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Wouldn’t it be great if you just announced the transition to hybrid work to your team and viola – it just happens?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Hybrid work is new territory for basically everyone. Everyone sees the promise, but we all seem to be looking in different directions on what kind of hybrid business model is best. For that reason, it’s important to get it right and not gloss over the details.
A good way to make sure you get it right is to carefully design a hybrid work policy that highlights everyone’s responsibilities and puts you and your team in an agile position and able to pivot when necessary.
What is a hybrid work policy? And why do you need it?
A hybrid work policy is a policy document that details all the processes, procedures, and arrangements of a hybrid workplace, i.e, both in-person and remote working.
A good hybrid work policy document provides clarity, becomes the foundation for a company’s culture, and makes room for agility — the ability to learn and rethink parts of the policy if something isn’t working well for the team.
Thorough hybrid work policies ensure fair and consistent application of hybrid work rules across the different verticals of the organization. They tell employees what is expected of them and it also reduces the risk of burnout by defining boundaries.
What should you include in a hybrid work policy?
A good hybrid policy covers all the details related to hybrid work and acts as a blueprint for the team, outlining procedures, positive behaviors, and expected arrangements for a hybrid work from home model.
Hybrid policies typically include:
- Purpose – Why are you adopting a hybrid model and how do you plan to change?
- Scope – What is included in the hybrid work procedures and who is impacted?
- Office practices to follow – What safety measures and general etiquette should be followed?
- Work schedule and availability – How are team member’s timings impacted by a hybrid schedule? When should everyone be responsive or available for meetings?
- Communication and collaboration – How will everyone communicate, and where is your nucleus?
- Ideal work environment – How can you cover proper work environments for both in-office and at-home folks?
- Office seating – Does everyone have an assigned desk, or are you doing hoteling?
- IT security – What is considered standard practices for handling sensitive data when not in the office?
- Dress code – What are expectations for both at home and in office team members?
- Benefits – What extra stipends are given to people to set up their office, or who must commute extra, or need a co-working space?
Hybrid work policy examples
Hybrid work policies are meant to allow companies flexibility, so they are also flexible. They should be crafted in a way that allows for editing and pivoting. Different companies have very different hybrid work policies that tend to change over time.
Let’s examine sample hybrid policies from Hubspot, Google, and Uber.
Hubspot’s three tier hybrid work arrangement
Currently, Hubspot offers its employees three work options:
@home – employees work from home
@office – in person work arrangement
@flex – hybrid work both in person and remote
Hubspot has worked on perks and benefits throughout 2021 and will continue to do so 2022 to ensure equity across its talent pool. In their hybrid remote work policy sample from the website, Hubspot highlights that:
- @home employees get a home office set up by Hubspot as support
- @office staff get a dedicated desk in the office, but do not get a home office set up
- @flex workers get a home office setup and a ‘hotel desk’ in the office
Google’s hybrid policy
Last year, Google experimented with its ‘campfire method’, with the aim to have:
- 60% of employees working in the campuses
- 20% of staff working from home
- 20% working both in the new offices
The campfire method was a method to enhance communication between in person and WFH employees by ‘hosting meetings in a circular setting with remote employees on their own screen in the circle’.
Recently, it was reported that Google told San Francisco Bay workers that they would have to return to the offices in a hybrid capacity, starting from April 4 (2022). ‘Googlers’ are expected to attend the office three days a week and work two days from home, although 20% of Google’s staff are expected to work from home permanently.
Uber’s approach – interpreting data and listening to feedback
In April 2021, Uber rolled out a hybrid work plan, announcing that workers could work from home for two days a week, but also come into the office for three days a week.
After gathering data and listening to their staff, this plan was later pulled back and relaxed, giving workers the option to work remotely for more than three days if that worked better.
Most recently, Uber announced its return to office date on April 25 (2022) for 35 locations, with the expectation that staff would spend half of their time in the office. However, workers are able to select when they’ll come into the office. They can choose to come in three days a week and work 2 days from home, or they can work one week in the office and WFH the next week.
Workers will also get to choose which office they work out of and some staff can work remotely on a permanent basis.
Creating a hybrid policy from scratch isn’t easy. Thankfully, basically everyone is experimenting right now. Make sure you give as much clarity as possible to people on the team and continue to work towards more flexibility!
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
Wouldn’t it be great if you just announced the transition to hybrid work to your team and viola – it just happens?
Unfortunately, it’s not that simple. Hybrid work is new territory for basically everyone. Everyone sees the promise, but we all seem to be looking in different directions on what kind of hybrid business model is best. For that reason, it’s important to get it right and not gloss over the details.
A good way to make sure you get it right is to carefully design a hybrid work policy that highlights everyone’s responsibilities and puts you and your team in an agile position and able to pivot when necessary.
What is a hybrid work policy? And why do you need it?
A hybrid work policy is a policy document that details all the processes, procedures, and arrangements of a hybrid workplace, i.e, both in-person and remote working.
A good hybrid work policy document provides clarity, becomes the foundation for a company’s culture, and makes room for agility — the ability to learn and rethink parts of the policy if something isn’t working well for the team.
Thorough hybrid work policies ensure fair and consistent application of hybrid work rules across the different verticals of the organization. They tell employees what is expected of them and it also reduces the risk of burnout by defining boundaries.
What should you include in a hybrid work policy?
A good hybrid policy covers all the details related to hybrid work and acts as a blueprint for the team, outlining procedures, positive behaviors, and expected arrangements for a hybrid work from home model.
Hybrid policies typically include:
- Purpose – Why are you adopting a hybrid model and how do you plan to change?
- Scope – What is included in the hybrid work procedures and who is impacted?
- Office practices to follow – What safety measures and general etiquette should be followed?
- Work schedule and availability – How are team member’s timings impacted by a hybrid schedule? When should everyone be responsive or available for meetings?
- Communication and collaboration – How will everyone communicate, and where is your nucleus?
- Ideal work environment – How can you cover proper work environments for both in-office and at-home folks?
- Office seating – Does everyone have an assigned desk, or are you doing hoteling?
- IT security – What is considered standard practices for handling sensitive data when not in the office?
- Dress code – What are expectations for both at home and in office team members?
- Benefits – What extra stipends are given to people to set up their office, or who must commute extra, or need a co-working space?
Hybrid work policy examples
Hybrid work policies are meant to allow companies flexibility, so they are also flexible. They should be crafted in a way that allows for editing and pivoting. Different companies have very different hybrid work policies that tend to change over time.
Let’s examine sample hybrid policies from Hubspot, Google, and Uber.
Hubspot’s three tier hybrid work arrangement
Currently, Hubspot offers its employees three work options:
@home – employees work from home
@office – in person work arrangement
@flex – hybrid work both in person and remote
Hubspot has worked on perks and benefits throughout 2021 and will continue to do so 2022 to ensure equity across its talent pool. In their hybrid remote work policy sample from the website, Hubspot highlights that:
- @home employees get a home office set up by Hubspot as support
- @office staff get a dedicated desk in the office, but do not get a home office set up
- @flex workers get a home office setup and a ‘hotel desk’ in the office
Google’s hybrid policy
Last year, Google experimented with its ‘campfire method’, with the aim to have:
- 60% of employees working in the campuses
- 20% of staff working from home
- 20% working both in the new offices
The campfire method was a method to enhance communication between in person and WFH employees by ‘hosting meetings in a circular setting with remote employees on their own screen in the circle’.
Recently, it was reported that Google told San Francisco Bay workers that they would have to return to the offices in a hybrid capacity, starting from April 4 (2022). ‘Googlers’ are expected to attend the office three days a week and work two days from home, although 20% of Google’s staff are expected to work from home permanently.
Uber’s approach – interpreting data and listening to feedback
In April 2021, Uber rolled out a hybrid work plan, announcing that workers could work from home for two days a week, but also come into the office for three days a week.
After gathering data and listening to their staff, this plan was later pulled back and relaxed, giving workers the option to work remotely for more than three days if that worked better.
Most recently, Uber announced its return to office date on April 25 (2022) for 35 locations, with the expectation that staff would spend half of their time in the office. However, workers are able to select when they’ll come into the office. They can choose to come in three days a week and work 2 days from home, or they can work one week in the office and WFH the next week.
Workers will also get to choose which office they work out of and some staff can work remotely on a permanent basis.
Creating a hybrid policy from scratch isn’t easy. Thankfully, basically everyone is experimenting right now. Make sure you give as much clarity as possible to people on the team and continue to work towards more flexibility!
Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash
