Two businesswomen working together in a modern office

Creating a Hybrid Workplace That Helps Your Team Thrive

Last year saw more people working remotely than any other year ever. Most of that was brought on by necessity, but that doesn’t mean remote work is going away as the world slowly returns to a sense of normalcy. Neither, however, is the office.

With remote work and in-office work not going away, the future of work is looking increasingly hybrid.

What is a hybrid office?

Put simply, hybrid offices are set up to give employees the flexibility to work from the office or from anywhere else they want, so long as they have the tools needed to do their job. Many businesses have already adopted a hybrid workplace model, and many more will follow suit in the coming months and years.

Are you considering setting up a hybrid office? Here are some things you’ll want to keep in mind when getting started:

Write down your hybrid office policy

Before you make the switch to a hybrid workplace, it’s important to outline your company’s hybrid policy. How often will employees be allowed to work from home? Will they ever be required to come to the office?

Include all of your employees in this discussion, not just managers. The more input you have, the easier it will be to create a plan that works for everyone and sees positive results.

Review and revise your office space

If you’re moving from 100% in-person work to a hybrid office, it’s possible your office space is either too big or not optimized for that change. To make the right revisions to your space, ask yourself what your primary motivations are for going hybrid. Is it to cut costs? Consider downsizing to a smaller office. Want your office to be a space for interaction and collaboration? That might mean replacing desk space with a lounge room or game room.

Whatever your motivations, reviewing your current setup and revising it to meet your needs is a necessary step to going hybrid.

Invest in the right tools to help your people succeed

Having the right tools to do your job is paramount for any business, but even more so for hybrid teams. Here are a few of our favorite tools for hybrid offices:

  • Tactic is software that makes coming into the office safe, easy, and fun through desk & conference room scheduling, co-worker collaboration features, and integrations with the tools you use every day. Tactic will have your office up and running with a hybrid system in under an hour.
  • Zoom is the most popular video and audio-conferencing tool for remote work. Zoom has all the features your team needs to host effective virtual meetings.
  • Loom lets you record quick videos of your screen and share them with co-workers for asynchronous collaboration.
  • Bob is a people management system that lets you recognize and celebrate employees for going above and beyond.

Don’t neglect your culture

Managing a hybrid workforce means managing two distinct working experiences, which can make creating and fostering a company culture challenging. Finding ways to keep your people connected to one another, even when working remotely, reminds them that they are part of a team.

Make sure you are equally invested in creating culture opportunities for your at-home and in-office workers.

This list doesn’t cover everything your business might do to prepare for a shift to hybrid work, but it covers the critical stepping stones you have to cross to get there. Hybrid workplaces have proven effective for increased productivity, reduced employee turnover, and happier employees, plenty of incentive to consider making the switch for your company.

Tactic is a collaboration tool that brings people together in the office. Businesses of every size use Tactic to manage their hybrid workplace and make going to the office safe, easy, and fun.

Ready to make the switch to hybrid work? Tactic can convert your office space to hybrid in under an hour. Get in touch to get started.