Determining the Best Work Model for Your Team

Major shifts have occurred in the workforce, and a sizable portion of the workforce, previously based entirely in an office setting, has transitioned to remote or flex-time arrangements as a result. According to these tendencies, very few businesses have any interest in hiring full-time office workers again. Remote work is better for businesses than traditional office work in terms of cost savings, productivity, and employee happiness.

However, many team leaders struggle with how to organize teams under various work models and how to maintain team spirit while meeting the needs of a wide variety of members.

Let’s discuss the various organizational structures that might work for your team and how YOU can make sure everything runs smoothly.

Work Models Explained

1. Remote Employees

The flexibility of remote work has given professionals more options for where and how they spend their time. As long as they can get their work done effectively and produce the desired outcomes, it doesn’t matter where they choose to do it. However, some companies may restrict their employees’ ability to negotiate for more control provisions in employment contracts. So, companies can schedule their most important meetings and work hours with greater precision. Recruiters in this field aren’t restricted to
finding candidates within a certain geographic area. It opens the door to a global pool of qualified job applicants.

2. Co-Located Workers

Traditional workplaces are co-located, where workers share an office building and commute there to interact face-to-face with their colleagues. Desk space and conference rooms are provided for all employees as standard. Because of the nature of the work, it is only possible to find candidates living close to the office.

3. Hybrid Employees

The future of work appears to be in hybrid structures, according to studies. A portion of their time is spent working away from the office, while the rest is spent physically present there. The hard part about this model is that it has to meet the needs of both remote and co-located workers.

Adjust Your Workspace to Meet Everyone’s Needs

A workplace that accommodates a wide range of employees’ needs can be difficult to set up, but it’s not impossible. Give these suggestions some thought, and you might just find yourself in a more positive and productive working setting in no time. Recognize everyone’s importance and keep morale high. So, your company employs a diverse range of people with different skill sets? Remember these suggestions for both home-based and office-based employees.

Remote Workers

1. Establish strict limits and regulations.

Get the word out about the core hours, work flexibility, meeting availability, and company processes that must be followed when working remotely. Make sure the remote worker is aware of who they should speak with about the problem. The best place to begin is with the human resources and information technology departments.

2. Establish data security

When working in a remote environment, you may not have a clear picture of how well-protected sensitive information is. If you are concerned about data security, you should enforce your company’s data security guidelines and limit your employees’ ability to work from public places like cafes.

3. Use video-conferencing tools

If you want your team to be effective and efficient, you need to equip them with video conferencing and collaboration software like Teams, Webex, Slack, etc. In addition, it facilitates communication between remote workers and their in-house counterparts and other remote workers, reducing the “loneliness” of working from home.

Co-Located Workers

1. Utilize your workspace

Co-located employees will have different needs for the office, so you may need to rethink how it’s laid out. Less time will be spent at a desk, but more time will be spent in meetings. Make more areas for group work and private conferences to meet the growing demand.

2. Easily integrate video conferencing equipment with meeting room scheduling

Find a way to integrate scheduling video conferences with room reservations. In a hybrid workplace, employees both in the office and in other locations must participate in meetings. If employees are unable to reserve a room and a time in advance, they will need to use up to ten minutes of the scheduled meeting time to do so. The lack of video conferencing equipment in the meeting space will also make dialing in a challenge.

Hybrid Workers

1. Make the rules and expectations clear

Lack of employee education makes it nearly impossible to establish a successful hybrid work environment. Make it crystal clear when the employee is expected to be present, how much flexibility there is in scheduling remote work, and what methods of contact are acceptable. This will help prevent any confusion from the start.

2. Follow the same guidelines as for remote and co-located workers

Keep in mind the considerations listed under both remote and co-located employees. Due to juggling multiple jobs, hybrid employees must meet both sets of requirements.

Bringing your remote team together shouldn’t be a problem if you keep these things in mind as you implement hybrid working in your company. With insights like these, the hybrid workplace is here to stay, and its many forms will only continue to evolve and improve. The key to keeping employees happy, loyal, and productive in the modern workplace is to understand the problems they face and come up with ways to deal with them.

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