Developing a work-from-home model blended with the office work model has received considerable attention as organizations adjust to meet new challenges and trends in workplace flexibility. While this model offers flexibility and a good work-life balance, it also has drawbacks, especially when retaining its workforce. Due to the above environments, companies must adopt mechanisms to keep their employees in these new setups. This article focuses on the best strategies for retaining talent in today’s hybrid work setting.
Foster Open and Transparent Communication
Communication is one of the key determinants of employee satisfaction when operating in a hybrid model. “I recommend integrating messengers such as Slack, Microsoft Teams, or Zoom to guarantee proper cooperation with other team members. Daily calls, weekly team meetings, and adequate communication ensure that remote and traditional working employees are in Sync and that there is no bad blood between them due to misunderstandings, said Andrei Vasilescu, Co-founder and CEO at DontPayFull.
In addition to formal communication, employees should feel free to express themselves, their opinions, ideas, and complaints, and give feedback in an organization. Always open doors for the employees, and even if it is virtual, the workers appreciate being heard.” said Nick Edwards, Managing Director at Snow Finders Snowfinders. Those who have subordinates should be examples of how people should behave during a conversation, focusing on body language and paying attention to the words and gestures of another person. It should be integrative or instrumentality-based to emphasize the development of appropriate relationships within these teams and foster a healthy working environment.
Offer Flexibility and Autonomy
An advantage of implementing the hybrid model is flexibility. Nick Oberheiden, Founder at Oberheiden P.C., adds, “Let them select working hours and spots as much as possible. It increases efficiency and builds trust, which are critical in making the employees loyal. To ensure that flexibility is productive, it is recommendable for businesses to set down expectations on delivery as well as what is expected of everybody involved. Freewill is suitable for the employees, but the will shall be free but within specific corridors of management set.” Offering choices consists of giving people a chance to work from home some days of the week or instituting flexible hours to guarantee the employees are meeting organizational objectives.
Provide Opportunities for Professional Development
Employees appreciate the organizations’ willingness to take their time and train them. “Extend courses online, workshops, and certifications that improve their working abilities in training. Long-term company success can contribute to retention if the learning is organized for individual employees. In addition to training, there should be options for coworkers to implement forms such as shadowing, which will enable newly hired experts to understand how to work through their newly assigned positions. Another approach is to match hybrid workers with mentors so that linking and learning are formed continuously. Organizing career goals for the employees and assisting them to achieve such goals revolves around supporting their future career endeavors.” stated Adam Martin, Managing Director at Nova Acoustics
Prioritize Employee Well-Being
This hybrid model is not flawed as it may sometimes create some working overlap with personal life, thus causing burnout. Brett Gelfand, managing partner at Cannabiz Collects, suggests, “Promote wellness programs that deal with psychological, physical, and stress. Advocate for taking breaks as often as possible, offer employees an opportunity to talk to a shrink, and stress to embrace the concept of work-life balance. Also, more can be done by the companies by conducting ‘health checks’ meant to determine the amount of stress and workload that employees are under to ensure that everyone is okay. Smart working can assist workers by allowing audible days, taking sick days for mental health issues, or having no meetings on Fridays.” Supervisors and organizational leaders should set the pace by avoiding working during restricted hours to prompt other employees to do the same.
Maintain a Strong Company Culture
Establishing a strong company culture when employees are switched between the workplace and home can be a little complex, but it is essential for retaining employees. Ben Flynn, Manager at Homefield IT, highlighted, “Schedule virtual office events, award employees through online and face-to-face correspondence, and ensure employees in both locations are considered equal. Culture promotes loyalty and creates a coherent and vibrant organizational culture. Thus, making this type of culture should involve consistent communication and behavior relative to the values and goals of companies.”
According to Ozzy Akpek, CEO of Smile Art Design, Hybrid teams should develop regular meetings such as weekly virtual or face-to-face meetings once per quarter. In addition to the social activity of setting up coffee chats that will occur virtually or acknowledging personal accomplishments, the cultural connection is fostered.
Use Technology to Enhance Collaboration
“Hire the technology that supports the effective working of the hybrid teams. Using tools such as Google Workspace or Asana guarantees that all process participants can equally contribute as all can view information and collaborate. Enhancing the processes and reducing technological resistance leads to an increase in job satisfaction and activity levels. Project management tools should be compatible with those used for communications to support low transition risk.” Arman Minas, Armstone Director. Training on how to use these tools reduces confusion and improves their use, as they should be. Also, using virtual blackboards for idea generation or knowledge-sharing platforms encourages creativity and Collaboration among hybrid employees.
Recognize and Reward Achievements
Regardless of the type of organization, it is critical to reward the employees since it increases their working morale through retention. Can you bring into practice a recognition plan that involves giving money, promoting, or even announcing achievement at meetings? Ivy Berezo, Marketing Manager at LUCAS PRODUCTS & SERVICES, outlined, “The fact is that appreciation is considered the key to success because people feel that they are wanted and will stay committed. I think it may be best to make recognition as personalized as possible. For instance, some employees may prefer to receive recognition in front of other workers, while others may want to receive bonuses privately or in any other way. Discriminating triumphs across remote and in-office people can help dismiss the division and help both parties understand that employees work together towards a common goal.”
Solicit Feedback and Act on It
Schedule formal and informal meetings where you can learn from and talk about any issues regarding hybrid work with your employees. A good approach here is to use this input to make informed responses that address their concern and enhance the work environment. When employees can see the result of feedback they have provided, it brings a lot of value to them. Feedback mechanisms should not be done periodically but should be done frequently. Establish the standard of using envelopes or boxes where people leave their feedback anonymously or continue with frequent engagement surveys, ” said Gerrid Smith, Chief Marketing Officer at Joy Organics. Managers should also indicate what is being done in response to feedback to enhance confidence and give feedback givers a sense of feeling valued in creating organizational environments.
Conclusion
Retention of employees in organizations with a hybrid working model requires planning and anticipation. It suggests ways to encourage communication, be flexible, create professional development, and prioritize well-being for a better and more favorable organizational environment in the workplace. Technology collaboration, recognition, and feedback add value and help in retaining talented employees in the organization. Cooperating with these strategies will minimize turnover and assist the companies to succeed in a world that changes continually. Work organizations that deal with their human resource needs more adequately in this new age of the novel coronavirus stand higher chances of success and the most significant retention of their human capital.
