Hybrid and remote work guidelines for your business
Discover how to create a successful hybrid work policy that balances employee satisfaction, productivity, and business objectives.
Many businesses have embraced hybrid and remote working in recent years to ensure their employees remain productive. We know this is a change from how many companies were used to working before Covid. So, to help you through this change, we're going to talk here about why it's important to have some guidelines in place, what they should cover, and how to make sure people follow them. Need help creating your guidelines? Scroll to the bottom to download our Hybrid and Remote Working Guidelines template to get started, edit the details to suit your company and you could be circulating your guidelines to your team this week.
Scroll to the bottom to download our Hybrid and Remote Working guidelines template.
What is Hybrid Working?
Hybrid working – for a company with an office, for instance – is where you have an agreement with all staff that they can work partly remotely or from home a few days a week, and partly from the office for the rest of the week.
Why Hybrid Working?
More and more businesses are turning to hybrid working models to provide employees with greater flexibility and autonomy. Hybrid working allows employees to choose the type of working environment best suited to their needs. This can provide a great boost to employee morale and satisfaction, as well as helping to reduce costs for businesses by eliminating the need for a traditional office space. With a comprehensive set of guidelines in place, businesses can make hybrid working a success and reap the rewards of a more flexible and cost-effective working environment.
Different Ways of Working (How Hybrid or Remote Do You Want to Be?)
Hybrid working – a combination of working remotely and in the office, allowing for greater flexibility and a balance between working from home and in the office.
Remote working – enables employees to work from home or another remote location, providing increased convenience and flexibility.
Flexible working – allowing employees to choose their own working hours or patterns, providing them with increased autonomy and control over their work life balance.
Part-time working – working less than 5 days or 40 hours per week.
Job sharing – allowing 2 employees to share a role.
Compressed working weeks – e.g. working a standard number of hours but compressed into 4 days, not 5.
Staggered working hours – where employees choose their own start and finish times from a company-defined list of options.
Finding the Right Balance of Office and Remote Working for Your Team
Every company needs different skills, roles and working practices depending on the nature of the services you provide. To find the right balance of office and remote working, take a look at the standard operating procedures of your business, the type of work being undertaken and the most effective way to complete it. This can be a vital strategic exercise for your business, which helps you redefine and streamline your operations.
Let's talk about some of the biggest considerations to help you find the right balance:
1. How Many Days in the Office & How to Decide When?
Many companies have decided that it's essential for their employees to have a minimum of two days in the office each week, allowing them to maintain a personal connection and collaborate with their colleagues in person. This may not be suitable for your business, so consider all the alternatives.
2. Blocking time for lunch hour
The lunch hour is an essential part of the working day. Businesses who want happy, productive employees generally encourage their employees to use their lunch hour in a restorative manner, such as taking a walk, eating a nutritious meal, or engaging in a hobby. Multitasking during the lunch hour is discouraged, as is eating at your desk. It's also important to set expectations for employees to be mindful of the need for other colleagues to take their lunch hour.
3. Sign On/Off Times & Procedures
Many companies make their sign on/off times flexible, depending on what works best for the individual employee and the business. In this model, employees advise their managers of their preferred sign on/off times and any changes to these. These times are monitored to ensure employees are working their agreed hours and taking appropriate breaks.
4. Time off requests
Establish a policy for employees to request and track their time off. Make sure the policy provides a way to approve or deny requests, and a way to ensure the policy is followed. This will ensure that everyone is taking the necessary time off, without overlap.
5. Tools and technology
One of the most important aspects of creating hybrid and remote working guidelines is to ensure that employees have the necessary equipment and training to do their job effectively. This includes making sure that employees have access to the right tools and technology, such as:
Instant messaging tools such as Slack
Video conferencing
Time-tracking software
Project management software
It’s also important to ensure that employees have an understanding of the company’s security protocols and any other policies they are required to abide by, such as data protection and confidentiality.
The key to creating successful hybrid and remote working guidelines
The key concern for any type of company wanting to establish a hybrid working agreement is to establish a culture of trust, collaboration and clear communication, regardless of where team members are located.
Finally, it’s important to ensure that employees have access to the necessary resources and support. This could include access to mental health services, career development opportunities, and other resources that may be needed to feel supported, productive and motivated.
Next step – write your Hybrid or Remote Working Guidelines document
We’ve created a template to get you started. Please bear in mind that it’s only a template for you to build upon, so feel free to edit, add and delete words and sections to suit the needs of your company. We also have more guidance for creating your policies below, so read on for our top tips.
What are hybrid working policies?
A hybrid work policy is an essential guide that outlines the rules, expectations, and procedures for employees who split their time between the office and working remotely. It provides a clear framework to ensure productivity stays high, things are fair, and legal standards are met.
As a minimum, you should include these key elements:
Eligibility. Outline who can take part in hybrid work – for example, based on roles, experience, or performance. It should also clearly state how you’ll assess roles, take people’s needs into account, how you’ll make the decision, and any required contract changes.
Work schedule and hours. Set out when employees need to be available, including any core hours for team meetings or collaboration, whether they're in the office or working remotely.
Communication expectations. Have guidelines for staying in touch, including preferred tools like video calls or instant messaging.
Performance measurement: Explain how you’ll assess people’s performance in a hybrid setup, with clear metrics.
Security and confidentiality. Make sure there are clear rules for protecting sensitive company information when working from home.
For more great insights on staying safe, read our cyber security for remote and hybrid workers article.
Equipment and technology. Clarify what equipment your business will provide for remote work and who’s responsible for covering things like internet costs.
Health and wellbeing. Explain how you will support employee wellbeing, such as encouraging breaks, managing lunch and working hours, promoting ergonomic home office setups, or offering mental health resources.
Is hybrid working a legal requirement?
In most places, there’s no law that says you must offer hybrid work. However, a number of countries have rules in place that support flexible working options. For example, since April 2024 in the UK, employees can ask to work flexibly from day one. While this doesn’t mean you have to automatically agree, you do need to take the request seriously and accommodate these requests wherever possible.
It’s important you stay up-to-date on the legal requirements in your area, so check government resources or talk to a legal expert to make sure your remote, hybrid or home working policy is in line with current laws.
Find out more about hybrid and remote working guidelines
Creating clear hybrid and remote work policies isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about ensuring your team stays productive, happy, and prepared for anything. These policies help you handle the unique challenges of people splitting their time between home and the office or working fully remotely.
Here’s more on ‘taming the chaos of hybrid working’ and making hybrid working a success.
The benefits of hybrid and remote work policies are huge. They bring structure, reduce misunderstandings, and keep your company culture strong, even when your team is spread out.
You may have read this far and thought, this is all very well, but is it worth it? The short answer is yes. Read on to discover more.
What are the benefits of hybrid and remote work?
Hybrid work is a win-win for everyone. Your business gains happier employees, reduced costs, and a greater ability to attract top talent. For your team, it offers more flexibility, a better work-life balance, and the freedom to work in ways that maximise productivity.
More flexibility. Hybrid and remote work let people control their schedules, making it easier to manage personal commitments like childcare or elder care.
Improved work-life balance. Less commuting and the option to work during non-traditional hours can boost wellbeing and reduce stress. Over 70% of people say hybrid work improves their work-life balance.
Higher productivity. With fewer distractions and the ability to work in their preferred environment, 77% of remote workers report being more productive than in the office.
Cost savings. Businesses can save up to $11,000 per person annually on office space, equipment, utilities, and all those little extras. Plus, people people save on high train fares and petrol.
Broader talent pool and improved inclusivity. Removing location barriers lets you can attract top global talent, including those with disabilities who may find commuting challenging.
Better retention. Hybrid work can reduce staff turnover by 30%.
Increased job satisfaction. No commute, more flexibility, and a better work-life balance result in 48% of people being happier in their jobs.
Here’s more on the benefits of hybrid working.
The benefits of hybrid and remote work policies are huge. They bring structure, reduce misunderstandings, and keep your company culture strong, even when your team is spread out.
Ready to take the next step in developing your hybrid or remote work policies? Want more advice on introducing or supporting hybrid work in your business? Speak to one of our V-Hub Digital Advisers to find out more.
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