Hybrid work came here to stay – use these tips!
With these 7 tips, you can support wellbeing in hybrid work. We have also compiled practical tips in the article to help you succeed in this!
The impact of hybrid work on wellbeing
A thriving workforce is any organisation’s greatest asset and advantage. During the past few years hybrid work has become more and more common in many organisations.
In many organisations, a so-called hybrid model has been established, where a fixed number of days per week are worked from the office and the rest can be done remotely. In some cases, work can also be done entirely remotely. Regardless of the details of the hybrid work model, this new normal in working life has changed many factors affecting wellbeing.
Remember two kinds of ergonomics
In order for hybrid work to work as well as possible, it is important to ensure that the working conditions are in order both at home and in the office. Go through the ways in which you can support the smooth running of work and the preconditions for wellbeing at work at your home office as well. Does everyone have working connections? Can you support getting an ergonomic remote workstation?
There are fewer natural breaks and movement in remote working when you don’t have to walk to the printer or meeting room. It also matters what kind of breaks you take. Sitting and surfing in social media doesn’t refresh the body or mind. A quality break helps to take a break from work for a moment and activates the body and mind. One way to motivate your employees to take more active breaks is with Cuckoo wellbeing app.
Your brain needs peace of mind
When thinking about the ergonomics of work, you will often think of a person’s relationship to their operating environment only from the perspective of the body. It would be equally important to look at cognitive ergonomics, that is, from a brain perspective. The goal of cognitive ergonomics is the efficiency and smoothness of operations and thus the increase in wellbeing.
Remote working messages and notifications can come more than in everyday office life, so it is necessary to organise a peace of mind for the brain. The good side of hybrid work is that there are fewer colleagues around, so it’s easier to determine when you are available for contacts.
8 tips for hybrid work
Basic rules of the game
- When and where is the work done? How to synchronize collaboration between teams?
- Clarity of communication channels
- When should you be reachable?
- What are the common days when the whole team is together?
- Create clarity in the division of responsibilities
Clarify the meaningfulness of work
- Hybrid work often brings autonomy and a sense of control to your work, which directly affects the meaningfulness of the work.
- A sense of belonging: new methods must be found in the hybrid work model to foster this, such as shared Cuckoo breaks!
Update tools regularly and pay attention to ergonomics
- Enable an adjustable workstation also in the home office
- The optimal situation is when the remote office has a space dedicated solely to work
Allow space and opportunity for maintaining social relationships
- Create scheduled, regular meetings where “just” being present is allocated time
- Allow team’s shared moments where activities other than work are done, such as weekly remote coffee breaks
- Schedule regular breaks in the calendar, together or separately
“Good (work) friends are like stars. You don’t always see them, but you know they’re always there.”
Take care of brain wellbeing
- Attention to ergonomics extends to the brain; the goal of cognitive ergonomics is to improve efficiency, fluency, and thus wellbeing.
- Support cognitive ergonomics by minimising interruptions, clarifying task prioritisation, avoiding multitasking, and reducing external distractions.
Monitor work wellbeing and stamina
- Work wellbeing should not be left to chance, as it is composed of many everyday elements essential to the job.
- Ensure open discussion and make necessary changes if issues in stamina or wellbeing arise within the team.
Invest in quality breaks
- Taking breaks significantly impacts work wellbeing.
- In the hybrid work model, breaks can easily be forgotten, and overall physical movement tends to decrease.
- With Cuckoo, effective breaks happen almost automatically, whether working from the office or remotely!
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