Following the success of homeworking during the pandemic, many employers have now adjusted their working arrangements. Pre-Covid, just 4.6% of employees spent any of their working time working from home. However, despite many organisations driving ‘a return to the office’, still over a quarter of the workforce works from home at least some of the time (ONS).
In this article, we will explore the concept of ‘hybrid working’.
The debate on returning homeworkers to the office
During the Covid-19 pandemic, many employees were furloughed or worked from home. An ONS survey found that 46.6% of employees worked from home at least some of the time during the pandemic.
YouGov research shows that the majority of workers would like to continue to work from home at least some of the time now they’ve experienced this change in working location.
Organisations are still feeling the effects of the pandemic on the way they operate, with many debating whether a return to the office is the right decision. Many organisations have made the strategic decision to continue to allow either home working or a combination of home and office working (known as ‘hybrid working’).
For example, Nationwide announced its ‘work anywhere plan’ which gave its 13,000 office staff the choice of where they work – in the office, from home, in a branch or a combination of locations.
Meanwhile, PwC confirmed that it would allow UK staff to split their time between their home and the office. While there is an expectation that approximately 40-60% of their time will be spent with colleagues or clients, the remaining time can be worked remotely. There will also be flexibility with start and finish times, and the option of finishing early on Fridays during summer months.
However, there are mixed views on home and hybrid working. Rishi Sunak suggested that employees may quit if they are prevented from working in the office. While David Solomon, Chief Executive of Goldman Sachs, described homeworking as an ‘aberration’ and not a ‘new normal’ for the bank.
Nevertheless, the CIPD found that 40% of employers expect at least half their workforce to regularly work from home in the future.
What is hybrid working, and what are the benefits?
Hybrid working refers to a model of flexible working which allows an employee to combine working in the office and working remotely. However, hybrid working can be about more than just work location. Hybrid working arrangements will differ between organisations, but may include: flexible start and finish times; flexible days of work; compressed hours etc. It represents a significant shift in our way of working, enabling employees to have flexibility to complete their work.
The CIPD identified a number of benefits for employees of home working which are likely to apply in a similar way to hybrid working. These include: a better work-life balance; greater ability to focus on work without distractions; reduced commuting time and costs; and increased motivation.
Moreover, hybrid working is not only beneficial for employees, but also for employers. The CIPD suggests that employers are likely to see the following benefits: cost savings on office space; higher employee engagement levels; lower turnover levels; lower absence rates; reduced environmental impact; encouraging diversity and inclusion; and supporting employee wellbeing.
Mark Dixon, CEO of IWG, expects hybrid working to become the new normal: ‘it works for companies, because it’s a lot cheaper. It’s also much, much better for the environment’.
What steps should an employer take before introducing hybrid working?
If you are thinking about introducing hybrid working, consider these steps:
1. Analysis of business requirements
Careful consideration should be given to your business requirements, and the impact these may have on hybrid working. For example:
- Is there a minimum number of people that need to be in the office at any one time?
- Are there particular days and hours that you need your employees to work? For example, do you need your employees to be available to customers during specific times?
- What are your customers’ / clients’ requirements? For example, do you need your employees to attend client sites?
- What aspects of homeworking have worked well to date? Have there been any challenges that you’ve struggled to overcome?
- Do requirements differ depending on job roles/teams?
There are also practical considerations, such as:
- What office space is available?
- Do you have available technology and equipment to enable hybrid working?
2. Communication with employees
It is extremely important that you consult with your employees (and trade unions where applicable) about plans to change fundamental organisational ways of working. You may find that some of your employees are keen to work in a hybrid way, but others may be less sure.
Discuss with your employees the potential for hybrid working. Don’t assume that you know what their work preferences are. Talk to your employees about how they would ideally like to work, and listen to their experiences of homeworking. Depending on the size of your organisation, this exercise may take the form of a staff survey or it could be a simple conversation between manager and employee.
3. Decide whether hybrid working would suit your organisation
Following a review of both your business requirements and your employees’ work preferences, you should carefully consider whether hybrid working would suit your organisation, and if so, what form it should take.
Factors to consider:
- What is your expectation in terms of time spent in the office / at client premises?
- When employees are working remotely, are you happy for them to work anywhere? For example, could they work abroad? Or do you need them to be close to work premises in case they are needed to attend the office?
- Are all employees / job roles entitled to apply for hybrid working?
- Will you operate a roster for office working?
- Are employees required to attend the office for specific meetings or training sessions?
- Do you want all employees to have the same hybrid working arrangement, or will the arrangement be tailored to the individual/team?
- Will you offer flexible days/hours or compressed hours of work?
- Will hybrid working be a permanent arrangement, or will it be trialled on a temporary basis?
4. Update Policies and Procedures
If a decision is made to introduce hybrid working or to continue homeworking, all relevant policies and procedures will need to be updated. Most organisations will have a flexible working policy in place. This can be adapted to include hybrid working.
The CIPD suggests that the policy should state:
- Who is eligible to apply for hybrid working
- The process to apply for hybrid working
- Roles and responsibilities for hybrid workers and managers
Moreover, there are other policies that may be impacted. For example, your IT, homeworking and data protection policies may need to be updated. In addition, how you manage expenses and absence may also change in response to hybrid working.
5. Changes to terms and conditions of employment
It’s important to be aware that hybrid working may amount to a formal change to terms and conditions of employment. For example, it could involve a change of location or change of hours.
Where hybrid working has been requested by the employee, or where the employee is in agreement with the proposal, the employer can simply confirm the change to terms and conditions of employment in writing to the employee. The employee should sign and return the letter to confirm their agreement to the contractual change.
Where a change to terms and conditions of employment is initiated by the employer (i.e. not at the request of the employee), a formal consultation process will need to take place before a final decision is made. Further information is available in our Guide ‘Changing employee terms and conditions: proceed with caution’.
Setting up hybrid working for success
To ensure the introduction of hybrid working is a success consider these questions:
How will your hybrid team communicate?
To ensure hybrid working is a success, one of your essential priorities will be to establish effective ways of communicating as a team in your new working model. This is to ensure information is consistent and accessible regardless of an individual’s location. Communication should be regular, two-sided and effective so think carefully about the communication tools you will use. Try to avoid lengthy and unproductive video calls!
How will you manage a hybrid team?
It is likely that you will have already had to adapt to managing remote workers during the coronavirus pandemic. Managing a hybrid working team will also have its own challenges. For example, you will need to consider how your team will build relationships and collaborate on projects, in addition to how you will induct new employees and manage performance.
As a result, employers may need to offer additional training to support managers to adapt to these changes.
You may find our guide on how to manage a remote team useful:
Is your team set up for hybrid working?
For hybrid working to be a success, you will need to ensure that employees can work easily from home or from the office. Consider your technology and equipment to make sure it meets the needs of hybrid working arrangements. If you are introducing new technology, employees should receive training to ensure all employees are able to use the new systems effectively.
How will hybrid working impact employee wellbeing?
Hybrid working is likely to provide advantages to employee wellbeing, offering more flexibility and choice around an employee’s routine and how they manage their work. However, there is potential for it to have a negative impact on wellbeing if the line between work and home life is not effectively managed and becomes blurred. Employers should be mindful of the example they set (don’t send work emails at 4am), and should encourage employees to switch off from work during non working hours. To reinforce this, employers can offer ongoing mental health support and information to all employees.
You can find out about creating an employee wellbeing strategy for your organisation in our guide:
How to draft an employee wellbeing strategy for your organisation
What can we do to help?
If you would like advice on the implementation of a hybrid working policy, please contact our team on 0330 223 5253 or office@fitzgeraldhr.co.uk. We would be delighted to help you.
We hope you found this guide useful. You may also find the resources below helpful.
