With the pandemic’s impact receding and stabilising in many parts of the world, several organisations and business leaders are seeking out ways for balancing working from home and office. Two years since Covid-19 disrupted our lives, employees have settled into remote working models. So much so that now it’s a widespread perception that we can’t go back to the pre-pandemic days of working.
Hybrid is the future!
As per a finding by PwC report, less than one in five executives say they want to return to the office as it was pre-pandemic. At the same time, just 13% of executives are prepared to let go of the office for good. Given this, hybrid working is fast emerging as a preferred arrangement.
Just like any model, both remote and on-site work come with advantages and limitations. To create a true win-win, forward-thinking organisations are blending the best of both worlds through hybrid workplaces.
Why Organisations Are Embracing Hybrid Models
Hybrid work allows employees to operate partly on-site and partly remotely, sometimes even across geographies, based on productivity and business needs. This approach offers flexibility for employees while ensuring continuity in collaboration, education, and training.
From an organisational perspective, hybrid models unlock access to broader talent pools, enable innovative ways of working, improve employee satisfaction, and significantly reduce real estate costs.
However, managing hybrid teams is fundamentally different from managing fully physical or fully remote teams.
How to Effectively Manage Hybrid Teams
To truly get value from a hybrid work model, organisations must rethink how work is structured, executed, and governed. The following strategies are critical.
1. Documented processes
Proper, well-documented processes are the first step to ensure both remote and onsite teams can coexist. Whether an employee is working from the office or remotely, documented processes ensure that there are no operational inconsistencies. Clearly documented processes also simplify the onboarding process as a new employee can understand expectations and quickly become productive.
2. Clearly Defined Roles and Responsibilities
In a hybrid work model, where the employees follow a mix of physical and virtual work structures, having clear and defined roles and responsibilities becomes all the more important. The employees should be aware of expectations from them and their deliverables so that they can continue to execute their tasks without any ambiguity. This not only increases productivity but also improves employee satisfaction. A tool with a built-in RACI matrix that lists out Responsible, Accountable, Consulted and Informed against a person’s name or job role addresses the issue of lack of clarity. Choosing a tool with an inbuilt SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) template will define the step-by-step work instructions for every task within a process gives complete visibility into tasks performed and who performed the task. This also comes in handy for tracking the productivity and performance of hybrid teams.
3. Single Source of Truth
With employees working from different locations, ensuring a centralised repository of data and information helps dispersed teams stay on one page. Having quick and easy access to information is central to the team’s productivity and efficiency. While allowing teams to work on centrally located data in real-time anytime, anywhere is a must, it is equally important to ensure access control. For adequate data security and protection, make sure the information is readily accessible only to the relevant people or departments.
4. Adopting the right technology and tools
To fully embrace the flexibility of a hybrid work environment, it is important to provide employees with the right tools and technology that enables collaboration, knowledge documentation and sharing. In this regard, Business Process Management (BPM) technology can prove to be a great enabler.
Choosing a cloud-based software, such as PRIME BPM can help you manage several complexities associated with the hybrid team structure. From effective process documentation, powerful collaboration to centralised repository and inbuilt RACI matrix, PRIME BPM includes several functionalities to assist and manage hybrid teams.
To explore the full range of hybrid teams management features included in PRIME BPM, register here for a free trial.