Hybrid work: everything you need to know about the new work habits

{{line-divider}}

‍

01. How to install the new working methods in your organization?

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

A multitude of new ways of working have emerged since the health crisis. Hybrid work, nomadism, smart office... It can be difficult to find one's way around, but above all to adapt to this constantly evolving trend.
Hybrid work is a lever for performance and creativity, but only if the spatial and managerial organization is adapted to the needs of employees. So how do you make a successful transition to hybrid work?

‍

Implementing hybrid management

‍

Here are some tips on how to adapt your management style to the new ways of working.

‍

1. The feedback culture for a continuous improvement of hybrid management

Feedback is essential to adapting the company's leadership styles. Don't hesitate to survey teams regularly to find out their needs.

‍

2. Focus on work and team cohesion

Creating new rituals within the company boosts motivation and helps remote employees not to feel excluded. To strengthen the sense of belonging, emphasize the pillars of the company culture.

‍

3. The fight against digital fatigue

While digital tools improve team spirit and collaborative work, you don't have to fall into hyper-connection. Find tools that are both collaborative and ergonomic for better communication and respect for a good work-life balance.

‍

4. Horizontal management

Manage through trust: give your teams autonomy to make them more responsible. The advantage of the hybrid, whether for management or work, is that it allows you to improve the workspace of your employees. Since employees have a choice of location, they can choose the one that best suits their tasks.

‍

Rethink your workspaces

‍

Workspaces need to be transformed, without being restricted to the company itself. Here are three ways to work that you can offer your employees:

‍

• Coworking is the ideal solution for employees who need to work as a team, or to share.
• Telecommuting often provides the ideal conditions to concentrate and complete a task in a quiet environment, away from the noise of the office.
• The flex office provides enough flexibility for employees to find the workplace that suits their needs.

‍

If employees work from several different locations, it is essential to homogenize the digital equipment and services of the company:

‍

• Provide stable and secure connectivity of in-person and remote tools;
• propose adapted work tools, which boost productivity (octopus in meeting rooms, whiteboards for brainstorming sessions...);
• offer additional services to improve the quality of life at work (cafeteria, concierge service, etc.).

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

02. Teleworking: what is it and how can it be democratized?

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

Autonomy requires the choice of one's professional environment. Telecommuting is one of the new working methods favored by employees. But what is the difference between telecommuting and remote work?

Telecommuting is the practice of performing duties and responsibilities outside of the official workplace. Depending on company policy, employees may also be required to return to the office one or more times per week.

‍

{{figure-1}}

‍

Remote working, or full remote, is based on a different approach: the ability to work from any location. Employees can carry out their assignments for the company, regardless of the distance separating them from its premises. In some cases, they are also free to choose when and how to connect to the company's collaborative tools and complete their tasks.

‍

Advantages and disadvantages of telecommuting

‍

Better productivity

Productivity improvement is a benefit of telecommuting to be considered. As employees are no longer confronted with distractions such as noise in an open space or solicitations from colleagues (even in a closed office), they can concentrate more easily on their tasks. The result? Their performance increases.

‍

In addition, telecommuting allows for a better work-life balance and more flexible time management. These elements improve satisfaction, motivation and therefore productivity!

‍

Flexibility of working hours and locations

Since employees choose where to work, they can go to a workplace close to their home. This reduces their commute time, the associated stress, but also the costs associated with public transportation trips and lunches outside the company.

‍

However, working remotely has some drawbacks.

‍

Burnout

Why can telecommuting cause burnout ? It's simple: distractions remain, especially at home, where the employee can be solicited by his entourage (family, roommates...), by his pets or even be tempted to perform household tasks.

‍

In the evening, it can be more difficult to disconnect than in the office. In fact, 22% of telecommuters say they have trouble disconnecting from work at the end of the day.

‍

Social isolation

Through digital tools, it is easy to communicate. But remote work implies an absence of direct contact. Exchanges are only done through a screen, which can cause a feeling of isolation for some employees.

‍

Online communication tools are optimized for a professional environment: shared servers for the whole company, servers reserved for teams, private messages... However, the fact of not being able to meet a colleague and speak to him directly can quickly become embarrassing on a human level. Moreover, the lack of context of a written message can leave room for misunderstandings, favoring errors and decreasing the performance of employees. 

‍

An inappropriate work environment

Not all employees benefit from an optimized workspace at home, nor from ergonomic telecommuting accessories (double screen, chair...). And at a distance, the management style must be reviewed to adapt to the situation.

Adopting hybrid work limits the risks of telecommuting, namely isolation, burnout and reduced performance. To meet the needs of employees, it is therefore preferable to offer employees an alternation between face-to-face and remote work.

‍

{{figure-2}}

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

03. The flex office: a flexible and mobile way of working

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

Flex office: how does it work?

‍

The flex office offers a vision of nomadic work. Gone are the days of a fixed office and a fixed workspace. This hybrid work mode is based on the principle of the flexible office:

‍

• to meet their needs according to their activities, the company lets employees choose where to work (at home, in a coworking space, in the office ...);
• As employees are not all in the office at the same time, spaces are optimized, individual offices are removed and other styles emerge (phone box...);
• As a result, mobility is encouraged and the various business lines of the company are led to cross paths more often, thus exchanging and sharing their knowledge.

‍

A flexible company offers a work office that is more open to interaction and information exchange between teams. What is the best way to implement the flex office?

‍

Steps to deploy the flex office

‍

1. Assess the needs of each individual

Flexible working reduces the number of workstations within the company. The average desk ratio in French companies is 0.7 (i.e. 7 workstations for 10 employees). These employees are not always in the office: some work at home, others in a coworking space...

‍

You can therefore reduce the work surface to match the real needs of your employees.

‍

2. Rearrange the work environment

If the work surface is adapted to the number of employees, it must also meet their needs. Phone box, concentration areas, meeting room, creative space... Offer places inside the company so that employees can work better.

‍

Rely on the needs and expectations of your employees! A company that creates new spaces without having surveyed its employees risks not offering the desired environments to increase productivity and performance.

‍

The reorganization of the work environment also involves optimizing the computer system. Make sure it is reliable and secure.

‍

3. Establish guidelines

Although it is synonymous with freedom, the flex office must be supervised so that everyone can find their way around. Here are some good practices to put in place: 

‍

• Hygiene rules: shared offices must be tidied up and cleaned after being occupied.
• The organization between face-to-face and remote: assign a number of days and hours of presence to employees to balance the crowds in the open space. Those who need to work in teams, for example, can meet in a coworking space where they will have access to a meeting room and all the necessary equipment.
• A suitable reservation solution : there are applications for employees to reserve a place in the office or, on the contrary, to announce that they are going to an outside location.

‍

In this regard, set up a network of field offices so that employees can travel to a location near their home when working remotely.

‍

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

04. Coworking: friendly places

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

Coworking: advantages and disadvantages

‍

{{figure-4}}

‍

Coworking is a dedicated and shared collaborative workspace. It allows employees who work remotely not to be alone, which increases their motivation and productivity. Because yes, theshared space offered by coworking prevents the feeling of isolation that can be caused by prolonged telecommuting.

‍

In addition, companies that give their employees the opportunity to work in a coworking space save money. Why? Because not all offices are occupied systematically anymore, the size of the work space can be rethought to reduce real estate expenses.

‍

Another advantage concerns the equipment: coworking spaces provide all the necessary equipment for professionals. A meeting room with an octopus, presentation screens, whiteboards ... They enjoy modern and ergonomic equipment. 

‍

But coworking can have its drawbacks:

‍

• It is a shared space. Confidentiality and computer security are not as strong as in-house.
• Coworking places are often arranged in open space. The other coworkers and the annex services (such as the cafeteria) can therefore be sources of distraction. 
• Contrary to telecommuting, employees must travel to the coworking location concerned. Car, public transport, bicycle... The travel time is to be taken into account when the employee chooses his place of work.

‍

How to choose your coworking space?

‍

1. The location

Even if coworking spaces are less numerous in rural or peri-urban areas, propose several establishments to cover a large geographical area (in the city center, in the suburbs...). This way, employees will be able to find a coworking space closer to home or in a place that facilitates their organization (near the children's school, an extra-professional activity, close to a client's office...). 

‍

This flexibility allows you to limit the number of trips by car or public transportation. A shorter commute not only saves time, but also reduces stress.

‍

{{figure-3}}

‍

2. Working hours and working time

Employees appreciate the flexibility offered by coworking. The hours can be chosen according to the place of work, the activity carried out, but also the chosen work mode. 

‍

3. The activities and profile of your employees

All coworking places and spaces offer different services. Check if they support activity-based working and if they correspond to the needs of your employees. For example, a coworking space with a meeting room will be preferable for a group of collaborators who need to exchange ideas in order to advance a project.

‍

4. Evolution and commitment

Coworking spaces are bound to evolve to offer more services to professionals and adapt to all uses. For example, coliving is a growing trend: it is a place where several people live and work (a new vision of colocation).

‍

Another trend concerns mixed spaces, which offer for example a coworking space and :

‍

• coffee;
• a climbing gym;
• a space of insertion, where the users can discover the professions of the ones and the others...

‍

Coworking is turning into a more friendly place, where different activities mix.

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

05. Hybrid workspaces adapted to the challenges and needs of employees

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

Are activity-based working and hybrid working the winning duo for companies and their employees? Today,activity-based working is at the heart of the new working methods. The needs of employees to perform their tasks must be the focus of attention of hybrid management.

‍

Offer a variety of work spaces adapted to your employees: central and friendly areas where exchanges are easier, areas dedicated to teamwork and brainstorming sessions with all the necessary equipment to stimulate creativity, areas a little set back for those who need to be quiet or concentrate... An open space with various zones will benefit everyone.

‍

Open space, closed office and meeting room: which environment to choose?

‍

Theopen space has the advantage of being modular. Divide it into several zones to :

‍

• encourage exchanges between the different professions. Employees will have the opportunity to interact with colleagues from other departments, which will allow them to discover little-known aspects of other professions.
• Facilitate communication and boost team synergy by creating benchs by business line.

‍

To avoid too much noise pollution, choose acoustic furniture. The golden rule is to create a bench with a maximum of 10 employees. If too many people are placed together, this may have a negative effect on concentration and productivity! In addition, you must leave room for circulation within the work area and for people to move from one area to another.

‍

Open space does not always meet all the needs of employees. The flex office overcomes the difficulties that can be linked toactivity-based working: it allows for the diversification of work spaces so that each person can find the place and position best suited to their activity.

‍

And with the end of the fixed office, employees choose where to work:

‍

• in the middle of the open space for more collaboration, 
• in a closed office for better concentration,
• in a meeting room to ensure the confidentiality of a meeting, 
• in an enclosed and quiet space to promote relaxation.

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

06. Why move to hybrid work: what you need to know

‍

{{line-divider}}

‍

Hybrid working has many benefits for both employees and companies. With the emergence of new ways of working, employees don't work in company workspaces every day. Do the math: how many workstations are used each day? Empty offices can be rented or the work space reduced, which lowers the company's real estate costs and carbon footprint. Telecommuting also plays an important role by reducing the amount of commuting that generates emissions.

‍

The hybrid working model is also an excellent argument for attracting new talent, who are now looking for companies that are open to different working options and meet the need for flexibility. Flex office, coworking, closed offices, creative spaces... Employees can choose the workplace best suited to their activities and uses. Flexibility that boosts motivation and performance!

‍

Managers, workplace managers, human resources and the CEO need to be advised and then support employees in their choice of the best workspace. To go further, check out our dedicated ebook.