Challenges in Hybrid Work Culture and How to Overcome Them
Change is always difficult and comes with its own set of challenges. Although you can try to struggle and resist it, change is inevitable. Relax, we are talking about the current situation, where businesses are forced to make some tough decisions due to COVID-19.
No one imagined that we would witness such a massive change in just two years. When everyone was just getting adjusted to working from home, most businesses started calling their employees back to the office.
Some businesses have taken a hybrid work approach but adjusting to such change is also difficult. Here we will address some challenges in hybrid work culture and provide solutions to overcome them.
Difficulty in Finding a Work-life Balance
Some organizations are rushing to implement a hybrid work culture. Such decisions can prove difficult for remote employees as they will face the burden of managing their personal and professional lives. The main idea behind hybrid work is to provide convenience and flexibility for employees. So, make sure that your plans for hybrid work include these two integral factors.
Solution: The first and most important thing when preparing a plan for hybrid work is to include your employees in your decision. Get feedback from your employees to see which days they would prefer working from an office. Also, inform them about specific days when it’s important to be in the office. It will be helpful in creating an ideal work-life balance.
Conducting Meetings for a Hybrid Workforce
Hybrid work is a broad term that means your workforce will be working from home on some days and from the office on other days. While it is great to maintain an office HR Management culture, organizing meetings will be challenging. For instance, if you arrange a meeting in the conference room, your remote employees won’t be able to join the discussion.
Solution: Make sure that all your meetings are video meetings so that everyone can be a part of these meetings. You won’t have to invite all the employees to every meeting, you can address different teams separately so your employees can properly focus on their work.
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Absence of Leadership in Hybrid Work Culture
Remote work has its challenges for everyone. Leaders are facing challenges in adjusting to this new work culture. Managing a large team that works on alternate days will become difficult. You might not be able to monitor everyone’s performance, which could impact their performance and productivity. It’s crucial for leaders to be aware of and address the potential for unconscious biases, such as giving preference to those who are physically present, to ensure fairness and maintain morale.
Solution: Hybrid work is new for everyone, so train your leaders to successfully manage their teams. Give them access to the right tools that will help them maintain communication and ensure that they can quickly reach the remote team.
Managing Reimbursement for Remote Employees
Hybrid work brings another challenge of managing employee expenses. You cannot use the old methods of reimbursing remote employees for their travel expenses. There are other expenses for remote employees like electricity or internet charges, which should be taken care of.
Solution: Before you start planning methods for reimbursement, you should get feedback from your employees. Give them a choice to opt for suitable methods so they can conveniently manage their expenses.
Lack of Transparency in Hybrid Work Culture
A lack of transparent communication channels will negatively impact your employees. A majority of employees admit that they did not receive important information due to a lack of communication.
Solution: Bring in the right tools that will help create a strong communication channel for remote and in-office employees. Find and address the issues that you most commonly face in your business to ensure transparency.
Adopting New Technologies in Hybrid Work Culture
Businesses are hesitant to try out new technologies as they are not familiar with their functions. Your workforce might lack the skills to operate these technologies, and it could affect productivity. Some of these tools are costly, and most businesses cannot afford them.
Solution: There are so many tools that could be used for your remote workforce management. You can check out tools such as Jobma, Trello, Slack, Dropbox, Redbooth, and Basecamp which have gained a lot of popularity. These tools are easy to use, and you can also check their tutorials to learn how to use them. Buying subscriptions for these tools is an investment that will give you maximum returns.
Reluctance to Return to the Office
Although a hybrid work culture is happily accepted globally, there is still a group of employees who are reluctant to return to the office. The uncertainty about the coronavirus is a major part of this reluctance. Aside from the threat of disease, many people have found comfort and convenience in skipping the hassle of a morning routine and commute. A study by YouGov shows that around 39% were not ready to return to the office despite a hybrid work model.
Solution: The main reason behind this reluctance is uncertainty due to the new COVID-19 variant. While it is said to have mild symptoms, it is still highly contagious, leaving employees concerned. You can operate your office with 50% employees and your teams can come to the office on alternate days. It will help employees keep their social distance and get back to their office life.
Final Words
Every organization has been facing unexpected challenges in building a hybrid work culture. These challenges arise due to the need to build an employee-centric hybrid work environment. We have gathered this data from top organizations to identify and address the most common challenges in hybrid work culture. Creating a positive work environment will boost your employees’ performance and productivity, so make sure to focus on eliminating all challenges.
Additional Reading: Top Culture Fit Questions to Ask Candidates in Interviews
