How to Transform HR Policies for a Hybrid Work Environment?

How to Transform HR Policies for a Hybrid Work Environment?

Ever since the pandemic broke out a few years ago, the phrase “Work from home” is no longer considered as an additional feature offered by companies. It is more about the future of the working environment. The HR leaders and the top management must make hr policies that fit with the new reality and make a hybrid work environment a reality. They can use solutions, such as time and attendance software that helps companies manage their employees efficiently. The advanced module allows HRs to let their employees log in through mobile app, web app, manage remote working, shifts, and more effortlessly.

Tips to Formulate HR Policies to Suite Hybrid Working Environment

According to the recent report by the PwC, nearly 60 per cent of the Chief Finance Officers have already made or are ready to make remote working, a permanent option. According to the Harvard Business School researchers predict that almost 20 per cent of the workforce will continue to work from home even after the pandemic’s effect is over. The reports indicate that the top management is willing to accept the benefits of having remote working or making any necessary changes in their HR policies. The rising trend of the hybrid working environment has compelled the HR leaders to get the policies and practices aligned with current working conditions. 

Adapting HR policies for remote or hybrid work need proper planning and strong collaboration spirit. Understandably, every organization is different and their situation and needs are unique. Hence, in the blog, we shall focus on best practices to amend HR policies and make remote or hybrid an integral part of your HR policy.

Designing Dynamic and Inclusive HR Policies: Best Practices for Flexibility and Adaptability

Let us have a look at the all the best practises that make your HR policies for inclusive and flexible to the changing needs of the time: 

1.Establish Strong Company Culture

Maintaining a strong workplace culture and efficient employee experience is the primary duty of the human resource department. However, with the remote and hybrid working environment surging in the business landscape, it is becoming challenging for companies to maintain strong company culture. It has been argued that without the culture and predefined ethos, employee engagement is compromised and leads to decrease in the business profitability.  

The aforementioned reasons have become a bone of contention for many businesses and formulating HR policies around them is even more challenging. Nevertheless, the company culture can be maintained by companies if they clearly communicate their organization values. Everyone in the team, including from rank-and-file to the c-suit must contribute in reflecting the collective values and philosophies of the company. One example of communication could be ensuring that the employees working remotely can function. It goes beyond offering them the equipment to enable hybrid work and maximize these tools to maintain open and proactive communication lines with your team. The authorized individuals must be able to able to access the resources and should be responsive to the team-mates while working remotely. These steps can help businesses build a collaborative culture and successful hybrid setup. This way the employees can act in accordance with the company vision and mission and enhance their productivity whether working remotely or hybrid.

2.Facilitate Empathy-based Leadership

Empathetic environment is the most crucial aspect of any organization, especially when moving to the hybrid model of working. According to the Gartner survey, around 89 per cent of the human resource managers have agreed that without empathy in the hybrid environment they were falling short. It is imperative that the organizations invest heavily to promote empathy-enabled management and make necessary changes in the HR policy. For instance, Drift, a global technology based out of Bostan, MA, US has successfully transitioned into flexible hybrid work. The company’s HR team relied heavily on their regular employee survey, to comprehend the things happening in the organization. The data generated from the survey helped them to mend the policies. Similarly, having advanced tools, like time and attendance software can help companies swiftly change their policies and adapt flexibly with the changing working conditions. 

Giving employees their freedom to choose where, when, and how they want to work improves their performance. However, organizations need to successfully implement the new HR policies, and the companies that lack experience or skill-set may fail miserably. Many experts suggest that a blended learning approach is a way forward to instill empathy, resilience, and adaptability among managers. Collaborative learning can be used as a professional development tool that can help in engaging employees and retaining them. When companies invest in the employee, their lifecycle in an organization also increases as it sends a message that the company cares for them. It creates an emotional bond between the employer and employee and promotes a sense of shared purpose. 

3.Promote Intentional Collaboration

HRs should start thinking about HR policies that promote the intentional collaboration among employees. The innovative way to collaborate is crucial in sustaining the organization in the hybrid work environment. In this digital world, intentionally collaborating offers opportunities to employees to talk about things that they won’t generally speak about. They can make the best use of the time  during the in-person meeting. To accomplish the goal, the companies need to rethink the way they use the office space and change the performance management system. When employees meet for scheduled events, such as sales bootcamps and product launches, they can smoothly get along with one another and promote bonding activities. 

The authentic culture of connection and humanity that supports the hybrid model can only be attained if companies offer something that employees generally don’t get while working remotely. The strong company culture leads people to come together and work on goals, strategies, collaborations, and upcoming challenges. The primary purpose of the company in the hybrid work environment is to promote culture and connection. When employees have to come to the office to attend zoom meetings, that’s when resentment seeps in. However, having an opportunity to come and interact with their seniors can be a powerful incentive for them and they might be comfortable with a hybrid working environment. 

4.Develop Employee-Driven Flexibility

Flexibility is a powerful tool in the HR policies to recruit and retain employees. Its concept goes beyond places and talks more about time and place and scheduling the work. According to Cisco’s Global Hybrid Work survey, hybrid work culture has helped employees improve their performance, establish work/life balance, and most importantly well-being. Flexibility leads to a decentralized scheduling process and as a result, empowers team leaders and staff equally to make the right decision. 

The flexibility in the office spaces that they can be put to use for other events, such as client meetings, board meetings, brainstorming sessions, and more. Allowing employees to decide what works for them, it offers them the freedom to choose time and place of working; thus, upscaling your business. Nevertheless, businesses must draft their HR policies that create team-level agreements by outlining operating rules, collaboration hours, and behavioral guidelines. Forcing employees to come back to the office won’t work, but making the office more appealing can become inspiration to come back. The HR department must work with managers and team leaders to help companies transition from strict working environment to flexible hybrid working model. 

Conclusion

As organizations in India are gradually moving towards a hybrid work model, it is imperative that the HR policies are drafted in such as employee experience. By promoting flexibility, company culture, communication, and employee well-being, businesses can create an inclusive environment. In the modern times, fostering a culture of innovation and collaboration are crucial to scale up. Having said that, if you are struggling to formulate policies that cater to modern needs, you must reach out to SkizzleHR, one of the giants in HR technology. Its time and attendance software offers companies novel ways to deal with the changing patterns of the working environment and make them more flexible. 

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