The concept of remote working has been a part of corporate culture for years. Approximately 10% of the workforce employed in the largest corporations were working remotely even before the pandemic.
However, the pandemic played a crucial role in making SMEs realize the importance and benefit of remote working. Nevertheless, in order to operate more efficiently, it is essential that at least a few employees (if not all) resume working from offices. It is further crucial that the premise is reopened with maximum safety while also allowing flexibility in the working environment.
Fortunately, you can efficiently implement the “return-to-office” plan by adapting to the hybrid work model. Let’s learn about the same in detail.
What Is a Hybrid Work Model?
As most companies are now resuming in-house work, they are implementing a hybrid model. It allows more flexibility in the centralized corporate work. Here the employees are divided into different teams. If there are two teams, one team will resume working from the office, while the other team will be working remotely.
Some companies even allow the teams to work from the office for the first three days of the week and work remotely for the remainder. In short, the hybrid model allows the teams or employees to work in a mixed environment.
Nevertheless, it is noteworthy that even while working from company premises, employees need not follow a 9 to 5 schedule. Instead, the working hours are also flexible. For instance, some people are more productive in the morning, while others perform better in the evening. The hybrid model allows the employees to choose the time they would like to work.
Implementation Of Hybrid Work Model
Typically, there are two ways to implement this model.
- The company sends a notice to employees about reopening. Here, the company may preselect the number of days or weeks for employees to be in-house. They may also consider the synergy of departments, rotation schedules, or office layout and capacity for adequate social distancing.
- The company schedules a meeting with employees (or team leads) to discuss the schedule and preferences. If the physical presence of a few employees is not required, they may continue working remotely. At the same time, other team members may resume working in-house.
How To Ensure Maximum Safety?
Even though this working model ensures flexible environments and social distancing, you need to take a few measures for elevating premises safety.
Establish New Policies
As you implement a new working model, you must make relevant amendments to your policy. Some of the necessary rules to implement are:
- Wearing masks should be mandatory.
- Crowding at common-use areas such as break rooms, cafeterias, restrooms, lobbies, and elevators should be restricted.
- Employees must maintain social distancing.
Apart from this, it would be best if you also created an emergency action plan. Make sure that the action plan includes First aid cpr training of employees and a well-planned evacuation strategy. Understand that first aid and CPR training are necessary for saving valuable lives. The training and action plan will ensure that your employees know how to respond in an emergency.
However, it might not be feasible for a company to provide first aid and CPR training to every employee. Therefore, you should discuss this with your employee. It will help you filter out the employees who need not be trained on an immediate basis, such as employees who will be working remotely.
In addition to this, make sure that there is at least one well-trained employee on the premises during the working hours.
Reconfigure Your Office
Pay attention to the layout of your office. Is there adequate space for social distancing? Can you create natural barriers without making the place look congested? Do you have a separate visitor area?
These are a few questions that must be answered before reopening the workplace. Bear in mind that adequate space is a must for proper social distancing. It will also help reduce the risk exposure.
You can use plexiglass sheets or potted plants to create a barrier between each workstation. Use an open space or go outside for meetings. Ensure that visitors such as clients and customers are not in direct contact with the employees.
If your office premise is small, avoid calling too many employees at once. Also, make sure that workstations are thoroughly cleaned and sanitized every day.
Upgrade Ventilation and Filtration
As the virus spreads through airborne droplets, you must upgrade ventilation and filtration systems before reopening. Use high-quality air filters to trap the majority of airborne viral particles. Make sure the fresh air is coming in from outside.
Also, avoid using foggers, fumigators, and other “air cleaning” devices that require the use of chemical disinfectant. According to reports, the compounds present in these products affect indoor air quality. These can cause inflammation in the lungs, leading to respiratory or cardiovascular issues. Instead, you can use plants or open the windows to improve air quality. Make sure to clean the workstations and remove clutters.
If you use portable air purifiers, make sure they have HEPA (high-efficiency particulate air) filters. It is because these filters are proven to remove at least 99.975% of dust, pollen, bacteria, mold, and other airborne particles.
Precautions To Take
Apart from the measures mentioned above, it would help if you took the following precautions to mitigate the risk of infection.
- Conduct regular health checks of your employees- temperature check and hand sanitization.
- Ask for a negative covid-19 report of workers joining the office.
- Make sure every employee is wearing a mask.
- Keep hand sanitizers near every workstation.
- Immediate medical leave must be granted to sick employees.
To Sum It All Up
A hybrid work model is an effective way of reopening your workplace. It will ensure that employees who are resuming the work from offices feel comfortable in doing so. The flexible time approach helps elevate productivity. Additionally, the change in policies, employees training, and improving the office’s configuration will ensure utmost safety.
Nevertheless, you must discuss your plans and policies with the employees and seek their opinion before finalizing any decision. It will facilitate effective implementation and fairer results.
