectively and promptly.

Schedule In-Office Collaborations and Meetings In Advance

If possible, you should schedule your monthly in-office meetings in advance based on your roadmap. By scheduling essential meetings in advance, your team also has a chance to adjust their schedules accordingly. That way, you can ensure a higher attendance rate for your team members.

Grow Your Hybrid Workflow With a Tech-Savvy Offshore Team

The strain of leading a hybrid workforce falls heavily on managers and other workplace leaders. With lack of work efficiency being a driving force behind management burnout, managers need to pre-emptively address this issue, they must look for more efficient ways to manage their hybrid workforce.
An effective solution to that would be working with an informed offshore service provider. Their expertise in handling offshore and international teams qualifies them for managing a hybrid team. They can bridge gaps between in-office and remote workers while saving you around 79% in labor costs.