While hybrid working has enabled businesses up and down the country to keep working and reach their targets during the lockdown restrictions, there have been numerous wellbeing issues attached to this working style. With more and more employees looking to employ a hybrid work environment, we’re sharing the key wellbeing concerns for hybrid office workers, and how your business can address them.
Top wellbeing concerns for hybrid offices and how to address them
Loneliness
One of the top concerns for remote working is the issue of loneliness – especially for employees who live alone. If you have a hybrid work set-up, where some or all of your employees work from home, it’s important to check in on them.
Aside from making sure they have all the information they need to complete tasks accurately and to a good standard, you’ll also need to factor in extra check-ins and video conferencing meetings.
Even just a simple greeting message in the morning coupled with a quick call to discuss the day ahead can make all the difference. Play around with what works best for your business and employees. You don’t want to distract the team with too many unnecessary calls, but, if you know that any of your employees are likely to be alone throughout their working day, it’s important to be accessible and keep communication channels open.
One way you can do this is by installing video conferencing platforms such as Zoom or Microsoft Teams. This allows you to quickly and efficiently make video calls and team meetings. You can also use instant messaging channels to keep in touch.
Ensuring that your employees who work in the office vs those that are working from home feel just as included is super important. At Remark Group, our state of the art video conferencing technology can utilise auto-framing camera technology to ensure the camera focuses on the person speaking in a meeting – making those tuning in from outside the office feel closer to the conversation.
Not having suitable home working environments
Another concern is that not everyone lives in a house with a purpose-built office space. Many of us have heard stories of people using ironing boards as a desk or people sitting on their sofas or beds with their laptops. This is not a good long-term solution for any employee. So, how can you address this issue as an employer?
If you offer a hybrid work set-up, it’s up to an employee to ensure they have a suitable desk and chair for the days when they’re working from home. However, for some, the issue is not that they don’t have a desk or chair, it’s that they don’t have a private, enclosed space in which to work. This can impact wellbeing as the separation between home and work life becomes blurred. It can also impact the employee’s overall productivity.
What’s the solution?
By far the best solution in this case is to ensure that these employees are able to work in your office more often. By offering a hot-desk solution, you can make space for your employees that prefer and perform better while in the office, while giving your other employees the flexibility to work from home if that works better for them.
Speak to Remark Group today
At Remark Group, we believe in making employee wellbeing a key goal. To see which hybrid work solutions are right for your business, enquire with Remark Group today to discuss your requirements, or arrange a friendly demonstration of our technology.
