Tips for creating a hybrid work policy

A growing number of organizations and leaders see a hybrid work policy as the ideal arrangement. Hybrid work offers the best of both worlds: in-person team building in the office combined with the flexibility of remote work.

A key factor in making hybrid work successful is having a strong policy in place. In this blog post, we’ll explain why hybrid working guidelines matter and share practical tips to help you create a policy that works for your organization.

The importance of hybrid work policy

If you’re introducing a hybrid work for your team, it’s essential to establish a dedicated policy. While there is good evidence that hybrid work is an effective model, success depends on more than just telling employees to work from home or the office whenever they feel like it.

You need a clear policy that details how the work will be carried out, what the expectations are for employees, and what kind of support they can expect. In fact, for hybrid work, the importance of a policy is arguably even greater than in a traditional office setting or fully remote work environment. Unlike these fixed work arrangements, hybrid work demands a policy that integrates two distinct working styles, which can be a challenge.

That’s why each organization needs to think carefully about finding the right balance—let’s discuss this in more detail.

Hybrid work policy: How to get the home/office balance right

A hybrid work policy can take different shapes, depending on the needs of the organization and its employees. Hybrid can mean anything from asking people to come in once a week to expecting them to be there most days. The policy needs to be clear about these expectations and whether they’re set in stone or up to the employee.

Let’s look at some hybrid work model policy examples:

1. Office-focused with occasional remote work

In this model, employees are primarily expected to work from the office, with the flexibility to work remotely occasionally to accommodate personal needs or handle specific tasks. For example, an employee might work from home on a day when they have a personal appointment or need a quieter environment to complete a report.

This approach is well-suited to teams and organizations that rely on in-person collaboration and need constant access to colleagues and managers for decision-making, while still providing the occasional autonomy that employees value.

2. Remote-focused with office access

This approach prioritizes remote work, with the office available as an optional resource for specific purposes. For example, a team might primarily work from home, using the office for brainstorming sessions, project kickoffs, and other team events.

The idea is that employees can come together when it adds value but enjoy the autonomy and convenience of remote work for their day-to-day responsibilities. With this model, companies with limited office space can reduce the daily demand for physical desks and accommodate a larger workforce.

3. 50/50 split

The 50/50 model divides time equally between remote and in-office work. For example, employees might work from the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and remotely on Tuesday and Thursday, or alternate weekly between remote and in-office settings. 

With this model, a team could use in-office days for things like client meetings, team-building activities, and working together on projects that need collaboration. The rest of the time, team members work remotely, focusing on individual tasks. It’s a flexible setup that combines the best of both worlds—regular face-to-face time for connection and teamwork, along with the freedom of remote work.

4. Complete flexibility

This model offers employees complete freedom to decide where they work, based on their individual needs and preferences. It allows employees to organize their work in a way that works best for their lifestyle and productivity.

For organizations, this kind of model can be effective for attracting and retaining top talent, as it demonstrates commitment to employee autonomy. However, companies need to ensure adequate communication, collaboration, and accountability to keep things organized. Otherwise, this approach is likely to result in a lack of cohesion and disconnected team members.

What to consider when creating a hybrid work policy

Now, let’s look at key considerations that will help you create a policy best suited for your organization.

Type of work

Some roles are better suited to hybrid work, while others require an exclusive on-site presence. For example, jobs involving hands-on tasks, such as manufacturing or retail simply can’t be performed remotely. On the other hand, In fields such as software development and data analysis, work can usually be done effectively from either the office or home.

For companies that employ people in a variety of roles, this might involve creating different policies for different teams. It’s important to look at the needs of each role and team to decide if it’s best done remotely, in the office, or with a hybrid mix.

Team dynamics and communication

The way employees interact and collaborate also plays a major role in shaping hybrid working guidelines. For roles that rely heavily on teamwork, brainstorming or face-to-face client interactions, relatively more in-office time may be essential. 

Keep in mind that remote work can sometimes make communication and collaboration harder, especially for new hires. Balancing remote and office work should account for the need to maintain strong team connections and effective collaboration.

From a practical perspective, the policy should explain how and when teams should check in with each other when working remotely, whether that’s through messaging apps, video calls, or email updates. Everyone should know which tools to use for different kinds of communication and how to stay in the loop. It’s also a good idea to set expectations regarding things like responsiveness during core work hours.

Employee preferences and feedback

If you’re rolling out a hybrid work policy, using surveys and having open discussions can help you understand preferences and create a policy that works for everyone. Some employees might value the flexibility to work from home for better work-life balance, while others prefer the structure and social interactions of the office. 

The hybrid work rules should ideally be flexible enough to fit different preferences. For example, there might be employees who live farther from the office, and for them, mandatory office days could be reduced. The opposite might be true for people who don’t have the right setup to work remotely, such as a lack of space for a home office.

Productivity software

One of the challenges of hybrid work is keeping productivity and accountability on track while switching between different work modes. This can be solved by automatic time tracking, which can gather data on the key performance indicators regardless of whether the employee is working at home or in the office. 

With DeskTime, managers can see how their team is doing at a glance, with insights into time management, app and URL usage, and productivity. With DeskTime, you can embrace hybrid work without compromising your team’s workflow and efficiency. 

Final thoughts: Find your own approach to hybrid work policy

While experts and leaders have highlighted the benefits of hybrid work for a while now, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. What hybrid work looks like will vary for each organization and team. For some, it might mean full employee autonomy to choose between home and office, for others, the flexibility might be more limited due to the nature of the work.

You have to consider what your organization wants to achieve with hybrid work and how to support it with an effective policy. As we have discussed, if you can ensure good communication flow, account for the need for team building, and implement time tracking, you will have taken some of the most significant steps toward a successful hybrid work model policy.