3 steps to establish a hybrid model in your workplace

As flexible work has become the standard for Australian organisations, the trajectory of the workplace has shifted and our business strategies must shift with it.

Hybrid work is now firmly established as the dominant model for knowledge workers. According to CEDA research, 36% of Australians work from home regularly, a dramatic shift from the 5% rate before 2020. McCrindle data shows that 45% of Australian workers now operate in hybrid arrangements, splitting their time between the office and remote locations. With such a significant change in how we work, it's essential to optimise your hybrid model approach with clear policies, the right technology and effective processes.

Here are three steps to help you establish a hybrid model that will enable business growth and agility in your workplace.

1. Define your hybrid model approach

Many organisations initially transitioned to hybrid work without a comprehensive work from home policy in place to define processes, expectations, tools and KPIs. Now, businesses have the opportunity to refine and optimise their approach, and the first place to start is with clear work processes and policies.

While it might seem easier to take what you already have and make amendments, you risk ending up with a confusing mixture of processes that don't truly allow your business to benefit from hybrid working. Start afresh and challenge all of your current ways of working. Prioritise solutions that are flexible, agile and scalable as this will allow for easy business growth in the future.

Consulting with staff is absolutely key to establishing an effective hybrid working model. Understanding what is helpful for employees, what concerns they have, their preferred working styles and their lifestyle considerations, is critical.

Combine this information with your business needs (eg. do you get a lot of walk in clients and need to maintain an office front?) and the hybrid model that will be most beneficial for your organisation, as well as the technology and resources you need to achieve it, will emerge. Some examples include:

• Employees have complete freedom to choose where they work
• Employees book spaces in the office as they would in a co working space
• Rotating teams between the office and remote working
• Set days for remote working across the company
• Office space reserved for meetings, social events and in person collaboration
• Limits placed on the number of people in the office
• Different solutions for different employees based on their job function

As you define your policies and processes, some aspects that you will need to consider are:

• If you will allow your employees flexible work hours, eg. to catch public transport to the office off peak or manage school drop off and pick up
• What communication channels will you use and what rules you will establish for their use, eg. have your video on for online meetings
• Do employees need to inform their manager or team of whether they're working in the office or remotely each day or week?
• How will you encourage a positive team culture across multiple locations?
• What work set up will you require employees to have at home or other locations, eg. you may have to provide employees with equipment for their home office, such as a secure printer for remote work.
• How will you manage work health and safety considerations across multiple work environments?
• What expenses will you pay for remote workers? Eg. Internet, phone etc.
  
  

2. Reimagine your office space

There's no point hanging onto office space that you're not using. Once you've established your new processes and policies, it will become clear what your new physical space needs are. You may want to downsize as fewer people will be working from the central office, or a new fit out may be necessary to increase the number of meeting spaces available for teams. It might also be time to think about co working spaces rather than continuing to manage your office independently.

Whatever your new office space looks like, there's a good chance that you'll find opportunities to save money through reduced square meterage or lower running costs. While some of these savings may initially go towards enabling your new hybrid working environment, over the long term you have the opportunity to put this money towards new business growth opportunities.

3. Use the right technology for mature hybrid work

Effective hybrid work requires technology platforms that enable seamless communication, collaboration, file sharing and project management. The right technology is the difference between a hybrid model that is productive, efficient, collaborative and scalable, and one that isn't.

Essential digital workplace tools for hybrid teams:

Cloud collaboration platforms: Microsoft Teams, Slack and similar tools enable real time communication, video conferencing and instant messaging across distributed teams. These platforms have become essential infrastructure for connecting hybrid workers, regardless of their location.

Enterprise Content Management (ECM): An ECM solution allows you to manage all your data and documents in one place, automate tasks such as classification and processing, and enable collaboration across teams. For organisations handling large volumes of documents, ECMs are integral to hybrid work environments.

Cloud printing and document management: Traditional printing doesn't suit hybrid workers. Kyocera Cloud Print and Scan enables employees to print securely from any location, with features like secure print release that holds jobs until the user authenticates at the device. This ensures confidential documents are protected while giving remote workers full printing capabilities.

Process automation: Kyocera's Intelligent Automation Platform streamlines repetitive tasks and automates workflows across departments. By connecting your CRM, HR systems, ERP and accounting software, automation enables the seamless flow of information regardless of where employees are working.

Document capture and digitisation: Kyocera Capture Manager captures information from any source, extracts relevant data and routes it to appropriate destinations. This eliminates manual data entry and ensures information flows efficiently across your hybrid workforce.

For that reason, prioritise sophisticated tech solutions that can operate as a 'single source', rather than numerous cheaper platforms that don't work well together. Working with companies that offer good ICT services and support is also important for remote workers who run into trouble.

To understand how to work toward an effective hybrid model, it's worth understanding business automation and all it can offer your organisation. Whether you're looking to scale up or diversify your business, automation can help you create efficiencies, support future growth and add value to your organisation.

Building a resilient and productive hybrid work environment requires the right hardware, software and processes. Download our Guide to Hybrid Workplace Strategy for a step by step strategy for implementing an effective hybrid work model that equips your employees to work anywhere, any time.