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Managing Your Workplace in a Hybrid Environment

Hybrid Workforce Support from RingSquared

While some offices and employees have always worked a hybrid schedule or fully remote, the number of employees requesting flex working has drastically increased in recent years. With the right setup, your organization can securely connect WFH employees and improve business performance.

Why the Shift to Hybrid Working?

Before COVID, around 31% of employees worked remotely; now, it’s up to 38% and over half are likely to consider transitioning to a hybrid work model (Microsoft 2022 Work Trend Index Annual Report – PDF). The last few years have shifted focus to improving flexibility so organizations and employees can respond to the unexpected.

As we’ve learned from two years of working from home, many jobs can be done remotely – and remote work often improves employee moral and work/life balance, an important consideration for building team moral and company culture.

There are many ways your business can support flexible hybrid working:

  • Supporting WFH when needed, but expecting most days to be in the office
  • Setting designated days to be in-office or remote
  • Allowing remote work, but requiring in-person attendance at key meetings & events
  • Going entirely remote, which may not work for every business

Want to learn more about building your new hybrid work policies? Samantha McLaren, Lead Copywriter on the Global Impact team at LinkedIn has 4 Best Practices for Building a Successful Hybrid Work Culture.

Supporting Your In-Office & Remote Employees

When the COVID pandemic first hit, employees took essential tools home and expected to be working from home for a few weeks. As workplaces stayed closed, however, more and more of the workforce switched to full time remote work with no timeline to return.

What happens going forward, and each business evaluates how they continue to operate, it’s important to ask your leadership team these key questions.

What Do Our Employees Want?
Start by understanding what exactly your team is asking for. Do they want full time work from home, or would they prefer a flexible schedule that balances in-office and remote workdays? Do some teams want to get fully back in the office, or have they always been there and nothing has changed?

What Does our Organization Need?
What your employees want isn’t the only factor to consider. What works best for each department or office may not be the same, and workplace norms can vary greatly by location and company culture. Consider what does my organization needs, and what your leadership team values. How do those things line up with employee wants and day-to-day business needs?

This is especially true for international organizations navigating far-flung teams. For help figuring out which hybrid model may be best for your business, check out this Harvard Business Review article which looks at four types of organizational structures and their needs.

Do Remote Workers Have the Equipment They Need?
Most importantly, when decided to implement a hybrid flex work approach – does everyone have the setup and equipment they need to do their jobs? Do you need more laptops, for example, or a more robust network for remote connections? Do employees have a quiet place to work with reliable Internet connections? Evaluate your current resources and what changes you may need to make.

How Can We Improve the WFH Process?
Finally, look at what you’ve been doing the last few years and ask how it can be improved. What can you to do improve team communication, create a stronger company culture, and ensure work gets done on time? How can you support employees during any changes you implement? Does management need additional training on new software or policies before you roll them out? Think through your process and what each team needs.

Custom Communication Solutions from RingSquared

From multi-location businesses to small organizations, fully remote teams and hybrid office/remote employees, the RingSquared team can work with your business to evaluate all your needs and design a custom communication plan.

With a wide range of products and services to choose from, your RingSquared solution may include:

  • UCaaS – For a fully unified & centralized communication solution, UCaaS works with your voice, data, video, messaging, and more to truly connect your team
  • SD-WAN – Give your business better performance and increased reliability, essential for keeping business functions up and running
  • VoIP Phone Services – Using your Internet connection, VoIP sends your voice and data through the cloud for high-quality, flexible performance
  • SIP Trunking – Working with your existing phone system, SIP trunking solutions upgrade your system with modern features & performance
  • CCaaS – Designed for the unique needs of contact centers, CCaaS gives you unprecedented flexibility and oversight even when you’re managing in-office and remote agents

Next Steps for Your Business

When you’re ready to upgrade your business to fully support a flexible workforce, the RingSquared team is here to help.

Contact us today to get started with a free consultation to review your current system and discuss options: