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. 

Improving efficiency at your workplace – or rather, getting rid of inefficiencies – is crucial for staying competitive. Office space is one of your most expensive resources, and if it’s not used well, it’s a money drain for your company. To make the most out of every square foot and ensure your workplace serves your team well, you can use the principle of office hoteling.

What’s hoteling, you’re probably wondering? And how do you implement it? 

We’ll unpack all this below, see what its pros and cons are, and explain how you can use it to create an office where everyone thrives.

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Understanding the concept of hoteling office space

Hoteling is a new approach to using office space, where your team can book desks or workstations on an as-needed basis, rather than having dedicated desks. This enables you to optimize the space you have available, accommodate team members’ schedules and work-location preferences, and build a hybrid culture where everyone feels engaged and seen.

But what exactly does hoteling office space mean? 

In short, office hoteling is a flexible desk booking system for the office. Instead of having a permanent desk, employees can book a spot when they need it, a bit like checking into a hotel. It’s handy for hybrid workspaces and enables people to reserve desks, meeting rooms, or even quiet zones, for example via a desk booking app like Officely. 

It has become an integral part of many modern offices and helps cater to different working styles and preferences.

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Key features of a desk hoteling reservation system

For a smooth hoteling experience for everyone, you need a dedicated desk booking system. Here are the key features to look for: 

• Digital desk reservation: Desk booking should be straightforward. Look for options to reserve desks, meeting rooms, equipment, quiet areas, or any workspace you need in just a few taps.
• Workspace amenity filters: Having filters for things like quiet zones, standing desks, or proximity to windows is a big plus, so employees can pick a spot that best suits their work style or task.
• Real-time availability updates: Instant updates on which spots are free helps your people make the right choices and decide when to come into the office.
• Integrations: Integrating with your collaboration tools (like Slack or Microsoft Teams) and calendars (like Outlook or Google Calendar) means that employees don’t need to open yet another app – and this, in turn, guarantees high adoption rates. 
• Analytics and usage reporting: Attendance visibility and reporting helps admins understand booking trends, optimize office layout, and improve everyone’s experience. 
• Notifications and reminders: Automatic reminders for bookings keeps everyone on top of their reservations and helps everyone know when’s the best time to come to the office. 

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Office hoteling vs. hot desking

That all sounds very much like hot desking, right? Is there even a difference between hot desking and hoteling?

Here’s the difference, at least in theory:

• With hoteling, employees reserve a specific desk or workspace in advance, almost like booking a hotel room. It’s structured, and people know exactly where they’re going to sit before they arrive.
• Hot desking functions on a first-come, first-served basis. Employees show up and pick any available spot. It’s a bit more spontaneous and works best when people are in and out without needing a set desk.

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In practice, however, in both cases it’s best if you have a desk booking system in place to avoid chaos and inefficient office space use. So, today both terms are used nearly interchangeably. 

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The benefits of office hoteling

Office hoteling has a lot of advantages that can make a big impact in a flexible work setup. 

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Maximizes space efficiency and helps you cut costs

Hoteling provides a system that supports flexibility without requiring permanent desks for everyone. By letting people book desks only when they need them, hoteling reduces unused workstations and makes the most of every square foot, helping you save on rent. 

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Improves the employee experience 

Employees crave location freedom and are even willing to change jobs for it. Hoteling helps you provide your team with enough space to work together when they need it, have enough desks for everyone, and use the equipment they need, but without forcing them to come to the office daily. 

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Boosts collaboration and networking

With hoteling, people can book spots close to team members they’re working with, which helps them chat whenever they need it, without crossing the entire office or disturbing others. With the right app, they can also instantly see who’s coming in and when, and know when is the best time to go to the office. 

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And, if you plan your office layout well and design strategic common areas, you can create a fertile ground for spontaneous interactions – which really help with coming up with new ideas. 

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Simplifies workspace management 

Hoteling apps with usage data and analytics give you insights into desk use, peak times, and workspace needs, helping you improve your office layout, plan for growth, or make adjustments as necessary.

Plus, as your company grows, it becomes easier to accommodate extra employees without needing more office space. 

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Challenges to overcome to benefit from office hoteling

While office hoteling is a great option for many businesses, it does have its challenges.

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Overcoming employee resistance

Handling employee resistance can be difficult. Resistance can come from: 

• People who like working remotely all the time and would rather not come to the office
• People who love working in the office and would rather not work remotely 
• People who like having their own desk and don’t like switching workstations

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Each group requires a slightly different approach – but in all cases, talking to your people and understanding where they’re coming from is a must. 

One effective way to support adoption is by involving employees in the decision-making process. So, make sure everyone can all participate in building a system that works for them, rather than a system that they need to work for and that doesn’t feel intuitive. 

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Provide training and ask for feedback

Quick training sessions or workshops on desk organization and booking, desk sharing etiquette, and time management can make employees feel prepared and comfortable in the new setup.

Regular feedback is key, too, and workshops are a great way to collect it. See how employees feel about hoteling and make improvements as needed. This continuous feedback loop helps create a workspace that aligns with everyone’s needs. 

Necessary tools for a successful office hoteling 

There are a few tools you need to pull off office hoteling successfully. 

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A desk booking app

One essential tool for effective hoteling office space implementation is a reliable desk reservation system that enables people to easily book and manage their workspace reservations. 

Officely is an intuitive and user-friendly app that makes the desk booking process as easy as it gets – for your employees and your admin staff. 

With it, everyone can see desk availability in real time, book a spot, respond to an invite for a workshop or a lunch, and even book a parking space. And, the best of all, Officely lives where your team works, in Slack or MS Teams. No need to open extra apps or build complex processes for that.

Attendance visibility app

Next, you need to make sure you’re aware of how your space is used – and how to improve it. Typically, desk booking apps do that, as well; Officely has an easy-to-use attendance visibility feature that gives you all the details of who’s in, when, and what desk booking patterns you should be aware of. 

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Visitor management app

If you often have visitors in your office, you might need a separate visitor management app for an efficient check-in process and to help them find their way. 

Some desk booking apps include visitor management features, but if you’re looking for a comprehensive solution, you might need a separate software tool.  

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Best practices for boosting the effectiveness of hoteling office space

Ready to implement hoteling at your workplace? Here are the most essential best practices to keep in mind. 

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Measure key performance indicators (KPIs)

There are a few KPIs you can use to evaluate the efficiency of office hoteling, such as: 

• Desk use rates
• Adoption rates of your desk booking system
• Employee satisfaction
• Energy consumption
• Productivity and performance

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By tracking and analyzing at least some of those metrics, you can make sense of usage patterns and see what’s working and what isn’t.

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Continuously improve office space efficiency

Efficiency is an ongoing effort. Always look for ways to improve your hoteling processes and office space. 

For example, you might do workspace audits, collect employee feedback, and use the reporting and analytics features of your desk booking app to make sure you’re using your office in the right way – and, most importantly, in a way that makes sense for everyone. 

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If hoteling is right for your business, kick it off with Officely

Adopting office hoteling can help you build a workspace where everyone thrives – but for this, you need to be intentional and give your employees the freedom to choose how they want to work and from where. 

Although remote work is still a top choice for many, hybrid models are gaining traction this year; many people actually like coming to the office a few days of the week to work with others face-to-face, exchange ideas, and simply grab lunch and share a room with their coworkers.

And, with the right setup, hoteling can create an efficient and modern workplace that supports everyone’s needs.

Officely is designed to make the transition to hybrid work as smooth as possible. With its simple desk and room booking, usage insights, and easy integration with Slack and MS Teams, you can make the most of your space and ensure everyone’s able to actually benefit from it, rather than come in because they have to.

Ready to see how Officely can help? Download our complete guide to office management in flexible workplaces, or sign up for a demo today.

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