Home » Blog » Workplace » What is the Hybrid Work Model, and What are its Advantages?

Workforce

What is the Hybrid Work Model, and What are its Advantages?

The hybrid work model is something that is going to be around for a while. Its advantages lie in its flexibility and almost endless scope for tweaking to fit your specific needs.

Published

11 months ago

June 12, 2021

TwinzTech

The Art of the Office. How to Create a Productivity-Focused Workplace

Operating from home is more prevalent than ever. In 2020, offices closed their doors, and everyone fired up their laptops and got comfortable at their dining tables (usually in their pyjamas).

But now, as lockdowns lift and people start to assemble again, will traditional office work ever be the same?

Do I Have to Go Back to the Office?

Yes…no. Maybe? I don’t know! That’s up to you or your manager.
The hybrid work model involves a mixture of working from home and the office.
The specifics come down to your office, your team, your management choices.
It’s important to note the various options for a hybrid work model; there’s no ‘one size fits all.’

Table of Contents

1. Remote First

Popular in the first lockdown. Everyone worked remotely, as it was the safest thing to do, and it meant businesses could still run. Although many workers reported still being in favour of this model over a year later, it does have some downsides.

Collaboration is strictly online, and the social aspect of work is affected, which can be detrimental to staff’s mental well-being. With the full WFH model, annual retreats and social events are encouraged (where safe to do so) to ensure the community aspect of the office is not lost.

2. Office First, Remote Allowed

This is almost the normality we knew so well before the pandemic. Most staff in the office, apart from a few remote workers. These workers should be selected for specific reasons by management to ensure their work is not affected, and they don’t feel alienated from the rest of the team.

This can guide a disconnect between the workers at home and everyone else in the office, so cycle the remote staff wherever possible, to ensure a happy and well-functioning workforce.

3. Office occasional

The best of both worlds. A small permanent team should be established to work from the office – ideally management. The rest of the staff then split their work time between the office and remote work. This is known as a hybrid workforce model. How this decision is made is purely down to your company’s needs and your employees’ work/life balance.

5 Ways to Make a Positive Workplace Culture

While some businesses have opted for complete relaxation of any restrictions or rotas, guidelines are recommended to prevent too much of a swing one way or the other. Too many people at home – productivity may suffer. Too many people in the office – the workplace is no longer safe.

How you split your team is up to you, but here are some of the most popular models.

4. Split-week

When possible, keep teams together, divide the week up into WFH/WFO, and utilize a hybrid work schedule. Some teams won’t collaborate in person, but everyone gets a fair share of their time in the office with the leadership team.

5. Shifts

This can be off-putting to most office workers who are used to 9-5, but it has some minor advantages. Breaking the day into an early and late shift allows people to enjoy longer lie-ins one week and early finishes the next. However, it also means extending opening hours and asking your staff to juggle any childcare or other arrangements they may have.

6. Week-by-week

Split the whole team and assign them a week in the office and a week at home. It eliminates any unwanted overlap that could occur midweek with the split-week model and allows your staff to settle into a whole week of a different work environment. It also eliminates any unfairness that could arise from undesirable shifts or the uneven carving up of the week.

The hybrid work model is something that is going to be around for a while. Its advantages lie in its flexibility and almost endless scope for tweaking to fit your specific needs. And while it is essential to keep your business running smoothly and keep the numbers in the black, it’s vital that workers’ health, safety, and well-being aren’t being overlooked. So to discuss the different options with your teams and give the other models a try!

Internet

6 Fun Activities For Your Next Virtual Corporate Event

Remote working doesn’t have to be boring because you can spruce it up with fun activities for virtual corporate events. These are fun activities that ensure employees are lively and happy.

Published

2 days ago

May 18, 2022

TwinzTech

6 Fun Activities For Your Next Virtual Corporate Event

Virtual corporate events are online gatherings often held via video platforms like Webex, Zoom, and Google Meet. Such events offer an excellent way to participate in games and other fun activities. They also aim to help create familiarity and relationships between the attendees and improve work dynamics and communication.

Hosting a virtual event is challenging, especially for an unfamiliar group. However, it has become a new culture nowadays because most companies have allowed their employees to work in a remote setup.

Despite the convenience, working from home has brought countless negatives like burnout, unexpected distractions, and feelings of isolation. It also resulted in positive outcomes, though, like the ability to bond, connect, laugh together, and have fun with each other via 100% virtual means. Thus, businesses and companies have openly embraced virtual events as part of their work process.

If you are tired of the old encounters at events and are struggling to get fresh creative ideas, here is a list of fun activities you can consider:

Table of Contents

1. Virtual Happy Hours

Despite having employees working from home, companies must ensure that business operations continue without risking employees’ lives. This opened an opportunity to find creative ways to interact with each other to avoid boredom, including attending corporate virtual happy hour with colleagues.

Virtual happy hour doesn’t mean going to bars or pubs after work. There is no need to wait in line to use the bathroom or stick around for drinks, and none of your coworkers has to call a ride-hailing vehicle to take you home afterward. This is because employees can have conversations and share drinks over a video call.

Virtual happy hours allow remote employees to socialize in a confident and comfortable setting. Working from home can sometimes feel lonely and isolated, but virtual happy hours help people socialize, bringing a sense of connection and belonging despite the distance. This also allows employees to toast to each other from different locations, like when they used to go out for drinks after office hours.

2. Health And Well-being Activities

Cases of mental and physical health issues are more common today than ever before. Hence, incorporating activities beneficial for your mental and physical health into your virtual event is recommended to ensure you are well taken care of, even in a small capacity.

For instance, you can incorporate a meditation break or a short workout between sessions, depending on the event you’ll have.

Excited young man looking at laptop celebrating online victory

3. Online Office Games

Online office games have gained steady popularity since several companies adopted remote work setups. Such games are conducted via a secure videoconference platform and last for 90 minutes. These include trivia, icebreakers, and mini-competitions that somehow break the monotony of work duties employees have daily. The game is headed by an eager host to enhance engagement and entertainment.

4. Social Media Groups

According to Statistica, an average person spends about two hours a day on social media. So, you can create private groups on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter for more virtual social connections.

For example, on Throwback Thursday, invite your peers to share an old photo with the team, and they will guess who’s in the photo. You may also ask teammates to tag someone on an image you’ll post, say, Ironman, who may be a favorite Avenger of one or two employees.

5. Virtual Dance Party

Dancing is a great stress reliever and team bonding exercise where coworkers can show their goofy and vulnerable side. To conduct a virtual team dance party, invite your coworkers to a video call, then create an enthralling playlist that will call for silly moves.

Another alternative to a dance party is to hold a silent disco. Here, each participant dances to the music they choose on their headset. Joining a silent disco is easy as each attendee dances to a song of their choice, and teammates can guess the song based on the moves. Virtual dance parties involve movements that may help workers blow off steam without thinking or talking to anyone; only rhythm does all the talking.

6. Digital Prom

Everyone has that prom dress or suit sitting in the closet because there is no opportunity to wear such elegant clothes. However, digital prom allows coworkers to dress up and relieve their childhood nostalgia, using the same prom experience to help them bond.

Although this activity might be silly for some, it offers a playful way to interact with peers and overcome fear.

Conclusion

Remote working doesn’t have to be boring because you can spruce it up with fun activities for virtual corporate events. These are fun activities that ensure employees are lively and happy. So, if you’re looking forward to organizing a virtual corporate event, try the activities discussed here to lift your spirits.