Hybrid work, a blend of in-office and remote work, is trending across several industries. Many companies and employees favor hybrid work because it improves employees’ work-life balance and promotes efficient use of time. However, employees need assistance adapting to this work model to ensure their complete understanding and maximize their productivity. This is where Human Resources comes in, as they are responsible for employee well-being.
HR professionals go beyond their role of processing payroll and recruiting talent. They are in extremely high demand, recently seeing an 87% increase in job postings. This jump in demand has led top universities to open their HR courses to remote students. Online Human Resource management degrees teach the next generation of HR professionals to track current issues, changing trends, and new technologies that can improve a company’s operations. Modern courses provide HR professionals with the knowledge they need to help companies adapt to emerging trends like hybrid work. Keep reading to learn more about HR management’s role in establishing an effective hybrid work model.
Creating hybrid work policies
Human Resources Management shapes hybrid work models by creating and implementing the necessary policies. Businesses use company policies to certify that work processes are in order and employees know what is expected of them. Since hybrid work is changing the norm, companies need updated policies to guide employees and ensure effectiveness.
One example of a hybrid work policy HR can set is defining the required number of in-office vs. remote work days per employee. A structured policy for guiding hybrid work can create balance and ensure an intentional blend of in-office and remote work. Another example of a relevant policy is determining how to measure productivity for remote workers. Companies need to decide how they will track work progress: will they use a computer tracking system or have employees turn their webcams on?
Ensuring employee well-being
Keeping track of employees when they’re spread out between their homes, the office, and other locations can be challenging. Still, it’s vital for organizations to ensure employee wellness no matter where they’re working to optimize productivity and efficiency. So, another role of HR in hybrid work is to support employee well-being. To ensure employee well-being, HR professionals should regularly check in with remote workers to see if they’re experiencing feelings of burnout. They can also provide mental health services, like counseling and meditation workshops, to on-site and remote employees to improve their wellness.
Some HR professionals have unique educational backgrounds and studied other topics, like psychology. An HR professional can apply the knowledge they gained from a psychology degree to effectively resolve workplace conflicts and keep in touch with employee sentiments.
Implementing hybrid communication tools
Communication among employees is more challenging when they’re divided between two work settings. There will be miscommunication, message delays, and a possible disconnect from company values. It’s HR’s job to prevent this, especially since 77% of employees seek to feel connected to their company’s goals and values—even when they’re working remotely.
Administering effective communication channels is one solution that HR can execute. They should choose professional and user-friendly platforms like Slack and Zoom to support various communication methods, including messaging, audio, and video calling. This results in more efficient communication between office and remote employees, improving productivity.
Promoting teamwork across different settings
Teamwork and collaboration can be difficult when employees are in different environments. Building professional work relationships is hard when you don’t interact with each other often. However, it’s crucial to build teamwork to warrant productivity. HR encourages teamwork in hybrid work environments, enhancing work relationships and efficiency.
These professionals can make this happen by establishing team-building events that support the different work settings, assist leaders in defining team members’ roles, and give equal power and opportunities to on-site and remote employees.
As more companies adopt hybrid work, they must help their employees adapt. HR management helps by creating new policies, promoting employee collaboration, implementing communication tools, and securing employee well-being.
Article written by Ysabel Franklyn