The Covid-19 pandemic transitioned workforces around the world to remote working. Employers all over the globe leveraged global talent by hiring in the Philippines, Vietnam, India, and many other countries. However, now that we are going back to normal, hybrid working has become one of the new norms. In a survey conducted by Gallup, 59% of employees preferred hybrid working, 32% preferred remote work, and only 9% preferred working from the office. This shows that hybrid work is here to stay. Moreover, it has proven itself to be a very efficient work model that ensures maximum productivity and maintains employee engagement.
Hybrid work brings along the pros of working from home and eliminates the challenges that come with it. It helps increase employee engagement, streamlines operations, and boosts overall productivity. Moreover, some industries and job roles require employees to come into the office sometimes and set things in place. However, there are many more benefits of hybrid working. Let’s take a look at them.
How is Hybrid work beneficial?
Hybrid work has proven to be one of the employees’ most preferred work modes. Some of the benefits it brings along are
- Best of both worlds: Hybrid work creates the perfect balance between working from home and working from the office. Being present in the office along with one’s co-workers enables teams to interact, collaborate and brainstorm more effectively. Working from home helps employees get in a comfortable space and work on these ideas and tasks on their own time.
- Team building: Humans are the most social animals, and the need for personal interaction comes to us very naturally. Interacting with one’s team in person helps employees develop a connection stronger than the one you can develop through a screen. This helps team members understand each other, resulting in a better workflow and increased efficiency.
- Increased productivity: Working on tasks at hand at home and discussing them in person is one of the most effective ways to ensure the job is done. Moreover, employees face hurdles and challenges frequently. Discussing these challenges in person, collaborating across teams, and having multiple perspectives will ensure that no problem goes unsolved. Faster problem-solving will help you increase your team’s efficiency and productivity.
- Better work-life balance: Going to the office a couple of days a week and working from home for the rest ensures that employees have plenty of time to engage in other activities. It also helps people stay in the habit of stepping out of their homes and staying in touch with the outside world. Working from home may become monotonous for employees, whereas working from the office may be affected by external factors such as commute. In both cases, the chances of one feeling burnt out are quite high. Therefore, a hybrid work setup helps create a good balance between the two.
- Increased approachability: While working in a hybrid environment, approaching your peers and seniors becomes much easier than working remotely. Syncing up calendars, sending multiple invites, and constant rescheduling makes it challenging to have a conversation with another employee. However, walking up to someone and having a conversation, discussing, and closing the task is much easier when you’re in the office. It also ensures that communication is clear and makes room for effective feedback and reviews.
A good hybrid onboarding process ensures that your new employee is well oriented with the company practices and fits in well with their team members. Some of the best practices to follow during a hybrid onboarding are
Having an impeccable hybrid onboarding is the first step to ensuring that all the benefits of hybrid working are maximized.
Hybrid Onboarding best practices
- Strategize the onboarding: Hybrid onboarding can take place remotely and in person. An employer must ensure that both setups’ onboarding process is seamless. The hybrid onboarding process must be designed to ensure that the employees get very well acquainted with the company policies, structure, and processes. The onboarding process must not be overwhelming for a new employee since the first day at a new job is overwhelming in itself.
- Define every step: Make sure that the employee is aware of the purpose of each step of the onboarding process. This is very important because when a new employee absorbs information on their first day, having a meaning behind it helps them understand the company and their role much better. Moreover, knowing why certain things are essential ensures that important information is well retained.
- Have clarity in conveying company policies: Every organization has different policies. While some may be general, some policies may be specific to your company or industry. A new employee may not necessarily understand the reasoning behind each of these policies. Therefore, it is crucial for a new employee to understand all the policies clearly and why they are in place.
- Leverage async videos: Implementing each of the above points means that many people must be involved each time you host a hybrid onboarding session. While ensuring that all hybrid onboarding best practices are kept in mind is important, it can get very time-consuming for your HR team. The best solution around this is to use recorded videos that convey everything a new joinee should know.
- Create a positive environment: The most important aspect of hybrid onboarding is ensuring that every new employee gets a warm welcome from the organization. Make sure that the process, though information-centric, should not be overwhelming for the employee. They must feel welcomed into their respective teams. This is one of the most important hybrid onboarding best practices that ensure that every employee smoothly transitions into their new role.
- Ask for feedback: At the end, ask your employees for feedback on their onboarding journey. Ask for constructive feedback and for ways that can help make the process better. Not every step can be perfect, but with the right feedback and brisk implementation, it can be improved to perfection.
We spoke extensively about hybrid onboarding best practices; however, it is much more important for an employer to know why onboarding is such a crucial process.
Why is Onboarding so important?
We are familiar with the expression “First impression is the last impression.” While the first impression may not be the last one, it still makes a lot of difference. Some of the reasons why a good hybrid onboarding process is important are
- Employee engagement: An employee who is clear about the company’s vision and goals is much more likely to perform well. Engaging your new employees with this information during the hybrid onboarding ensures they give their best.
- Morale Boost: A good hybrid onboarding experience can significantly boost your employee’s morale. This, in turn, will help them align themselves with the company faster. According to a research done by BambooHR, a seamless onboarding process can increase an employee’s performance by up to 38%.
- Employee retention: A flawless onboarding process is one of the best ways to increase employee retention. Employees with a positive onboarding experience are likelier to be in the same company for longer durations.
A good hybrid onboarding process is just as important as creating employee-friendly policies and a positive work environment. Implementing these hybrid onboarding best practices will ensure your new employees have a smooth transition into their new roles and give their best at their jobs.
