Hybrid Working 

Last week (18 Jan 2022) during her speech at Parliament, the First Minister announced that staff currently working from home could move back into 'hybrid' office working from the start of February.

A step that will have mixed feelings for many people.  Do they want to return, how will it affect their family commitments, are they worried for health reasons?

If your business is planning on integrating home and office working, you’ll want to take some steps to ensure your staff are comfortable with the change and understand how it will work. They will need to know what your expectations of them are.  

Here are five tips that will help ensure a smooth transition for you and your staff: 

1: Set Expectations  

Your employees can’t fulfil expectations that haven’t been set for them, so it’s critical to communicate your performance expectations, changes to workflows and reporting structures.  It’s a good idea to invest as much time and attention as possible into equipping your workforce with all the information they need to so they understand what is expected of them. 

2: Make Information Accessible

When working in a shared space such as an office, there are many opportunities to learn critical information about your team and hear updates just through observation. You may pass the memo on the bulletin board several times on your way to and from the break room, or hear several different team members having hallway conversations about an upcoming announcement. But when working remotely, this is something that can bee missed. You will need to remember to create clear and consistent communication channels that are available to everyone to share information such as FAQs, policy terms, training resource links or changes in personnel. 

3. Work on Building Team Spirit

To maximise your business performance with hybrid working, focus on building relationships amongst coworkers – both virtually and in person. Creating a company culture that promotes teamwork and meaningful connection amongst workers creates a more collaborative workspace and boost employee morale.

4: Keep Communications Channels Open

Whether your team are in the office, working remotely or have a hybrid working arrangement, always make sure you make time to check in with your staff on how they are doing. You can conduct staff surveys, ask line managers to check in with their staff and encourage a culture where people feel they can speak up if they are struggling with their mental health.

5. Resources and Requirements

Ensure they have the equipment they need to do their jobs both at home and in the office and anything they need to transport documents and work between the two.

Here are a few products that we think will be handy for you and your employees.

Laptop Messenger Bag
Mix style and practicality with this sleek black messenger bag. Slimline and comfortable with a non-slip shoulder strap to make carrying easier, it has a modern looking flapover front which fastens with Velcro for secure yet easy access. It may be slimline but there is a surprising amount of space inside for your laptop, cables and documents. An external pocket will hold a laptop easily and the extra rear pocket is great for carrying smaller items.

USB Drive
Even though it's about the size of a stamp and just 2mm thick, the Verbatim Pinstripe USB Drive is packed with plenty of storage for your documents, photos, music and videos. Just slot it into your computer's USB port and you're ready to go, with USB 2. 0 technology for faster access speeds. This drive contains 64GB of storage for documents, video, photos and more.

Coloured Ballpoint Pens
With four colours in one pen, the Bic 4 Colours Ballpoint Pen is a versatile choice for teachers, editors and other professional users. It features four smooth sliders at the top of the barrel for easy selection between black, blue, red and green ink. The chunky black barrel provides a firm grip for comfort and control. This medium pen features a 1mm tip for a line width of 0.4mm, ideal for general handwriting use. This pack includes 12 pens

Ruled Project Pads
This smart Pukka project book contains 250 pages of high quality 80gsm paper and features 5 removable dividers for organising your notes. The white pages are feint ruled for neat note-taking and perforated for easy removal. The durable notebook features black polypropylene covers and a wire binding, which allows it to lie flat for easy note-taking. This pack contains three A4 project books

Elasticated Folders
This Q-Connect folder is made from durable, hard-wearing polypropylene and is ideal for storing and organising A4 reports, presentations, notes and more. The 3 flaps and elasticated closure provide security for contents during transit. This pack contains 1 clear elasticated folder.