Hybrid as the best of both models (remote, onsite) to maximize efficiency, team spirit, work-life balance and happiness.
It will be two years next march since the Covid-19 pandemic was officially declared by World Health Organization, forcing IT and business leaders to rethink where and how their employees would be working. Against all the fears, uncertainties and doubts, remote work proved to function, and technology was once again the enabler for many disruptions and reinventions. All this in a time when even hybrid work was a “strange” thing for almost every company in the world. So, challenges turned opportunities.
And here we are. People getting “their lives back” as vaccination is underway but still facing bad numbers in some countries. The same is to say that organizations still try to figure out what their future model will be. Fully remote? Fully presential? Or the best of both to maximize efficiency, team spirit, work-life balance and happiness? After imposed tests, it’s now possible to evaluate the results of each one. Hybrid work looks like the most promising.
Accenture’s Future of Work Study 2021 of more than 9,000 workers around the world discovered that most people want a hybrid model, where they sometimes work remotely and sometimes go onsite. Why is hybrid so appealing? Respondents highlight better mental health, stronger relationships and less burnout when compared with entirely onsite or entirely remotely.
If hybrid work is also your model of choice, we leave you with some ideas, tips and best practices to thrive and make the most of it:
#1 Communicate using corporate tools
To make sure you do succeed with a hybrid work model, communication is key. Always use the “official” channels of your company wherever you are. Common tools are important to ensure that all are synched on the same page and moving in the same direction, being through an intranet, a project management platform or a messaging system.
#2 Establish a routine
A daily routine helps to organize things and get the best of your time. Note that it is going to change based on if it’s a “going into the office” or a “working remotely” day. Plan what to do with all the extra time before you officially clock in and after clock out on your work-from-home days. Not having to spend hours commuting back and forth to work is really precious. Also, don’t forget to include breaks to give your brain a much-needed rest. At home, do what pleases you. And at the office go for a coffee, chat with a coworker or gather a group to play some games, relax and recharge energies (for instance at InnoTech we have a boxing bag, basketball court, darts’ board, and a mini ping-pong table). This is critical for productivity and mental health.
#3 Set Boundaries
Just like when you go to the office, when you work from home set start and end times to maintain the boundary between work time and personal time. This is something that can be hard to do when you work and play in the same space, but with self “discipline” it’s possible. And you have more flexibility to define the time that best suits you to get things done (while being available in certain hours if that’s important in your job) and balance it with other activities.
#4 Participate in corporate initiatives
To guarantee team spirit, proximity, commitment, sense of belonging and engagement it’s vital to be physically present at those corporate initiatives promoted exactly for that end. Please don’t miss them 😉 And be proactive, making your own suggestions and contributions. Your company will certainly love and value them. We are talking about events like company’s celebrations of special occasions, departments meetings, breakfasts with the CEO, joint activities like sports, after-work happy hours, team lunch outings, etc. Face-to-face moments make all the difference in any working model.
#5 Use and abuse the cloud
Cloud is a must and even more when it comes to hybrid work, so make sure you have access to anything you need to perform your tasks regardless of location and that your work is stored and updated in a centralized environment. This means you and your colleagues have access to it from any equipment and place despite potential hiccups.
All in all, make the most of your office and home days! That’s what we encourage at InnoTech. We embraced the hybrid work model to address our team’s different preferences, stimulate autonomy and responsibility, but always guarantee that we have our time together and a really strong culture. Sharing the mission of delivering innovative technology while having fun along the way. Want to be part of it? Check our job openings!
