{"id":218891,"date":"2022-12-20T11:16:29","date_gmt":"2022-12-20T10:16:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/?p=218891"},"modified":"2023-01-26T15:56:19","modified_gmt":"2023-01-26T14:56:19","slug":"tips-for-hybrid-work-model","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/tips-for-hybrid-work-model\/","title":{"rendered":"Tips for a successful hybrid work model"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It will be easy, they said. Just mix what you used to do in the office and the new habits you learned during the pandemic remote revolution, they said.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The truth is that, when, as Growens, we set out to adjust our emergency remote work model into a <\/span><b>structurally hybrid work model<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, such common sense didn\u2019t really apply.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As it turned out, <\/span><b>hybrid work is much more than the sum of in-office and remote work <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; it\u2019s something else entirely, requiring mental space for a constantly shifting scenario where people don\u2019t necessarily share the same habits, rituals, working hours, or routines.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, one year after making the shift to hybrid &amp; flexible work as a backbone of our culture through the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Growens WoW program<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, we are ready to share what we\u2019ve learned along the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To make it easier for everyone, we have condensed these learnings into a nimble, yet comprehensive <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Growens-Hybrid-Work-Handbook-_-Public.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hybrid Work Handbook<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> ready for download.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/Growens-Hybrid-Work-Handbook-_-Public.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-218892 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/growens-wow-handbook.png\" alt=\"Growens Handbook\" width=\"940\" height=\"788\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/growens-wow-handbook.png 940w, https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/growens-wow-handbook-300x251.png 300w, https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/growens-wow-handbook-768x644.png 768w, https:\/\/www.growens.io\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/growens-wow-handbook-70x59.png 70w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 940px) 100vw, 940px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2><b>What\u2019s hybrid work, anyway?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditionally, there has been a clear distinction between in-office working and remote working (be it from home or other locations). We all experienced that clean cut when we shifted overnight from a daily office routine to working from home full time, when the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/tag\/covid-19-2\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Covid-19 pandemic<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> struck in 2020.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the post-pandemic wave, many companies have started to implement various mixes of the two. We often hear of agile, smart, hybrid, flexible, blended, and remote work &#8211; but what is the right way to name the model we chose at Growens?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We call the WoW model <\/span><b>\u2018hybrid\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, because of the different options we offer in terms of working location: people can choose on a daily basis where to work from (the office, their home, or anywhere else).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">We also call it <\/span><b>\u2018flexible\u2019<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, because an international team such as ours cannot rely on rigid work schedules. Flexibility has more to do with how we work, rather than where. It speaks of our goal-driven culture, which focuses on results rather than a specific amount of hours spent tied at the desk.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>What are the advantages of hybrid work?<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hybrid &amp; flexible work really is great. It opens up a world of possibilities for every person, allowing an amazing work\/life balance that only a few years ago seemed unattainable:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=JSrgigcvPvM&amp;t=1s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Product Manager Cinzia from BEE<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> spent two months in Sweden and one month in Sicily, managing to get her scuba diving license while being fully productive for her team.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/ClWZKo2IXiq\/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">UX Designer Andreea<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> enjoyed a two-week workation in Tenerife. No better way to fully recharge in November than wake up to the ocean, work poolside and meet other like-minded professionals. She was able to do so thanks to Growens\u2019s partnership with <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/creativeharbour.io\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Creative Harbour<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which offers co-working, co-learning and co-living experiences for digital workers around the world.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=5LoIfduPgFc\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Accounting Specialist Davide<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, from Cremona, uses hybrid work to make his long-distance relationship work. He can now spend weeks with his girlfriend in the Netherlands without using leave days, AND keep perfectly on top of his work priorities.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Senior SysOps <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/klgTFJ_ogb8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Andrea<\/a> is also able to follow his girlfriend, who is a chef and works seasonally in different places, without having to worry about leaving work behind. For Andrea, the WoW options were key to select Growens as an employer.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">These are just a few of the experiences our employees have had recently. We\u2019ll keep giving them a voice, because we deeply believe that a better way of working is possible &#8211; subscribe to our <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/direct\/t\/340282366841710300949128234114972456104\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instagram<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> or <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/channel\/UCF6iZXd288nBjuDtjH8aM8w\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">YouTube<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> channels to be the first to watch them!<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>The business sense of going hybrid<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><b>Business results and productivity also benefit from the new model<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which has the potential to combine the advantages of both remote and on-site working, while mitigating the potential negatives associated with each:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Optimal use of office space and resources<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: we can afford smaller, smarter, better equipped offices because <\/span><b>people rotate<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Our employees typically choose the office when a fully equipped meeting room, or a podcast recording studio, or a brainstorming space are needed. Offices are never fully crowded, offering ample space for performing a variety of tasks in an optimal way.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Greater levels of productivity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">: choosing to work from home when we need to concentrate, to go to the office when we have important meetings or creative activities to do with others, enables us to do all this in a better way. Also, flexibility means that we can take a longer break on those days when we feel a bit slow. We\u2019ll just pick up again when we feel active and focused again.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Better collaboration and communication<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> go hand in hand with the above. Each person can choose what works best for them from an array of channels, both synchronous and asynchronous, including in-person meetings whenever it makes sense to do so.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><b>Bottom line: happier people stick around longer<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. By empowering people to shape their own way of working, we improve tons of corporate KPIs, including how attractive we are to the best talents and how long we are able to retain them.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><b>Ten tips for a\u00a0 successful hybrid work model<\/b><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li><b> Start from your company values<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hybrid work model only works if the company is hardwired to make it work. Otherwise, it\u2019s not mandatory to go that way &#8211; as our People &amp; Culture Director Enrica Lipari <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/a-year-of-wow\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pointed out<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Make sure that the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/growens-values\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">corporate values<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> that underpin the company are soundly aligned with the pivot to hybrid, and that you have strong endorsement across the management board. A hybrid work model won\u2019t work if people managers\u2019 habits are rooted in micromanagement, or if optics (e.g. being consistently seen at the office) are more important than getting results done.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"2\">\n<li><b> Over-communicate<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When working in a hybrid way, communication is of crucial importance, because people may not share the context of each person\u2019s situation.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Not being necessarily in the same room, we may have a hard time picking up on moods, non-verbal gestures, small talk, and so on. So prepare to prevent misunderstandings and reworks by giving nothing for granted and over-communicating.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"3\">\n<li><b> Prize transparency<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Each person is used to their own way, and yet, for a productive collaboration in a context where people work in a thousand different ways, some ground rules must be applied.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Transparency is key. Giving colleagues the context they need about our location, working hours, and current status, helps them gauge the way they seek interactions with us and to optimize them. In practical terms, this means setting our work location &amp; hours on Google Calendar, clearly marking our days off, updating our Slack status to match our availability, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"4\">\n<li><b> Respect disconnection<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fact that people may work from a number of timezones or may find it more efficient to work in the evenings doesn\u2019t mean that boundaries are off. When lines between private and work life blur, it\u2019s important to acknowledge and enforce the right to disconnection at all levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"5\">\n<li><b> Enforce a meeting etiquette<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Create the right conditions for both in-presence and remote colleagues to attend meetings comfortably and productively, without anyone feeling left out.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Book a meeting room if you know some of your colleagues are in the office, always add a \u201cjoin link\u201d for those who connect remotely, allow for a few minutes\u2019 tolerance if people have to switch rooms, and always act as if in presence: show your face, pay attention, and interact.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"6\">\n<li><b> Create a proper home office<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It doesn\u2019t matter if you reside in a mansion or in a studio apartment. To be focused and productive from home, the right setting is essential. Invest in a quality chair with optimal back\/neck support, in good lighting and powerful internet connection.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To look more professional, you may want to use a branded background for your online meetings and to dress properly. Or not. Coding in PJ\u2019s is the best.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"7\">\n<li><b> Rethink the office<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hybrid office may look a little different from your typical, pre-pandemic office. Rows of assigned desks don\u2019t exist any longer. Instead, the office works as a social anchor, with areas for collaboration and team bonding, along with quiet zones for employees to get long stretches of focus work.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Office time means social time, too. Designing playrooms and communal areas equipped with table tennis, coffee stations, a bookcrossing shelf and some edible freebies goes a long way in ensuring that people actually <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">like<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> going to the office.<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"8\">\n<li><b> Endorse working from anywhere<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hybrid work policy will hardly go anywhere if managers pin people to their chairs and frown upon not seeing them physically at the office for longer than five days.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Freeing people to work from anywhere can unlock the best in them. Support people when they ask to work from their family house in a different part of the country, or from a summer house at the coast, or from a co-living shack in Bali. It\u2019s up to them, really &#8211; as long as they can promise that their work, their safety and the safety of corporate information will be guaranteed.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"9\">\n<li><b> Invest in time together<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">When teams are partly remote, being extra intentional about the moments we spend together is critical to build team spirit, alignment and cohesion.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bringing people together is a distributed ownership: often companies organize large events (such as summer parties or town halls), while leaving it up to their people managers or internal communities to organize their own events or activities. In-person team retreats, hybrid corporate events and virtual get-togethers should be on the bucket list.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol start=\"10\">\n<li><b> Be extra caring<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are a People Manager, you will likely have to adjust your leadership model and work processes to <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/growens-innovation-blog\/hybrid-people-management-intentionality-and-humanity-563374f4d4ef\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">support a hybrid team<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Everything grows a bit more complicated when dealt with in a hybrid context. Your people will need you more than ever. It\u2019s your job to make sure that a variety of ways of working doesn\u2019t get in the way of achieving the team\u2019s goals.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Wrap up<\/b><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A hybrid working model is sure to unlock a wealth of possibilities both for individuals to live a fuller life and for companies to thrive in the new normal. At the same time, approaching a transition to hybrid work lightly and underestimating the impact that a blended environment can have on people, productivity, and efficiency can be a serious pitfall.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">At Growens, we have embraced hybrid work as our present and future. If you want to join the team, make sure to discover what <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/work-with-us\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">open position<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is a good fit for you.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One year into our structural shift to hybrid work, here are the lessons we learned and ten useful tips to successfully transition to a fully productive hybrid work model.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[74,111],"class_list":["post-218891","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","tag-culture","tag-wow-2"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218891","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=218891"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218891\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":218939,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/218891\/revisions\/218939"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=218891"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=218891"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.growens.io\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=218891"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}