Even if you’re already convinced of the benefits of hybrid work for your business, you might still be on the lookout for the perfect hybrid work schedule. One that serves your business and your people.
There are different types of hybrid and remote schedules you can use for your team. But if you look closely, there are only two approaches to setting up your hybrid work schedule: employee-led or manager-led.
The former enables employees to pick their work hours and work-from-home days, while the latter method implies managers mandate specific days.
In this article, we’ll look at both and see why employee-led hybrid work schedules might be a better fit for most employers out there – and also how to set yours up. The good news is, you don’t have to invent the wheel; there are several best practices you can implement today, which we’ll explain here.
What does a hybrid schedule look like?
A hybrid work schedule is a work arrangement that combines working from the office and working remotely, usually from home. Instead of coming to the office 100% of the time or being fully remote, employees split their time between the two.
In a hybrid environment, employees usually come into the office a few days a week and work from home on the other days. And, while some companies offer fixed, manager-led schedules, others let their people choose when they want to be in the office:
Manager-led hybrid schedules are usually one-size-fits-all (for example ‘everyone needs to be in the office on Tuesday and Wednesday’). This doesn’t necessarily work, though, because employee needs and productivity peaks might vary widely. For employees to enjoy the perks of a hybrid work model, they also need the autonomy to set their own work schedule.
Employee-led hybrid work schedules enable your team members to take advantage of the two main benefits of hybrid work, greater productivity and increased work-life balance, by giving them the autonomy to decide what’s best for them.
The idea behind hybrid work is to have the best of both worlds: easy face-to-face collaboration and the creativity that comes with having spontaneous conversations in the office, and the flexibility and work-life balance that remote work offers. And, when you let your employees set the tone (and their schedules), you establish an environment of trust and responsibility.
Whichever model you choose, you’ll need the right tech to make it possible: video conferencing tools like Google Meet or Zoom, communication platforms like MS Teams or Slack, project management software like ClickUp or Asana, and a desk booking app like Officely.
What are the different types of hybrid work schedules?
There are various formats you could use when building your office’s hybrid work schedule, depending on the balance you’d like to strike between:
Remote and in-office work
Employee autonomy and fixed schedules
The needs of your business and the needs of your people
Each type we’ll look at below offers different levels of flexibility and control.
Team-driven hybrid scheduling
With this approach, you give teams the autonomy to decide when they want to come into the office. Instead of leaving the decision up to each employee, you let teams decide what makes the most sense for them.
For example, if a team knows that face-to-face brainstorming sessions are usually very productive, but they don’t need more than one or two of those each week, they could decide that they’ll come to the office on Wednesdays and arrange the rest of the team’s schedule around that.
This usually works well for teams that are self-managing, flat in structure, and able to set clear goals.
Employee-driven hybrid scheduling
This is another variation of the approach above, but with a stronger focus on individual needs. Here, you’re essentially letting each person decide for themselves what makes most sense to them.
People thrive when they can choose a schedule that fits them – and work from home whenever needed
It works best for companies where each employee can work independently most of the time and where individual creativity and freedom are priorities. It might also be a good idea for complex cross-functional teams where it’s impossible to define a team-wide or company-wide approach that would work best for everyone.
Effective communication is a must, as are the tools that enable it, such as communication platforms and hot-desking software.
Manager-driven hybrid scheduling
Here, managers set the office schedule and have the final say on the days when everyone needs to be in the office, either on a team-by-team basis or as a blanket hybrid policy. For example:
Monday and Tuesday might be office days for everyone, with the option for remote work on other days of the week
Different teams might alternate between office and remote work according to a pre-set schedule
This is obviously a less flexible approach but it could be beneficial for teams that need more structure or for client-facing roles.
Required office hours
With this approach, your people would need to be in the office for certain hours or days, but the rest of the time they can work remotely.
For example, everyone might have to come in from 10 AM to 2 PM or be in the office on Wednesdays. If your team regularly meets with clients or partners in the office, fixed office hours might be necessary.
Staggered scheduling
In this type of hybrid schedule, managers define the required office hours and employees come in at different times to make sure there’s always someone in the office.
This is common for industries like healthcare, hospitality, or retail, where someone needs to be on site at all times, but not necessarily everyone at once. Remote work is typically reserved for tasks that can be done remotely and might not be possible for all roles.
Typically, this approach requires a lot of structure and is usually led by managers, rather than by employees.
Task or role-based scheduling
In this setup, coming into the office depends on the work you do. Some roles or tasks need to be done in person (like handling equipment), while others (like design or coding) can be done remotely most of the time.
If a hybrid setup is not beneficial for both sides, it instantly loses some of its appeal. So, let’s look into the advantages of hybrid work, for you and for your people.
Improved work-life balance
By allowing employees to work remotely, you’re giving them the freedom to create a workspace that suits their needs and personal commitments. According to Gallup, 76% of employees see this as a key benefit for hybrid work, ahead of all the other advantages of this model.
For example, if an employee needs to go to a doctor’s appointment at 10am, they no longer have to take half a day off; instead, they could simply start their work day later and finish later.
Or, if someone is going to art classes every Wednesday at 4:30 pm, they could simply start work earlier or work until later another day.
Or, if employees need to drop off and pick up their children from school, they could arrange their work schedules around this, and still show up to do their best work.
Trusting your employees with their schedules shows them you trust them to do their work without micromanaging their to-do lists or the time they spend in the office.
Employee-led hybrid work schedules allow employees to choose their work-from-home days, and most employees crave such control over their schedules.
As one hybrid-working study of over 5,000 knowledge workers found, at least 73% of employees preferred to work for a company that offered the flexibility to work from anywhere rather than the office. More importantly, 61% of employees said they preferred if management allowed team members to come into the office only when needed.
Increased productivity and efficiency
Actually, the jury’s still out on this one. According to studies by Stanford and the University of Chicago, productivity might actually suffer when working remotely, despite employees’ general sentiment that they’re more productive at home.
However, a hybrid work schedule where your people decide where to work from based on their tasks and needs enables them to reduce distractions when needed and come into the office for brainstorming and creative work when they could use their coworkers’ help and input.
Reduced commuting stress and costs
Commuting to work can be a major stress factor that contributes to burnout, especially when you factor in rush-hour traffic.
Hybrid schedules and flextime policies can enable your employees to avoid commute-related stress altogether. By simply coming to the office earlier or later, they can already avoid most traffic jams; add to this the option to work from home, and you have a winning combination.
Greater employee satisfaction and retention
If you consider the fact that 83% of workers around the world prefer hybrid models to on-site work, it’s easy to see why companies that offer flexible work arrangements are more likely to attract and retain top talent.
If you give your employees the opportunity to build a healthy work-life balance (that they’re in charge of!) and work in an environment that suits their preferences, you’ll have a happier and more committed workforce.
Plus, if you eliminate rigid schedules and mandated office presence, you’ll also be able to tap into a more diverse talent pool (and the invaluable perspectives) of caretakers, people with health issues, or those who simply live further away.
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Obviously, when you switch to an employee-led hybrid work model, you also need to consider the challenges that’ll inevitably come up. Let’s zoom in and see what the most common ones are.
You need software to appropriately manage schedules and hot desking
Let’s be real: Employee-led hybrid scheduling might require extra efforts and software to get right, especially if you’re also trying to optimize office space.
How to address this challenge:
The best way to manage this is to use dedicated software like Officely to sort out hot desk booking and monitor office usage.
With Officely, you can see how your people use your office space – and make sure you’re making the most out of every square foot
Low adoption will kill your efforts
Your workflows and processes are only as good as their weakest link, and if that’s the low adoption rates of the software you’re planning to use to manage hybrid schedules, you’re in trouble.
How to address this challenge:
Apps which live inside the collaboration tools your team uses daily will be your best bet. That’s exactly why we’ve made sure Officely works seamlessly in Slack and Microsoft Teams.
You need to do some extra admin work (at least initially)
Building a hybrid or flextime policy requires some heavy lifting, at least initially. You need to make sure that:
You know exactly what your team wants and needs
Employment contracts are in line with your new policies
You’re not breaching any labor laws and regulations
Your employees have the right equipment and resources to work from the office and remotely
Your IT team is on top of all security threats that remote work might pose
How to address this challenge:
Employee surveys will help you figure out what makes the most sense for your team; for the rest, you might need to sit with your HR and IT teams to figure out the best way to approach those challenges. The good news is that this is, to a large extent, a one-time effort; once you set up everything, it’ll be much easier to manage it.
Communication and collaboration might be more challenging
Effective communication and collaboration inevitably become more complex with hybrid work.
How to address this challenge:
Regular check-ins, team meetings, clear communication guidelines, and, importantly, the right communication tools, can help bridge the gaps. Unless everyone’s in the office, make your meetings remote-first to not exclude those who are working from home.
Maintaining a strong company culture will require more effort
In a hybrid work environment, it is crucial to maintain a strong company culture and create a sense of belonging, regardless of everyone’s specific preferences – and this is usually more challenging than if everyone’s in the office every day.
How to address this challenge:
Team building activities (some of which can be surprisingly affordable), regular social events, and meaningful daily interactions can help create a strong sense of community. Embrace transparency and involve everyone in decision-making processes, and beware of any proximity biases.
Best practices to implement an employee-led hybrid work schedule
An employee-led hybrid work schedule might sound like a logistical challenge, as you have no certainty around how many employees might come to the office on a given day. Plus, those who work remotely most of the time might miss out on social interactions and growth opportunities.
But it doesn’t have to be that way if you make the effort to implement a hybrid work schedule that actually works for you and your people, without depriving them of choice. Here are our top tips to make that happen:
1. Roll out integrated desk booking software
There are a few hybrid work software tools you need, but desk booking software like Officely is a must. It enables employees to book desks, meeting rooms, parking spots, or even space for their pets in advance, so that everyone has what they need to do their best work.
Plus, they can see when their coworkers are in the office and when is the best time to come in; after all, nobody wants to come to the office and find it empty, right?
Officely lets employees know when others are coming to the office, so that they don’t risk coming in when nobody else is there
Officely also offers attendance visibility, which means you can see how your office is actually used and optimize the space you have.
The app is super easy to integrate into your existing workflows, because it fits seamlessly into Slack and MS Teams, where your teams spend a big part of their workdays anyway. This means that they don’t need to open yet another app, but simply book a desk from Slack or Teams in only a few clicks.
2. Put someone in charge
Someone needs to set up the software, train employees, answer their questions, make sure the physical space is set up for different types of work, and more. In short, someone needs to be in charge – and ensure employee-led hybrid schedules function as intended.
In most companies, this will likely be the office or culture manager; they’re typically the ones who make sure employees and businesses are aligned in what they need and want from each other, down to the (very specific) details of floor plans and schedules.
3. Ensure communication goes both ways
Communication is key for the success of employee-led schedules.
Even if you give nearly unlimited choice to your people, there may be times when some of them need to be in the office at the same time, or come in to meet job candidates, clients, or partners. Communicate all this clearly (and in advance).
You might also want to have visibility about who’s coming to the office and when; desk-booking software is a great way to stay in the loop without having to actually ask your people each day.
In parallel to that, make sure your team members feel comfortable speaking out about what works for them and what doesn’t. Or, simply said, listen to them and take action if something needs fixing.
4. Get support from leadership
Your leaders’ support is key for the success of hybrid work; presenteeism or never coming to the office can be equally harmful, if your goal is to build a thriving hybrid culture.
Encourage leaders to use the same desk booking software as everyone else to drive team-wide adoption and not make it a “us vs. them” thing.
4. Clarify hybrid policies
Even the most flexible environments need clear and well-written policies to ensure compliance with local laws and the protection of workers’ safety and well-being.
5. Make hybrid meetings the norm for maximum flexibility
Mandating in-office presence for meetings is as good as imposing a rigid hybrid schedule on employees. Hybrid meetings, on the other hand, allow employees to dial in from home, too, so they don’t have to come to the office every time there’s a meeting. To make your hybrid meetings accessible and inclusive, you need to set them up in the right way. This might depend on how many employees are in the office at a given time:
If more employees are in the office than working remotely, hold the meeting in a conference room with a large screen that shows all remote attendees.
If more people are working from home, it makes sense to have everyone dial in separately from their computers.
Some teams choose virtual meetings, irrespective of office presence, to reinforce their hybrid approach. Find out how Officely’s Find a room feature can help you run better, hassle-free meetings in a hybrid workplace.
6. Make sure you give equal opportunities to all employees, irrespective of office preference
Employee-led hybrid schedules imply that some employees will inevitably spend more time in the office, while others work from home more often. Studies also show more face time with managers leads to better outcomes for employees. Therefore, you need to be more mindful of promoting fairness at work and ensuring everyone has equal access to opportunities.
Here are some ways to do that:
Announce new work opportunities on public channels like company Slack groups or company email updates
Open public channels on Slack (or your company’s communication tools) to ask for feedback and brainstorm ideas for new projects to have remote employees participate and contribute equally
Track employee promotions and office attendance to make sure employees aren’t getting promoted simply because they spend more time in the office
Create virtual training materials, so remote employees can access them; for instance, have sales reps shadow senior reps on sales calls virtually or host online workshops to make them accessible for everyone
7. Have occasional in-office days for everyone (or nearly everyone)
Social interactions at work help foster work friendships, which boost employee happiness. Designating certain days in a month as in-office days helps employees interact and bond with their colleagues on a more regular basis.
But instead of mandating office presence on those days, make them naturally attractive to employees. For example, you can also organize social events like a cooking class, board game nights, or even a book club. With tools like Officely, you can easily spread the word about team building events directly in Slack or MS Teams.
8. Evaluate the success of the program
The last step is to make sure your employee-led scheduling is working as intended. For this, you need to always keep the program’s goals in mind: Is it to make your people happier? Make better use of the available office space? Boost productivity?
Your people are your best source of information about how the program is impacting them. Use surveys or even casual conversation to get feedback on what’s working and what’s not.
Keep an eye on analytics and resource utilization to make sure the space you have available is sufficient and used in the best possible way. Then, as you gather data, look for ways to tweak things and improve.
Make hybrid work with easy employee scheduling
Workers globally value the ability to choose when, where, and how they work. Employee-led hybrid work schedules are a step toward providing this flexibility to your people – and you now know how to make it work for everyone.
With the right approach and the right tools, like desk booking software, creating a balanced and efficient hybrid workplace doesn’t have to be complicated.
Investing in easy-to-use tools like Officely can make managing flexible scheduling and hot desking a breeze, helping you get the most out of your office space while keeping employees happy.
Want to dive deeper into creating a flexible workplace? Download Our Flexible Future to find out more – or book a demo to see how Officely can simplify hybrid work for everyone.
Try Officely Today
See who's in the office, organize socials and events, and increase your office attendance all within Slack.
Max is one of the cofounders and CEO of Officely, a flexible work enablement platform. He has helped thousands of businesses not only transition to flexible work but instil it at the core of their culture and brand.
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