With businesses slowly opening back up as more people get vaccinated, it looks like hybrid office solutions are the wave of the future. Many office workers are opting to split their time working in the office and working from home, which makes sense now that they know they’re fully capable of doing both. As long as businesses provide their employees with all of the tools, equipment, and training they need to transition into this new normal, there’s no reason why they can’t make it work.
Hybrid office solutions are a cross between utilizing private office spaces and virtual office services in Ottawa and Mississauga. Here are eight tips to help you successfully manage your hybrid office schematic and help your team adjust to their new working schedules.
Set Clear Goals from the Beginning
Whenever changes are made to a work schedule or practices, it’s important that everyone involved is on the same page at all times. As the manager, business owner, or team lead, your employees will most likely look to you for guidance and direction on how to proceed.
Prepare a plan of action by setting small and achievable goals for yourself and your employees. Make sure to communicate those goals in a clear and concise manner using the form of communication that best suits your business model. Let them know that you’re always available to answer their questions either in a group meeting or privately. They need to feel like you always have their back.
Use Various Social Platforms
The past few years have seen the rise of different social and digital communication platforms that allow people to stay in touch with one another via text, phone call, and video call. Zoom is one of the most prominent digital calling platforms. It allows team leads to schedule and host virtual business meetings on a national or international level, so that they can easily get in touch with their employees and provide updates on companywide goings-on or catch up with everyone.
Digital video calling platforms have changed the way we do business and interact with one another in general. By making long distance communications more informal and convenient, collaborating with colleagues on projects has never been easier.
Using a combination of these virtual calling platforms and conference or meeting room rentals in Ottawa, your in-office employees can easily communicate with your remote working employees whenever it suits them.
Choose the Appropriate Communication Channels
Have you ever heard the phrase “This meeting could’ve been an email”? It refers to pointless meetings that are a waste of time and the primary message of which could have just as easily been conveyed in an email rather than a scheduled in-person or virtual meeting. Depending on the subject matter at hand, some meetings could very well suffice as emails. Of course, some topics warrant further discussion in which questions are asked and answered.
As the team lead, it’s up to you to determine whether it makes sense to start looking for meeting room rentals or if the information you want to share could more aptly be sent in an email to your staff. The point is to know when a topic is important enough to schedule a meeting or if it can be discussed using a different and more convenient means of communication that doesn’t require employees to come into the office or set aside time from their work.
Trust Your Employees to Fulfill Expectations
Nobody likes to be micromanaged. Employees need to feel like they have free reign to work on projects at a respectable and reasonable pace. They don’t want to feel like you’re breathing down their necks as they’re trying to work hard to meet tight deadlines and produce top quality work. Micromanaging has been proven to have a negative impact on employee morale and building a strong company culture. The more employees feel like they’re being micromanaged, the more they’re going to get the idea that you think they’re inept at doing their jobs.
You have to prove to your employees that you trust them enough to manage their own time and treat them with respect and dignity, especially when they’re working remotely. As hard as this is to do because you can’t physically see remote employees working, it’s important for building up employee morale and mutual trust and respect.
Create an Equal Employee Experience
Whether your employees are working in the office or remotely, it’s important to treat them equally and make sure they all have a positive professional experience. Engage with all of your employees equally, so that they can all feel like they’re still part of a functioning team and have support whenever they need it. Encourage them to shoot you an email, private message, or even call you during working hours if they need to discuss a project or ask a question.
Make Information and Support Easily Accessible
Inform your employees via email regarding important company updates and information. Make important information and support resources easily accessible through your website or online employee portals, so that all employees can make use of them as needed.
Schedule Virtual and In-Person Team Activities
Team activities like virtual or in-person meet-and-greets, company picnics, and luncheons are all great initiatives that help employees get to know one another. These are especially useful when introducing new hires to the rest of the team. Use team building exercises to help your employees get on a first-name basis with one another and build up strong working relationships between colleagues.
Build Strong Communication Skills
Hybrid office solutions can work exceptionally well when you have the right resources and practices at your fingertips. Rent temporary private and virtual office spaces in Ottawa and Mississauga to maximize the comfort, productivity, and collaboration capabilities of your onsite and remote employees equally. Use various secure online platforms and networks to allow for seamless virtual communication between in-office and remote employees at all times.
When you rent virtual and temporary private office spaces, meeting rooms, and conference rooms from Innovative Professional Offices, we’ll make sure you have everything you need to make your hybrid office solutions a success. From professionally trained administrative staff to fully furnished office spaces and meeting rooms, as well as business address, mail services, and a virtual office setup, our top priority is to provide you with affordable office solutions that fit your business needs. Contact us to learn more.
