29 May How should an employer implement a hybrid work schedule?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, hybrid work schedules have become more popular among many companies. Now that employers have learned that employees can be just as productive at home as they are at the office, they are not afraid of continuing to normalize remote work.
A hybrid schedule is a mixture of both remote and in-office work that is best for both the employer and employee. There can be many variations of this type of schedule. The employer can set a consistent schedule that applies to every employee, or, can have a more flexible approach where employees are in more control of their schedules.
What kind of scheduling have other companies crafted?
When an employer creates a hybrid program that applies to every employee, this is known as a cohort scheduling system where all employees are affected by the same plan. There are many ways an employer can implement this program, but there are practices that have become more popular over others.
First, and very common, is the 3:2 framework where the employees will work in-office for three days and remotely for the other two. In this case, every employee is at work or at home on the same days. This doesn’t provide as much flexibility for employees, and because office space is still used regularly, the employer would have the same expenses as they would in-office and additional virtual costs.
The employer could also implement this type of schedule but allow the employees to decide the best days to work in-office and virtually. The team would strategize and create a schedule that makes sense based on their potential productivity, working styles, team meetings etc.
It is also possible for employers to allow for a more flexible schedule, where the hybrid plan is created for each individual employee. The employee’s work week can be planned based on two variables like, time, or place. The employee could decide to customize their days by time, only committing to certain hours throughout the week. For example, Mondays and Wednesdays the employee works only until 3p.m. to pick up their kids from school.
Further, employees could also build their weekly schedules by deciding what days to work remotely verses in-office. If an employee lives far from the office, they may choose to only commute on Mondays for their weekly team meetings and commit to working virtually the rest of the week.
Providing employees with the opportunity to control their own calendar can really boost the company’s morale. It gives employees a better chance of having a work-life balance they are happy with and can build greater trust within the employer-employee relationship.
If you are an employer who wants help with policies or contracts that reflect your new scheduling system, please contact KCY at LAW by filling in an online consultation request or contact us by phone at 905-639-0999 to book your consultation today.