Work from where you feel most productive .. that’s a great line but does that work for your business?
Are you questioning whether to return back to the office full time? Introduce Hybrid working? Or have people fully working from home? - If so please read this.
I have recently seen some businesses that have taken the approach to work where you are most productive … which is amazing but does that work for you and your business.
Before agreeing to a permanent change of how your business runs have a think about these things:
⭐️ Productivity - have you seen any drops in productivity or output since being out of the office? If so you need to understand why and how you can manage this. Are you still having regular 1:1’s? What methods of communication do you have to keep people in the loop?
⭐️ Teamwork- studies have shown that established teams have managed to keep up their teamwork and morale while working from home, but it’s been a lot more challenging for new team members to establish relationships. You need to be mindful of how this may impact your new team members and how you can integrate them into the team.
⭐️ Idea generation - it’s very hard to replace that feeling of having everyone in a room bouncing ideas off each other. If you make an effort you can replace that on Zoom, but the challenge really starts when you have some people in a room together and some online. I’ve been the person sitting at home - you definitely don’t feel part of the action.
Top Tips:
⭐️ - Have a plan every business is different and has different needs make sure whatever you decide works for your business. If you’re having making changes start with a trial period and assess how it works.
⭐️ - Assess each job role - and decide the best way forward, some people may want more location flexibility it may suit them as an individual but its negatively impacting their job you can’t do it - if so its time to have that tough conversation.
⭐️ - Speak to your team. You may think you know what they want but have you actually asked them? .. Also let’s remember this is a business people don’t always get what they want don’t feel compelled to agree to a change if it’s having a negative impact.
⭐️ - If your going for a hybrid working approach have set days or set meetings people have to attend in person, don’t miss out on that face-to-face interaction it could be a massive loss for your business.
All this is a lot to think about so don’t rush into it. I have supported a number of businesses in finding a new way of working that works best for them to be productive and get the most out of their teams.
Let me do that same for you in your business!
