# How to make hybrid working successful
Author:  Pal Sinha, Barnali 
Author URL: https://financedigest.com/author/pal-sinha-barnali
Published: 2021-07-29
Category: BUSINESS
Category URL: https://financedigest.com/category/business
Meta Title: Embracing the Hybrid Working Model: Tips for Success
Meta Description: Michele Don Durbin, Evernote's SVP of Marketing, explores the shift towards hybrid working models, offering insights on embracing the new way of working
URL: https://financedigest.com/how-to-make-hybrid-working-successfulhtml

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**_By Michele Don Durbin,_** [**_Evernote_**](https://evernote.com/) **_’s SVP of Marketing_**

**Many teams are moving to a hybrid working environment, a model that combines remote work and office time. Michele Don Durbin,** [**Evernote**](https://evernote.com/) **’s SVP of Marketing, looks at how companies can embrace this new way of working and make hybrid helpful rather than harmful.**

![Michele Don Durbin, Evernote’s SVP of Marketing](https://prod.superblogcdn.com/site_cuid_cm5qst7v3003gwirgwqtxn8i8/images/12-1-300x300-1736838106581-compressed.jpg)

Michele Don Durbin, Evernote’s SVP of Marketing

It’s clear that post-pandemic working will be hybrid with individuals, teams and organisations working part of their time at their normal workplace and part of it remotely. Hybrid working is one of the biggest behavioural changes driven by Covid-19 with a recent [study](https://www.iod.com/news-campaigns/news/articles/IoD-Directors-look-to-hybrid-working-for-the-future) finding that almost two-thirds of employers plan to introduce or expand a mixture of remote and on-site working.

Even Apple for example, which has a global workforce with 137,000 employees has recently announced a return to a hybrid work style in September. It’s expected that employees will spend three [days a week at the office and the other two at home](https://www.financedigest.com/man-charged-under-britains-treason-act-over-christmas-day-incident-at-queens-home.html "Man charged under Britain’s Treason Act over Christmas Day incident at queen’s home") or remotely.   Evernote has also [launched its work from anywhere programme](https://www.financedigest.com/uk-to-launch-new-billion-pound-home-insulation-programme.html "UK to launch new billion-pound home insulation programme"), allowing employees to work from just about anywhere in the country, whether or not we have a physical office nearby.

Hybrid [working offers huge benefits for employees including flexibility](https://www.financedigest.com/the-flexible-working-revolution-is-here-so-why-arent-you-tracking-expenses-on-the-go.html "‘The flexible working revolution is here – so why aren’t you tracking expenses on the go?’") for staff members in their work/life balance and little or no time or money spent commuting. Many employees also feel that [hybrid working](https://www.financedigest.com/how-collaboration-technologies-are-helping-organisations-to-embrace-a-hybrid-working-model.html "How collaboration technologies are helping organisations to embrace a hybrid working model") is good for their productivity and mental health. However, there are challenges for employers when implementing hybrid working, such as how to ensure fairness, inclusion, collaboration and productivity.

Here are some practical [tips your business](https://www.financedigest.com/tips-on-how-startups-can-turn-their-business-into-a-success.html "Tips on how startups can turn their business into a success") can follow to get the most out of hybrid working.

**Employ the right people**

If [you’re recruiting for a role that will involve remote working, it’s important to ensure you’re hiring](https://www.financedigest.com/5-steps-hiring-top-talent-youre-just-start.html "5 steps to hiring top talent when you’re just a start-up ") for the correct skill sets. Recruiting a hybrid [working team is different to recruiting a team that you will manage](https://www.financedigest.com/time-management-strategies-that-work.html "Time management strategies that work") face to face. [Working remotely](https://www.financedigest.com/7-tips-for-building-a-positive-remote-work-culture.html "7 tips for building a positive remote work culture") is not for everyone and hybrid team members must have remote team qualities, as well as the core skills and experience for the job role.

Look for candidates who have self-management skills (good time management, good energy management); above-average self-motivation; and very strong oral and written communication skills (including very good listening skills).

Be clear about what hybrid work looks like at your [company](https://www.financedigest.com/spain-offers-to-pay-companies-testing-a-4-day-work-week.html "Spain offers to pay companies testing a 4-day work week") and hire people who will thrive in this setting and enjoy this new way of working.

**Think Remote Forward**

Just because some of your workforce isn’t present in the office doesn’t mean they aren’t there and a part of the team. It’s important that these workers aren’t treated any differently to their colleagues who may be spending more time in the office.

Ensure fairness by [offering a hybrid](https://www.financedigest.com/how-hybrid-cloud-computing-offers-the-best-of-all-worlds.html "How hybrid cloud computing offers the best of all worlds") arrangement to everyone on your team and whether they decide to work remotely or from the office, consider the unique circumstances of each team member and any issues they may face. For example, [access to various resources may differ – employees in the office have access to technology and infrastructure to support](https://www.financedigest.com/supporting-a-fair-and-resilient-society-by-protecting-access-to-cash.html "Supporting a fair and resilient society by protecting access to cash ") their work whereas those working remotely may not. They could struggle with a [slow internet connection or a less than ideal home](https://www.financedigest.com/at-the-home-of-zara-fast-and-slow-fashion-collide.html "At the home of Zara, fast and slow fashion collide") office set-up for example. Make [sure that you offer these workers additional](https://www.financedigest.com/need-additional-funding-but-not-sure-how-to-go-about-it.html "Need additional funding but not sure how to go about it?") IT support and resources to work effectively. It’s worth the extra investment, especially now it looks like hybrid-working is here to stay.

It’s also important to [promote an inclusive and collaborative culture](https://www.financedigest.com/promoting-a-learning-culture-in-the-workplace.html "Promoting a learning culture in the workplace"). A [study](https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252501940/Inclusivity-and-participation-top-issues-for-employees-in-new-normal) revealed that the vast majority of the workforce currently think collaboration between remote and in-office colleagues is a challenge (78%). You need to think of ways to facilitate effective communication between remote and office based employees, an app like [Evernote](http://www.evernote.com) for example can make collaboration easier and bring people together.

**Avoid cognitive overload**

Whether working from the office or remotely, [research](https://www.inc.com/melanie-curtin/in-an-8-hour-day-the-average-worker-is-productive-for-this-many-hours.html) shows that the average worker is productive for less than three hours a day. With constant distractions, deadlines and surprise to-do items landing on your plate it can be hard to manage your time.

On average, a knowledge worker gets interrupted or switches tasks every three to five minutes, according to [research](https://hbr.org/2009/09/death-by-information-overload). This leads to a very unhealthy cognitive or mental overload, exhaustion and mini burnouts at the [end of the working day](https://www.financedigest.com/shanghai-finds-cases-after-five-days-of-zero-covid-but-end-of-lockdown-on-track.html "Shanghai finds cases after five days of ‘zero COVID’ but end of lockdown on track").

Encourage employees to block out time in their diaries for deep work. Remove all distractions i.e. switch off email and social media notifications. By doing this we can give something our undivided attention to reach new levels of productivity and produce a substantial amount of work. Even one glance at your phone or email can cost you about 15-30 minutes of attention loss. Deep work is important because it challenges you to accomplish difficult and meaningful tasks.

**Use the right channels for communication**

The shift to hybrid working has presented some challenges when it comes to communication, whether that’s for collaboration purposes or support requests. Pre-pandemic we were accustomed to conversing with each other face-to-face and getting an immediate response however the move to a hybrid workforce means it’s not as straightforward.

It’s important that we choose and consolidate our communication platforms to minimise interruptions yet still be effective. If your home caught fire, would you email the fire service? No! You would call 999! The same goes for hybrid work communication – you and your team need to pick the right channel for the right type of communication.

Decide as a collective what types of [communications should happen via](https://www.financedigest.com/teach-first-reaps-the-benefits-of-joined-up-communications-with-via-voice.html "Teach first reaps the benefits of joined-up communications with via voice ") which channels – this will help your team meet deadlines and build the trust that’s crucial to succeed. Remember the hierarchy of communication channels (face to face is best, followed by video call, phone call, email, then text message) and choose the right channel.

**Make small [steps to improve](https://www.financedigest.com/improving-your-it-team-in-four-simple-steps.html "Improving your IT team in four simple steps") productivity**

[Research](https://hbr.org/2016/01/collaborative-overload) shows that knowledge workers spend about 80% of their working time communicating or collaborating through emails, meetings, chat, and messenger. Workers need to protect their time to ensure they can be productive and get the most out of their day.

Meetings are part of our professional lives however a lot of them are considered a waste of time. To make meetings more productive ensure you and your team always have an agenda in the calendar invite and add links for pre-meeting reading directly so everyone can prepare properly. Also, [try shrinking your meetings](https://www.financedigest.com/eu-meets-to-try-to-break-gas-price-cap-impasse.html "EU meets to try to break gas price cap impasse"). Just because your calendar may default to creating 30 or 60-minute meetings, it doesn’t mean they need to be that long.

The next thing to consider is a physical AND digital declutter – in both [office spaces](https://www.financedigest.com/a-guide-to-finding-office-space-for-your-startup.html "A guide to finding office space for your startup") and remote working spaces. [Research](https://www.interact-intranet.com/news/a-fifth-of-business-time-is-wasted-through-inefficient-communication/) shows that because of data overload the average knowledge worker wastes about two and a half hours per day searching for information. Start by organising your computer desktop. If your computer desktop is covered with documents and junk, it’s hard to find what you need, when you need it. Delete any documents you don’t want, file away [items you want to keep](https://www.financedigest.com/the-pull-of-the-past-1-in-5-keep-items-they-think-will-be-valuable-in-the-future.html "The pull of the past! 1 in 5 keep items they think will be valuable in the future"), and create files for anything that doesn’t already have a home.

Finally for the days that you are [working remotely](https://www.financedigest.com/shoring-up-cyber-defences-in-the-remote-working-era.html "Shoring up cyber defences in the remote working era"), try going to work symbolically. Getting up at the time you would normally and getting dressed can make a big difference to your mindset. It will help you maintain your daily structure and ensure you stay tuned into the daily rhythm of the working routine.


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