Once the effects of the pandemic began to subside, businesses had to work out whether they would stick with working from home or ask employees to return to the office. For some businesses, this was an easy decision, as either they were eager to get back into the office or found remote work to be the most productive. However, this decision was a little tricky for other businesses, as although remote work comes with perks, there are also many benefits to working from a physical office. When confronted with this dilemma, many businesses decided to adopt the hybrid work model instead to get the best of both worlds.
While the hybrid work model does allow businesses to benefit from both remote and office work, it isn’t without its own issues. If you’re business follows the hybrid work model, then you may already be aware of some of those issues. In this article, we will go over 4 issues of the hybrid work model and explain how you can overcome them. Keep on reading to find out more.
Technology Issues
One issue that often arises when dealing with hybrid workers is problems with technology. When people are working from home, it can be difficult for them when they run into any issues with their tech. In an office, if you ever have an IT problem, you are able to contact the IT department, and someone can come and resolve the problem straight away, however, it isn’t as simple for remote workers. Because of this issue, it is important that your business can find solutions whenever a remote worker is experiencing problems with their laptops or computers.
It will be beneficial for your business to have remote desktop support so that problems can be sorted as quickly as possible. When it comes to choosing the right solution for this issue, there are a few options you can choose. TeamViewer is a popular option for many remote companies, and if you are unsure what TeamViewer is, then it is a good idea to do your research first. However, given TeamViewer’s price and other limitations, you may be better off finding a TeamViewer alternative like TSplus. TSplus provides remote support for businesses, and it can help you resolve any IT issues quickly.
Effective Communication
Communication is so important within a business, but often hybrid workers can face a lack of effective communication. When you have some employees working from home and some in the office, it can be difficult to find a way to communicate with all members of the team. In an office, if you need to ask someone a question, you can easily go over to their desk and ask the question directly to their face. However, when you are working from home, it is a lot more difficult to get direct and quick answers from your team. Because communication is so important, it is crucial that you find ways to overcome this issue.
Thankfully, there are solutions to this communication problem, and it all comes down to investing in the right technology. The only way that remote work is able to be effective is because we have helpful technology and software that allows us to stay in communication with our colleagues, even if we are not in a physical office. It would be beneficial for your business to have an internal communication platform that allows your team to send quick and direct messages to their colleagues whenever they need it. Of course, you can just use emails to communicate with your team, but often it can be difficult sifting through the other important emails, so it is far better to just have a communication platform that is just for employees.
Maintaining A Physical Office Space
For a business that is hybrid, it is still important that you maintain a physical office space for your team. When people talk about the issues that come with hybrid work, often they only focus on the problems with having a remote team, and there are also problems that occur when having to maintain an office space. It can be expensive to run an entire office when your team is not in the office all of the time. Having to pay rent on an office space that isn’t always in use can be a real problem for businesses as it can feel as if you are wasting money.
If you are concerned about this, then it may be a good idea to share the office space with another business instead. Doing this can help you save a huge amount of money as you are essential halving the rice of your rent. However, if you do decide to do this, then it is important that you have full communication with the other business, just so you can both use the office without it becoming overcrowded. You could even create a schedule for your team, so that they know the days they can go into the office and work. This will just help keep everyone organised and it can prevent any issues arising between the two businesses.
Employees Feeling Isolated
Another issue that hybrid workers can face is feeling isolated when they are working remotely. Within an office setting, you are around your colleagues all throughout the day, which means that you can have a quick chat while making a coffee or catch-up properly at lunchtime. However, for remote workers, they do not have this opportunity, which can result in people feeling isolated and cut-off from the rest of their team. This is the last thing you want in a business, so it is important that you find solutions to help your team feel happy while they are working remotely.
It could be beneficial to have weekly meetings with your team, as this will give you a chance to catch-up with everyone and see how they are feeling. This doesn’t have to be a scheduled or professional meeting it could be a very informal catch-up that just gives everyone the opportunity to vent or talk about anything that is going on. When people feel isolated, they can often feel as if they are the only one feeling that way, but more often than not, you will find that others in your team are experiencing the same thing. Having informal catch-ups is a great way of bringing your team together and giving them a chance to charge their social battery. Essentially, you should try to find a solution that works well for you and your employees in a joint way.
Summary
Many businesses have proven that the hybrid work model can be effective. Having this balance between remote work and office work can provide workers with the best of both worlds as it means you can take advantage of the perks that come with working from home and working in an office. However, it is clear that hybrid work isn’t without its drawbacks. As mentioned in this article, there are a number of issues that can arise when you introduce the hybrid work model into your business. However, thankfully, there are solutions to these issues, which allows businesses to maintain their productivity and organisation.
