“Hybrid work” is the concept of combining remote work with in-office work. As we approach 2024, it has become a standard business model that both employers and their employees alike believe in. Becoming commonplace during the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid work continues to be an approach that has “safety first” at top of mind. However, it is also seen as a way to ensure productive outputs.

How can you make hybrid work a successful part of your business model?

Create an inviting office environment.

Although many of your employees may enjoy working from home, it’s important to make clear that coming into the office is still a viable option. In some cases, it may be necessary. It’s wise to create a warm and inviting atmosphere at your place of business. Having a workplace that people want to work within is a vital part of a company’s longevity.

“Creating a great workplace experience requires a focus on three elements: space, technology, and people,” informs Amy Kirkham on Envoy.com, “For example, creating more purposeful spaces in your office will improve your workplace experience because employees have different areas to choose from. That might be quiet zones, meeting pods, collaboration rooms, or lounge areas. Supporting different types of people and work will help support your hybrid work model.”

Offer a consistent experience.

Don’t make your remote workers feel less important than your in-office workers. On BuiltIn.com, Hailley Griffis stresses that organizations should strive to give both remote and in-office employees the same experience. They can do this by creating guidelines that prioritize communicating online over in-person.

“The company should plan meetings and events with remote workers in mind,” writes Griffis, “Rather than gathering most people in a meeting room and having remote workers join from a screen to the side, everyone should have the same experience by joining the meeting remotely from their own laptop. This way, remote workers won’t feel uncomfortable speaking up or contributing.”

Request and accept regular feedback.

How are your team members taking to the hybrid work model? The best way to get accurate answers to this question is to ask your employees directly. Schedule regular feedback sessions with your remote workers the same way you would as if they were in the office. The only difference, of course, is you will need a video conferencing platform to conduct those meetings. According to Kirkham, collecting feedback will help you to build a hybrid workplace that thrives.

“Be sure to provide more than one way for employees to share their thoughts,” she advises, “For example, you might have an ‘always-on’ Slack channel dedicated to employee feedback. In addition to that, you might send out quarterly feedback surveys to your workforce. Collecting this feedback will help you iterate as you go and build a hybrid workplace that works for everyone.”

Accept payments virtually.

With Unity Payments’ Virtual Terminals, you can accept credit card and debit card payments wherever you are working. We can turn your mobile devices into credit card terminals so that you can process payments in-person, online or on the road using your smartphone, tablet or laptop computer! To learn more, please don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-661-3761 or email us at info@unitypayments.ca.