Remote working is increasingly considered as the new normal with the onset of the pandemic. The fact is solidified that employees could work from anywhere they wanted and still be as efficient as they used to be in the office. 

Work from anywhere(WFA) promises companies to cut down certain costs, such as rents, business travels, facilities management, and costs on commuting. What’s more, the organizations have wider flexibility of utilization of global talents. According to Capgemini’s report, approximately 70% of the enterprises agreed that the benefits of flexible working would last even after the pandemic.

While the advantages of WFA cannot be denied, a number of companies and staff have experienced work-related anxiety and fatigue due to the blurred lines between life and work. A lack of teamwork and brainstorm among individuals results in an absence of a sense of belonging and emotional connections at work, especially for the newcomers. 

Here comes the ideal workplace solution - the future of work will be hybrid, or rather hyflex. 

What is meant by hyflex?

Hyflex, just as what it shows literally, can be broken down into two words, hybrid and flexible. It aims at delivering the freedom of remote working, the sociability of onsite teamwork, and the ease at flexible workspaces.

A number of companies have adopted this new trend. The traditional 9 to 5 working day pre-pandemic has now transformed into a 3-2-2 workweek, which means employees work three days onsite, remotely for two days with two days off each week. TCS, for example, now has 75% of employees work from home and 25% from the office.

In order to make the transition and implement this new strategy, companies have to design relevant policies to create a hybrid working environment different from the traditional or flexible one.

Design a hyflex working environment

The adaptation to the new concept of hyflex requires an open-minded dialogue between employees and companies while implementing relevant policies. It is based on a good understanding of the potential challenges, as employees’ needs and behavior are changeing. And initiatives should be taken to adapt to how the staff are organized and managed. Furthermore, employees are independent to make their own decisions and have equal access to working resources. Still, ensuring employees have a right environment to work from home is essential while identifying burnout and depression behind productivity and enabling a delicate work-life balance to have an equivalent significance. More tools should be provided to improve their remote working experience.

Once you have talked with your team leaders and employees, it is time to start implementing hyflex policies you have chosen. In order to help, an outline of the most common hybrid and flexible policies are as follows. 

(employees having a hybrid work) 

Hybrid policies

Choosing a hybrid policy is mainly dependent on the frequency the company requires its employees to work onsite in the office. If yes, a hybrid work schedule is a necessity before implementation. To keep a balance in in-person and flexible strategies to build hybrid workflows is the key while designing a successful hybrid system. 

 

Here is a list of the most useful hybrid policies from which you can choose for your company.

• Decide how many days you want the team to work on-site and how many they can choose to work remotely

• Create clear communication guidelines to keep teams connected regardless of location and time zone team members work from 

• Set up regular team meetings so that the team is able to meet and collaborate physically

• Guarantee necessary learning materials and organize educational sessions to help your employees improve personal skills and interpersonal connections

• Make sure the teams have full access to management software, working tools and systems

While adopting these policies, ensuring that your team is equipped with the most advanced and price-matching video conferencing solutions is crucial for communication and collaboration. Nexvoo NexPod N109 is definitely a great choice for small team use, with HD camera and AI auto-tracking and framing feature.  

 

Flexible Policies 

(Flexible work benefits working parents)

Flexible work policies can be broken down into two parts: flexible schedules and flexible workspaces, which are highly related. Your flexible schedules should be adjusted to employees’ workplace while flexible workplaces must support schedules.

Here is a list of the most common flexible policies which you can consider for your management.

• Encourage staff to have core hours, which means, during these fixed hours, they are available for any types of team communications

• Set up meeting-free days. This allows employees to focus on the work and have a more thorough and uninterrupted working day

• Change working hours from fixed 9-5 to 25 hours a week, so that employees have the flexibility to adjust daily working hours according to personal situations

• Make sure that employees are able to book desks and meeting rooms ahead of time when they will be using

• Decrease unnecessary workplace resources to save more from real-estate cost and unused space

As we have been preparing for the post-pandemic worklife and witnessing the change of traditional working policies, the adjustments should be made with more caution and communication. Consider adopting the policies we advise above and get ready for the future of work from now. To keep up to date on the latest hyflex, hybrid or flexible work trends and video conferencing solutions, don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter!