Hybrid Work

In our latest podcast we talk to Farah Bakir, a senior HR advisor here at Polyglot Group. With over 8 years experience in human resources, we delve into the topic of hybrid work. What exactly is it? Is it chaotic? How can we maintain and foster good organisational culture in a hybrid format? 
Find that out and more in our bite-sized podcast.

Transcript

Alex 0:00  
Hello, welcome to a new episode of Grow Your Own Way where we address hot issues and topics within business services. Talking with experts, we gain invaluable insight. Today I'm joined by Farah from our HR outsourcing department here at Polyglot Group. Farah, would you like to tell us a bit about yourself?

Farah 0:32  
Hi, Alex, thank you so much for having me. My name is Farah Bakir and I have been in in the HR industry for eight years. And you know, I'm with Polyglot.

Alex 0:43  
Fantastic. So today, we're going to be tackling the issue of hybrid work. So let's get into it. What is hybrid work?

Farah 0:54  
Okay, so Alex, since the pandemic, many companies have adopted the hybrid work flexibility and employees are sensing the advantage of that, since hybrid work actually provides flexibility and enable employees to get work done from when and where they're most productive. And that also includes like flexible schedules, as well as locations. However, you know, hybrid can also actually be exhausting for employees, if mismanaged, so therefore, companies should have a solid strategy impact to succeed with hybrid working options. 

Alex 1:33  
Okay, so you're saying basically, companies can't just go okay, we're hybrid work. And that's it.

Farah 1:38  
No, because actually, companies have to have a proper designed hybrid work in place to succeed and make sure that hybrid employees or employees who are working remotely, are not left out. So they have to also feel they're included and to succeed in implementing strategic designed hybrid working environment.

Alex 2:03  
Okay, fantastic. And so, you know, you you were saying like a lot of employees, you know, they really like hybrid working. And I mean, in fact, they love it, a study found that 43% expect companies to offer it even after the pandemic. However, there are critics who call it chaos. So what are your thoughts on that critique?

Farah 2:25  
Well, as I mentioned a while ago, yes, hybrid work can be exhausting, if not managed really well. And therefore, it is always encouraging to have like a proper plan when it comes to hybrid working. So for instance, line managers should be organised and set clear objectives and expectations when it comes to hybrid working. So by this is having the clear objectives on what is expected from employees. What does good performance look like? And like, what quality we can achieve?

Alex 3:01  
Okay, fantastic. And I was just wondering with that, what departments would you say are in play here? So we've got the line managers? Would you say execs? So C level C suite? Yes.

Farah 3:16  
So it involves actually everyone. So it does involve executives, it does involve line managers, as well as the employees themselves needs to be also organised when it comes to their daily tasks as well, to ensure they are not exhausted or fail and a bit lost. Yeah, for not being on the site or on the job on a daily basis. 

Alex 3:44  
Okay, fantastic. So it's a big group team effort. Okay, fantastic. And so a big concern for companies regarding hybrid work is the idea of losing culture. In fact, a survey found that 76% of HR leaders found that hybrid work challenges their employees connection to organisational culture. So how can companies create and foster a company culture that's hybrid?

Farah 4:13  
So as I mentioned a while ago, setting clear objectives is really crucial to implement a hybrid work so setting clear objectives with you dates, what quality can be achieved, demonstrate how your remote workers will have the same expectations as your office team. line manager can also ensure having group meetings on weekly basis so that who are working remotely do not feel they are left out and this also will create a sense of team unity amongst the team.

Besides the weekly team meetings, line managers can also have weekly one on one checkups with those who are working from home to provide an update on what they're working on and what they've achieved during the week so this can ensure that porjects are being completed in a timely manner, and that things aren't being missed due to lack of communication. And also one important thing that we need to keep in mind, it is also very important to recognise flexibility for those who are in office employees as well working. 

So for example, that also considering flexibility in terms of working hours. So for instance, if an employee would like to leave a bit early, or come in the morning, a bit late, so, managers should also look into having this flexibility for those who are working from the office as well.

Alex 5:34  
All right, so kind of creating a bit more of an even playing field. Yes, yeah. Fantastic. And so, you know, some companies are understandably worried about shifting into a hybrid working model, especially as many were forced to without preparation during the pandemic. But now it like I said before, it's becoming an expectation. And businesses might be wondering how to effectively manage hybrid working. Yes. So what would you say are five essential tips to managing a hybrid workforce,

Farah 6:04  
So I'd say having clear communication guidelines in place is crucial. For instance, ask employees what their preferences are, for example, sharing updates can be through emails, whereas collaborative problem-solving can be done through video conference. 

Always work to improve the level of trust and continuous communication within your team providing maximum transparency when sharing information, or an update, and to enhance like the level of trust that could be having constructive feedback with your employee always appreciate good performance. Ensure consistency amongst your team. 

Ensure all remote workers have appropriate tools to work remotely and provide clarity on when to use what for instance, and through having the right technology tools in terms of laptop, mobile phones, or internet connection. So these kinds of tools that will help them be productive on daily basis working remotely. 

Understand your team's needs; as leaders, we cannot manage everyone the same way understand and embrace how different behavioral type respond to remote working. As some employees might feel more heard in a remote meeting than an in-person meeting, which is one to one meetings, and also fairly important is to plan group events. 

So from time to time, it is really important to plan group events that will create a sense of team bonding between line managers, team members themselves. So these team events could be virtual, or they can gather every few months at a specific location. Yeah, at a specific location, because hosting these kinds of group events will bring people together. And this will help the teams to create a sense of belonging.

Alex 7:54  
All right, fantastic. And actually just going back to your third point about tools and stuff. Would you say now's the time for companies to really be looking at evaluating what current software's and programs they have in place?

Farah 8:08  
Yes. 100%. It's very important at the moment to see like, whether we have the right tools for the right job to be done.

Alex 8:17  
Yeah, because it's not just a one size fits all. 

Farah 8:21  
No, no, it's not. So we need to ensure we have the right tools in place to actually complete the tasks.

Alex  8:29  
All right, fantastic. Brilliant. Okay. So thank you so much for your time, Farah.

Farah  8:34  
Thank you, Alex, for having me. And it was really good to be with you today.

Alex  8:39  
And thank you to our listeners. Okay, we'll catch you later. Bye.