The COVID-19 pandemic led many businesses to adopt a hybrid work setup, wherein employees work both remotely and in the office. This setup promotes flexibility and ensures that workers are productive no matter where they are working.
However, hybrid work also has its downsides. For starters, it's easy to lose momentum and productivity when there are so many distractions at home. Plus, employees can easily lose track of their work when they're constantly moving between their personal and professional office.
If your organization is implementing hybrid work for the long term, you need to know how to optimize productivity levels. Here are some helpful tips to achieve that:
1. Leverage communication and collaboration tools
Given that your team is working from different locations, it’s important to ensure seamless communication and collaboration.
Aside from email, you can also use online collaboration solutions like Microsoft 365. It has various tools that can help employees be more productive, such as Teams to host meetings, OneDrive for storing and sharing files, and Office for real-time document collaboration. Meanwhile, project management tools like Trello or Asana can help you track deliverables and break down large tasks into more manageable ones.
2. Identify ideal work locations
When you work from home, it can be easy to get distracted with household chores or personal matters. And if you’re in the office, there are things that can pull you away from work, such as impromptu meetings or watercooler talks.
Avoid getting distracted by having a dedicated work location. At home, this could be your bedroom or a spare room. If you’re in the office, find an empty conference room or quiet cubicle.
3. Establish a routine
A daily routine adds structure to your data, helping you stay organized and productive. When working from home, set a start and end time for your workday, and stick to it as much as possible. You can also try performing after-work rituals. These practices create a boundary between work and personal time, which is important for maintaining a healthy work-life balance.
If you’re working in the office, try to arrive at the same time each day and take a few minutes to plan out your tasks for the day. This will help you make better use of your time and avoid wasting time on activities that aren’t productive.
4. Identify the business's expectations
When working in a hybrid setup, it can be difficult to know what’s expected of you, especially if your company hasn’t fully transitioned to this type of work arrangement.
To avoid any confusion, regularly discuss work expectations with supervisors or managers. For example, they may want you to be available during specific hours, meet certain deadlines, or check in with them daily. Once you know what’s expected of you, it will be easier to stay on track and be productive.
5. Take breaks regularly
Wherever you choose to work, it’s important to take breaks to avoid burnout. However, you need to determine how long your break should be. If you work for long periods without a break, you’re more likely to feel fatigued and your productivity will dip. However, if your break is too long, you may find it difficult to get back into the groove of things.
The ideal break length depends on the individual, but a good rule of thumb is to take a 5-10 minute break for every 50 minutes of work. During your break, do something active to increase your alertness, such as going for a quick walk, doing some light stretching, or grabbing a light snack.
To succeed in your hybrid work arrangement, you need technology that can help everyone be productive no matter where and how they choose to work. Partner with Founders Technology Group! Our specialists will ensure that you will get the most out of every IT investment. Schedule a FREE consultation today!