Creating effective hybrid work policies: Top tips & template

Hybrid work offers employees the best of both worlds – the flexibility of remote work and the camaraderie of in-office time. But managing a hybrid workforce is not an easy feat, which is why you need to ensure you have the right hybrid work policy.

Often, homeworkers end up working longer hours with fewer career advancement opportunities than their in-office counterparts. Additionally, a lack of a formal hybrid work policy could leave your employees anxious or demotivated. In some cases, it could also create two classes of workers, remote and in-office, with remote employees being treated as “second-class.”

‍So, once you've established your business is ready for hybrid work, you need to create a strong hybrid working policy that:

• Is equitable and fair to everyone
• Provides the right working conditions to all employees
• Outlines all available hybrid arrangements and requirements
• Sets clear rules for remote and office work, including working hours, required office presence, and communication channels and tools

We also advise you to use hybrid work software to make desk booking and attendance management easier.

Just as workplace policies or employee handbooks outline dos and don'ts for employees, hybrid working policies should lay down clear criteria and rules around hybrid work and also provide best practices for employees.

Below, you'll find a hybrid work policy template you can grab and use for free, plus our top tips on how to build a sensible flexible policy that works well for you and your employees – but first, let’s clarify what hybrid work actually is.

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Defining hybrid work

Hybrid work is a flexible work model that allows employees to divide their work time between the office and their home – or different locations, such as coworking spaces, libraries, or even coffee shops. It recognises that not all tasks require a physical presence in the office, and some can be effectively completed from a distance, especially if you provide your employees with the right communication and project management systems.

By implementing a hybrid work model, you can offer your people the freedom to choose where they work and enable them to strike a better work-life balance. This, in turn, can lead to better job satisfaction and retention – and improved employee well-being.

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Your free hybrid workplace policy template

The template below is yours to use; you can simply copy and paste it and tweak it to fit your organisation's needs. ‍

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Policy overview

Beginning [Date], [Company] will implement a hybrid work model. All employees are eligible for hybrid work. Schedules must fit within one of the models described below and be cleared by your manager.

Please read the entire policy and sign to confirm you have read it. Contact [name and email of contact person] if you have any questions.

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Hybrid work schedule

Hybrid schedules depend on your department; you have flexibility within the hybrid model below. Contact your direct supervisor with questions.

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All departments should book office space for in-office days with Officely.

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‍Key performance indicators (KPIs)

Your manager will discuss with you all relevant key performance indicators and how they might be affected by hybrid work.

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In-office amenities

Employees working at the office more than 3 days a week will have a dedicated desk, parking space, and access to the company gym or childcare services.

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Equipment and software

For all employees, the company will provide:

• Laptop
• Keyboard
• Mouse
• Headset
• Cellphone

Employees working remotely more than 2 days a week will also receive stipends to cover internet costs.

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Compensation and benefits

Compensation might be subject to adjustments if relocating to a different city or area.

Employees will also receive the following additional stipends:

• Gym memberships/related health membership
• Virtual health consults
• Virtual mental health counseling
• Childcare
• [Add more benefits here]

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Communication tools and guidelines

Use the following tools for remote communication:

• Email for weekly updates, updates for clients, delivery of material to clients
• Slack for team-wide communication, client groups (if requested), quick announcements
• Google Meet for meetings, presentations, stand-ups
• Officely for updating your work location (remote or from the office) and booking desks

Prioritise the use of public channels of communication and be respectful of others’ time and show up punctually for meetings.

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Commitment to equal opportunities

We’re committed to providing a similar experience to remote and in-office employees. To ensure everyone has equal access to opportunities, managers must:

• Use public channels to announce new work opportunities and projects
• Review how often employees are promoted with respect to their work preferences

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10 tips for building a successful hybrid and remote work agreement

Below, you’ll find our top tips on how to manage the transition to a hybrid work model – and how to ensure that it works well for you and your team.

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1. Determine eligibility for hybrid work

Before you start building your hybrid policy, define the roles for which hybrid work is possible and those for which it is not.

Here are some examples:

• Roles suitable for hybrid work: Most roles in project management, software development, design, marketing, finance, accounting, and admin
• Roles that require mostly in-office presence: Front desk and customer-facing roles, field staff managers, facility management staff, any role involving physical work

You might still want to offer employees in the second category some flexibility, for example by providing occasional WFH days. You might even have team members from other departments like marketing or finance cover office-based roles like the front desk from time to time to allow for more equitable access to remote work.

If your team has been working remotely but you'd like to switch to a hybrid work schedule, use an employee return-to-work survey to uncover potential concerns.

Make sure to consider resource utilisation and how exactly you'll manage your office space. One of the best ways to do that is with the help of desk booking software.

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2. Define the right hybrid work model and schedule

Hybrid work isn’t one-size-fits-all. 

Your hybrid work model might be remote-first, where employees are allowed to work remotely most of the time, or lean toward more in-office presence.

Because the term "hybrid" can mean so many things, outline the number of remote workdays allowed in your office and the advantages for each preference. For example:

• Remote 1-2 days per week: Because these employees are in the office more frequently, consider offering them a dedicated office or desk and parking space.
• Remote 3-5 days per week: Employees might have to surrender dedicated office desks but will be provided a hot desk or common area to work in the office. They may be eligible for visitor parking.
• Fully remote: These employees don’t have dedicated workspaces and may be eligible for visitor parking. They might visit the office on occasion for a few hours or a day and reserve a hot desk when they do. 

Desk booking software like Officely can make it easy to manage different schedules and give everyone the visibility they need to organise their work – and come to the office when others are there.

If you offer fully remote roles, specify if these roles are based out of specific countries, states, or cities. If you need remote employees to come to the office occasionally for client meetings and events, you might prefer to hire in your city or region.

For employees choosing hybrid work arrangements, specify if they'll set their own flexible schedule or if schedules will be manager-led. Employee-led hybrid work schedules usually provide better results, because employees know best where and how they work best.

Whatever style you choose, define when you'd expect team members to be available for work-related communication. Certain roles like customer support might need to work specific hours, even remotely.

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3. Review employee compensation

Be clear about how an employee’s location and work preference (in-office, remote, hybrid) affect their compensation and benefits, so employees can weigh the pros and cons of their choice.  

For example, if you have 100% remote positions with the option to relocate to another city or country, you might consider adjusting employee salaries to the cost of living – or decide against it. Or you could provide in-office or hybrid workers with a commute allowance.

Remote-first company Buffer has shared their salary calculator publicly, and you might want to use a cost of living calculator when defining salary ranges. However, you need to make sure you're not penalizing employees who opt for a hybrid model or those who choose to work remotely.

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4. Expand wellness and health benefits

Hybrid work offers ample flexibility, but it also has a few downsides. Employees who often work remotely might feel more isolated and some might need additional support to avoid burnout.

Here are some ways to safeguard employee health and mental wellbeing in remote and flexible working arrangements:

• Offer virtual health consultations on platforms like Teladoc and Wellthy and provide access to mental health services like Talkspace and Lyra Health
• Provide a few hours of free mental health counseling in addition to virtual consulting, if they’re not part of your Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs)
• Normalise taking time off not just for vacation but also for mental health and to care for family
• Offer stipends for exclusive in-office perks like childcare and gyms
• Encourage managers to make video optional during some meetings and reduce the number of mandatory calls per week

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5. Make sure you know the legal requirements for hybrid work

Ask your legal counsel or HR department about all local and national laws you should comply with in relation to hybrid work. Explain how you’ll fulfill legal requirements in your flexible work policy.

Here are some questions to get you started:

• Where is your business legally allowed to operate? This might affect the locations from which employees can work remotely.
• Do you need to reimburse employees for home office equipment? In states like California, laws require employers to reimburse employees for office equipment like computers, laptops, and desks. 
• Do you need to reimburse employees for office travel? While daily commutes are generally not reimbursable, for employees who work primarily from home, you might need to reimburse office travel.
• Do you need to pay overtime? Federal US laws require employers to pay overtime if employees work for more than 40 hours in a week, or in some states, more than 8 hours a day. If such laws apply in your country or state, you’ll need to define how you'll track time and whether employees require manager approval to work extra hours.

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6. Implement the right tech to uphold your new policy

The success of your hybrid work policy depends on the tools you use. Hybrid work software like Officely makes desk booking simple – and gives your employees and admin staff visibility into office attendance, making it easier to manage hybrid schedules and resources effectively.

With Officely, employees can easily reserve desks, see who’s in the office, and plan their workdays for better collaboration or focused work, all directly within Slack or Microsoft Teams. 

Other tools you should consider include: 

• Project management platforms like Asana or ClickUp
• Video conferencing software like Zoom, MS Teams, or Google Meet
• Knowledge sharing platforms like Confluence or Notion

For more ideas, check out our article on the best productivity tools for hybrid work.

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7. Set up information security measures for hybrid work

In your office, you're in control of all security measures like firewalls, virtual private networks (VPNs), on-premise servers, data centres, antivirus software, and authorised company equipment. And, while you can replicate most of these measures in a remote setting, your employees might need extra guidance to comply with data security measures.

When drafting your hybrid workplace policy, outline best practices for employees to keep your data safe, like:

• Set strong passwords and update them regularly
• Install security and software updates on a regular basis
• Avoid downloading suspicious, illegal, or unauthorised software
• Block suspicious websites and report any phishing attempts
• Use only work devices for work, and not their personal computers or smartphones
• Report any loss of equipment or information immediately
• Use a VPN as needed

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8. Create clear communication guidelines

Clear guidelines help eliminate communication silos. For hybrid teams, defaulting to remote-first online communication works best because it's equally accessible to in-office and remote employees.

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In your hybrid workplace policy, mention:

• Channels or tools for meetings, quick messages, updates, stand-ups, announcements, and reports
• Expected response time for internal emails, client emails, and Slack messages
• Internal knowledge base tools for looking up company-related information, processes, and policies
• Who to get in touch with for common issues

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9. Track employee performance

In a traditional work environment, time spent in the office was often used as one of the measures of performance and engagement, although we could probably all agree that it's a horribly inaccurate one. In a hybrid workplace, the need for setting clear key performance indicators (KPIs) is even more obvious.

Define what success looks like for different roles. For instance, “Success as a sales manager means contacting X leads per month, a X% of closed deals, and $XX in revenue.”

You can also set goals for employee attendance specially for roles that benefit from in-person collaboration, and use dedicated software like Officely to measure that.

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10. Foster equity between employees working from home or in the office

Proximity bias is one of the most common challenges of hybrid work, or the tendency to favour in-office employees. Team members working from home might miss out on important work-related talks and decisions if they happen in ad hoc meetings or in the hallway.

To provide equal opportunities to all employees, irrespective of the specific hybrid or remote work arrangement they opt for, you might decide to:

• Measure speed of promotion by employees’ work preference to avoid bias
• Announce new work opportunities and challenges using online channels like Slack or email instead of in-person meetings
• Hold virtual ask-me-anything sessions with leadership where employees can voice concerns and ask questions
• Run anonymous employee surveys to gauge employee sentiments
• Make hybrid meetings the norm, so all employees can participate regardless of their location

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The benefits of hybrid work

Hybrid work is a smart way to balance flexibility with productivity. Here’s how embracing a hybrid model can benefit your team and your business.

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Improved work-life balance

By giving employees the freedom to split their time between home and the office, you help them to better manage their personal responsibilities and commitments while staying productive. 

Additionally, you enable them to design their own work environment based on their preferences and needs – and still share time with others in the office whenever they need to work together on specific projects. 

This balance can lead to happier, healthier, and more engaged team members.

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Better collaboration and focus

Hybrid work allows employees to work together in person when it matters most and focus on deep work at home or in dedicated office areas without distractions. Finding the right balance between collaboration and individual work will depend on each person and role, but giving the possibility to switch between the two will help improve teamwork and individual productivity.

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Cost savings for everyone

Hybrid work enables businesses to downsize office space strategically and therefore reduce its associated costs (rent, utilities, and equipment), while employees save time and money on commuting and office lunches. 

Plus, it can also help reduce the environmental impact of your company.

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Steps to implement a hybrid work policy

Now that you have a policy template at your disposal and know what benefits hybrid work can offer, let’s see exactly how you can shift to this model, step by step. 

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1. Assess your company's needs

Before switching to hybrid work and flexible work hours, take the time to assess your company's needs and challenges. 

Consider factors like job roles, team dynamics, and client expectations. Identify potential roadblocks and develop strategies to address them.

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2. Draft the policy

Once you have a clear understanding of your company's needs, it's time to draft your hybrid policy. You can use the template above as your starting point and refine it as necessary. 

Involve HR, managers, and employees in the policy development process and make sure it aligns with both the company’s needs and your team’s preferences. 

Make sure the policy is comprehensive and easy to understand. Clearly define eligibility criteria, expectations, and guidelines for remote and hybrid work. Address issues like scheduling, time tracking, and performance evaluation.

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3. Share the policy with employees

Once the policy is ready, share it with everyone. Be transparent and address any concerns or questions others may have. Provide training and resources to ensure that employees can navigate the hybrid work environment easily. 

Regularly review and update the policy based on feedback and your team’s needs.

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Overcoming challenges in hybrid work arrangements

Now, let’s look into some of the problems you might face and see how you can tackle them. 

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Maintaining team cohesion

One of the biggest challenges of hybrid work is maintaining team cohesion and collaboration and reducing silos. 

Encourage regular team meetings, both in-person and virtually, to build strong relationships. Use collaboration tools to simplify knowledge sharing and manage projects efficiently. 

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Ensuring accountability and productivity

Remote and hybrid work may bring up concerns about accountability and productivity – but empowering employees to take ownership of their work usually yields much better results than micromanaging them.

Define clear expectations, goals, and KPIs for each role, along with metrics to measure performance. Give regular feedback and celebrate wins to keep employees motivated and engaged, and ensure they know what to do whenever they face challenges that might impact their work. 

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Addressing technical issues

Not all remote or hybrid employees will be sufficiently tech-savvy to tackle all technical issues on their own, so ensure that employees have access to IT support when needed. 

To maintain airtight security for your data and systems, you might also consider setting up regular maintenance checks for all company-provided equipment. Encourage employees to use secure internet connections and back up their work regularly.

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Boost your hybrid success with help from Officely 

Hybrid work policies help you build a work environment that's centred around your employees' well-being and work-life balance, which will help you improve productivity and attract top talent.

To implement this successfully, you need the right hybrid work policy template, which you can find above, along with the right software tools. Here's a sample tech stack to get you started:

• Communication platforms such as Slack, Google Meet, or MS Teams
• Productivity and project management apps such as Asana, ClickUp, or Monday.com
• Desk booking software such as Officely

Officely simplifies hybrid work and makes it easier for employees to reserve desks and know the best days to go into the office. Book a free demo to see how easy it can be to build a strong flexible work policy with the right software at hand – and check out Officely’s Complete Guide to Office Management in Flexible Workplaces for more ideas on how to make hybrid work work for everyone. 

Why are team building events so important?

Let's first take a moment to see why team building is so crucial.

Team building activities are important for a bunch of reasons and they can really make a difference in how a team functions. In short, they create an opportunity for your people to break the ice, bond, build trust, and establish strong relationships with each other.

They can come in many shapes and forms, such as:

• Afterwork drinks (boring, but easy to organize)
• Trivia games
• Family fun days
• Outdoor adventures
• Problem-solving puzzles
• Creative workshops
• Board games
• Virtual interactive games

You can even opt for virtual team building activities, if your team is spread across different locations or countries.

Here's a few of the ways in which team activities help build a stronger team:

• They boost morale. When people have fun together, they trust each other more and could feel happier at work. More fun = less stress.
• They improve communication. Whether it’s a strategic board game or a problem-solving game, team building exercises force everyone to talk and listen to each other. And, perhaps, explain their ideas in new ways.  
• They also enhance collaboration. When you work together during a quiz game, it becomes easier to collaborate on difficult projects.
• They boost creativity. When people are comfortable with each other, they’re more likely to share ideas without fear of being judged. And that's how the best ideas are born, right?

Team building activities can even help identify and develop leadership potential within the team. Through team challenges and group projects, your team members get the chance to show their leadership and problem-solving skills and motivate others.

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Limited budget? You can still organize a fun team building event that everybody loves

Not every company can splash out on fancy team building activities. Budget constraints can be a real challenge, but, on the flipside, they might also force you to get creative. With some planning, you'll be able to pull off some awesome team building events that don't cost a fortune.

And you'd be surprised to see how many fun team building activities are free or cost very little, ranging from virtual team building games to icebreaker games and from a movie night to scavenger hunts.

You can even look into partnerships with local organizations or community centers to book venues for your team activities for cheap (or even for free), or do some volunteering work to bring your team closer and give back to your community.

Obviously, volunteering should be optional and it's best to give your team at least a few different options, so that each person can choose something that's meaningful for them.

Team building shouldn't depend on the budget you have but rather on the intention and effort put into creating a positive and supportive team culture.

We all have memories of at least one corporate team building event that was organized with lots of money -- but that was also super boring. Inexpensive or free team building activities, on the other hand, can be really fun, if they're done right.

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What's an affordable team building?

The success of team events isn't measured by how much they cost but by the impact they have on team dynamics and employee engagement.

To put it simply, the best team building events are the ones your new hires can’t wait to tell their friends about.  And yes, this can be done without straining your yearly budget.

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Defining 'affordable' in the context of team building: Factors to consider

Affordability depends on your budget and company size, so it's all relative. That said, when planning affordable activities, here are some things to consider:

• Focus on those that have a low cost per participant but high impact. This doesn't necessarily mean going for the cheapest option available, though! The value you and your team get from the activity is just as important, if not more.
• Identify what you want to achieve with the activity. Is it improving team communication? Boosting creativity? Building trust? Or is it simply having fun? Clear goals will help you plan better.
• Think of the ideal group size. Some activities are better for small groups, while others could be fantastic for the entire team.
• Decide on the time you want to spend. Some activities are quick, while others might take a whole day.
• Factor in what you already have on hand and use in-house resources as much as possible, like meeting rooms or outdoor spaces. This can save you a lot of money.

Look for activities that require minimal setup and materials, as these tend to be more cost-effective. Remember to plan the logistics, too, such as location and transportation, to avoid additional last-minute expenses.

A top option you should consider are DIY team building activities. Instead of hiring external help, you can organize your own team building games. This not only saves money but also makes everything customizable.

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Top 8 affordable or free team building activities

Let's now dive into the exciting part and talk about eight unusual team building activities for any budget.

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Activity 1: Office trivia games

Office trivia games can inject some healthy competition into your workplace. Create customized trivia questions based on your company's culture, history, or industry -- or on any other topic that interests your team. If there aren't many topics that can unite everyone, you can organize a few different trivia games where everyone can participate.

Here are some ideas:

• Something specific to your industry
• Travel and geography trivia games
• Movie or literature quizzes
• Sports trivia games

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Activity 2: Virtual team challenges

If a part of your workforce is working remotely, you can use virtual team building activities. The possibilities are endless:

• Virtual escape rooms
• Online scavenger hunts
• Virtual cooking/baking challenges
• Puzzles and quizzes
• A language learning game

This gives your remote team members the opportunity to socialize with others and not feel left out.

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Activity 3: Outdoor adventures

Take your team out of the office and go outside! These can include activities such as nature hikes, trail running, orienteering, or even team-building obstacle courses.

An outdoor team building can be very budget friendly, since you don't need to rent a venue. You might still need to plan your team's transport, though.

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Activity 4: DIY workshop sessions

Tap into your team's creativity with DIY workshop sessions.

Encourage team members to share their creative skills by organizing interactive workshops where they can teach their hobbies or crafts to coworkers. This is an excellent way to boost collaboration; plus, you'll be surprised at how varied and exciting your team's hobbies can be!

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Activity 5: Volunteering or charity work

Giving back to your local community is not only fulfilling but also a terrific team-building opportunity.

Organize a charity event or a volunteering day where your team gets together to make an impact. For example, you could:

• Spend a day sorting and packing food at a local food bank
• Take part in a charity run or walk
• Volunteer to cook and serve meals at a local soup kitchen
• Collect and sort donated clothing for a local shelter
• Mentor students in your community as a team

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Activity 6: Team building games for hybrid teams

If you've embraced hybrid work, it's important to organize regular team building activities that each team member can participate in, regardless of whether they're working remotely on that day or have come to the office. Consider some of the examples from point 2 above, but also:

• Thematic virtual meetings (for example, "Introduce your pet", "Tell us about your biggest achievement outside of work", "What's one thing we definitely don't know about you?", and more)
• Virtual lunches or cocktail making parties
• Book clubs

Looking for a simple way to know who's coming to the office and when, or to encourage your team members to join in for team events? Officely is a workspace management software that does all that (and more!). Plus, it's a tool your team will actually love using, and which is directly accessible in Slack.

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Activity 7: Creative problem-solving tasks

Challenge your team's problem-solving skills with a few creative tasks. These can include riddles, puzzles, or even team-based escape rooms or scavenger hunts.

We promise that decision-making under pressure can be really fun... Especially if it has no implications on your actual work!

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Activity 8: A movie night

Set up a projector and watch a movie together. Make a shortlist and have the team vote on their favorite, and then spend some time chatting about the movie before everyone heads home.

No movie night is complete without snacks, so make sure you get some popcorn, chips, and drinks.

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Top tips for implementing affordable team building activities

Now that you have a number of affordable team building activities to choose from, let's discuss a few tips to ensure their successful implementation.

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Communicate with your team

Even if you’re on a tight budget, you can still make your team building activities impactful and fun.

Keep the communication lines open and get feedback to see which activities your team loves the most. Set clear goals for each activity and have a quick chat afterward to talk about what everyone enjoyed or didn't like. And, as usual, make sure you implement your team's feedback.

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Plan ahead and delegate

Give yourself enough time to set up the event -- and delegate a part of the organization to your team. This can help you find deals on supplies and avoid last-minute expenses and will also make everyone feel more involved and in charge.

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Keep it simple

Sometimes, the simplest activities are the most effective, so don’t overcomplicate things. Focus on simple things and try out different approaches. A simple treasure hunt where teams compete about who finds different items faster can be much more enjoyable than an evening at a fancy cocktail bar!

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The best team building experiences aren't the most expensive ones

Team building doesn't have to drain your budget. By organizing a few affordable team building activities in the next quarter, you can boost communication and improve trust within your team. Try it out!

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And, if you have a hybrid team and are looking for a way to encourage participation in team activities and events, Officely is exactly what you need: With it, team members can know who's coming to the office and when, and see what events you've planned and say whether they'll be joining.

Book a free demo to see how easy it can be to plan for your team activities if you have the right tools.

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