de Studies show that working from home boosts concentration, and less time commuting means more personal time. However, in-office collaboration is still essential because it allows for direct interaction, teamwork, and spontaneous idea-sharing among colleagues.
On the one hand, you have remote work that offers focus and flexibility; on the other hand, you have offices that provide opportunities for socializing and problem-solving. The great news is that hybrid work blends these advantages and lets you enjoy the best of both settings.
What is a hybrid work schedule? Who does it benefit and how? What is the best hybrid work schedule? Let’s explore here ⬇️
What Is a Hybrid Work Schedule?
The hybrid schedule meaning: it is a work setup that blends remote work from home with in-office work. It allows employees to work from home on certain days and from the office on others, thus providing a balance between remote independence and in-person collaboration.
Here’s how it compares to two other work models:
- Traditional in-office schedule — Employees work exclusively from the office, with periodic work-from-home days for personal appointments or emergencies.
- Fully remote schedule — Team members work from various locations without a central office. They may meet in person occasionally for team gatherings or off-site meetings.
- Hybrid in-office schedule — Merges aspects of both models and allows employees to decide when to work from home or the office. Some hybrid models have set days for each location, and others offer more flexible scheduling options.
Fun fact: A study conducted by Accenture found that 83% of workers favor a hybrid work arrangement over the strict 9 to 5 schedule. The preferred setup was working remotely for at least a quarter of their total work hours.
Is Hybrid Work Schedule Just a Trend?
Hybrid work has been around for some time, but its popularity has grown recently. During lockdowns, remote work became practically the only viable way to operate, but its benefits became evident. It was favored for increased flexibility, better balance between work and personal life, and dedicated time for focused tasks.
But as workplaces reopened, it became clear that people missed office environments, too. Employees naturally use offices for collaborative tasks like strategy meetings, onboarding, one-on-one sessions and training.
Now, a hybrid office schedule is the answer to bridging gaps in other workplace setups
The remote work infrastructure set up during recent times remains in place. This has made it easier for teams to adopt hybrid schedules and maintain flexibility amid ongoing uncertainties.
Half of the workforce now embraces a hybrid work model and divides their time between home and on-site work.
Another striking statistic is that three out of every ten hybrid workers are very likely to leave a company if they aren’t given some flexibility. The shift in workers’ mindset towards hybrid work has already happened, so it’s now up to employers to accommodate this change.
Types of Hybrid Work Schedules
Here are the different ways organizations blend remote and in-office work ⬇️
Hybrid Schedule With Alternating Days (Remote Days & In-Office Days). This hybrid remote work schedule involves employees switching between working in the office and working from home on specific days. It’s a structured system where everyone follows a set of rules determined by their manager or company.
Here are a few popular types of alternating day schedules:
- 3:2 model — Employees spend three days at the office and two days working from home. It’s straightforward to manage and make sure everyone is in the office together on certain days each week. However, it doesn’t reduce the need for office space or cut costs by that much.
- Bottom-up model — Teams choose when and how often to visit the office, e.g. two days a week. This makes it possible for teams to choose the best days for collaboration and leads to less office space needed. The only negative is that it’s harder to coordinate meetings between different teams without proper management tools.
- Staggered schedules — This hybrid in-office schedule specifies both the days and times employees should be in the office. It’s useful for industries with shift work, like healthcare, where staff needs to be present throughout the day. Ultimately, it guarantees operations continue without interruption in critical fields.
Hybrid Schedule With Flexible Hours. Flexible schedules offer complete adaptability. They have no rigid guidelines; instead, employees decide to work from home or go into the office based on their preferences.
- Flexible place — This hybrid model lets team members choose where they work each day. It’s similar to the bottom-up approach but gives individuals rather than whole teams control. To reduce office size, flexible place schedules work with a desk-reservation system. However, limited office space might mean not everyone can come in on desired days.
- Flexible time — In this model, team members can decide their own work hours. For instance, they might work from 8am to noon on remote days, handle personal tasks, and then resume work from 3pm to 7pm. Companies can combine flexible time with flexible place or alternating day schedules to increase flexibility for employees.
Hybrid Schedule With a Project-Based Approach (Remote Phases & In-Office Phases). In this hybrid in-office schedule, teams collaborate in the office during specific project phases for real-time decision-making, intensive brainstorming, and stronger team cohesion.
To make brainstorming sessions more convenient, special equipment can be used. For example, interactive whiteboards, multimedia, and speakers. Specialized software can help streamline the process of finding and booking meeting rooms with the necessary equipment.
This approach allows for focused interaction. With better project momentum and alignment among team members, it should become easier to meet project deadlines and milestones.
One unique challenge is the potential disruption in workflow and coordination when transitioning between project phases. Team members sometimes face difficulties in adapting to shifts from intense in-office collaboration to more independent remote work settings.
This change can affect how well projects flow and require careful planning and communication.
What Are the Benefits of a Hybrid Work Schedule?
What do businesses stand to gain from adopting a hybrid office schedule? How does this model benefit employees’ work-life balance and productivity? We look at the benefits of hybrid schedules for both parties:
➡️ For Employees. A hybrid work-from-home schedule makes it possible for employees to organize their work around personal commitments. There’s enough freedom to manage job hours alongside other responsibilities. This setup supports better work-life balance, as it accommodates diverse personal schedules and preferences.
Also, there’s less commuting. A hybrid work schedule cuts down on employees’ travel time by letting them work from home most days and only go into the office a few times a week. This saves a lot of time and fuel during their remote work days.
Plus, with a flexible timing approach, employees can decide when to start and finish their workday at the office. So, they’ll avoid busy commuting hours and make their travel to and from work more relaxed.
➡️ For Employers. In a hybrid remote work schedule, fewer employees are in the office at once, which allows organizations to shrink office space and save on costs like utilities and overhead. The amount saved depends on the specific hybrid model used. For example, if teams have staggered office days, it’s easier to downsize.
Next, when employees can select their work location and manage their time well, they feel more empowered and motivated. This autonomy leads to more engagement, and engaged employees are more committed, productive and contribute positively to the organization’s success.
Moreover, remote work has expanded the potential pool of employees. Businesses can recruit talent from anywhere, regardless of location. This means businesses can hire top talent that they wouldn’t be able to otherwise. For other roles, it lowers recruitment costs since some locations have skilled workers with lower salary expectations that are fair for their area.
What Are the Disadvantages of a Hybrid Work Schedule
Although a hybrid remote work schedule offers flexibility that pure in-office or remote setups lack, it also comes with challenges and uncertainties. It’s important for any business to understand these potential downsides and obstacles before implementing the new model. Here are a few to consider:
➡️ For Employees. Some employees struggle to manage their time, prioritize tasks, and stay motivated, which together results in a drop in productivity. Employers can help by setting clear priorities and providing productivity tools.
When employees alternate their office days, they won’t see their teammates at work as often and experience isolation and disconnection. This is particularly true with alternating and staggered schedules, where management decides who works in the office and when.
➡️ For Employers. A major disadvantage of a hybrid office schedule is the coordination challenges. Employers will need to deal with fault lines between in-office and remote workers, especially with remote teammates being left out of small exchanges and minor decisions made by those in the office. To solve this, employees must promote a culture where contributions from all team members are valued, regardless of location.
Another consideration is the cost of investing in remote work technology and tools. This includes setting up reliable communication platforms and project management software, along with providing training for employees to use these tools in a hybrid work setting. One way to manage is to adjust technology investments based on actual needs.
Successful Companies Using Hybrid Work Schedules and Their Best Practices
Here are a few companies and how they found the best hybrid schedule for them:
Ford Foundation
According to the Ford Foundation, their hybrid office schedule tries to balance health, safety and employee well-being while improving team collaboration and community. The model includes three on-site days, with Tuesday and Wednesday as mandatory for all staff and one additional day chosen by each individual.
Also, the foundation has implemented “Remote Quiet Weeks” three times a year to minimize interruptions and allow for deep focus by pausing large internal meetings and non-essential team meetings. Lastly, “Light-Meeting Fridays” occur weekly, which encourages focus time by avoiding interdepartmental meetings on Fridays.
Based on feedback and changes since 2021, Ford’s model has brought benefits like increased flexibility, agility, productivity, and employee satisfaction, as noted by their representative in a LinkedIn post. They will continue with this approach going forward.
Zapier
Zapier encourages its team members to regularly claim the space and time they need to create their ideal work environment. This practice makes flexibility the norm, where working across different time zones doesn’t disrupt team workflows. They achieve this by:
- Implementing company-wide policies, like their global mobility policy.
- Establishing calendar best practices to keep everyone informed of typical working hours.
- Integrating Slack with calendars so team members can easily see if someone is taking time off, having lunch, or picking up their kids from school.
According to Zapier’s Chief People Officer, this approach has several benefits:
- From its launch, Zapier was able to attract top talent worldwide, not limited to tech hubs like Silicon Valley.
- Hiring remotely allows Zapier to create a more diverse workforce.
- Remote work encourages better documentation, knowledge sharing, and automation.
Formstack
Formstack, even with a small team, has led the way in remote-first hybrid work for almost a decade. They’ve allowed employees the flexibility to work from home or co-working spaces, and their goal is to offer “true workplace flexibility” that suits each person’s needs. Employees can decide to work from the office or wherever they feel most productive.
Plus, Formstack gives monthly home office and wellness allowances to help maintain a good work-life balance.
8 Steps to Implement a Hybrid Work Schedule in Your Company
If you want to be as successful in your implementation, you need thorough planning and coordination. Here are 8 steps to manage and implement this new work model:
1. Gather input from managers and employees about their preferences. Understand how teams handle hybrid work informally to shape formal policies with the existing culture in mind.
2. Define clear roles and responsibilities. Identify who will manage the hybrid remote work schedule for each team. Make sure HR and IT teams understand their roles in supporting the new workplace.
3. Balance top-down and bottom-up policy. Establish performance goals, essential work hours, communication guidelines, remote work tools requirements, and security procedures. Allow teams and managers flexibility to customize guidelines to fit their needs.
4. Implement necessary tools and systems. Manage room scheduling, communication platforms, desk reservations, and community-building activities effectively. Choose platforms that support a smooth hybrid experience.
5. Offer coaching for managers and employees. Continuous training in areas like task coordination, messaging, meeting targets, and using new tools helps refine the hybrid work approach.
6. Test your hybrid schedule with a small group first, like one team or shift. Get feedback through surveys from employees, managers, IT and HR to see if they have what they need and can collaborate effectively.
7. Roll out the hybrid policy company-wide. Give employees two weeks’ notice to adjust their routines.
8. Continuously assess progress. Regularly collect feedback and use workplace analytics to find areas needing improvement and reinforce successful practices in your hybrid work model.
A Checklist for a Successful Transition to a Hybrid Work Schedule
The shift to a hybrid schedule lays the foundation for future work dynamics and potential changes ahead. It’s a critical time to create effective practices right from the start. To make sure you don't forget anything when switching to a hybrid, use our checklist ⬇️
✔️ Select effective communication сhannels — Implement communication protocols and use tools like Slack, Zoom or Teams. Schedule frequent 1:1 meetings, brainstorming sessions and team catch-ups to keep everyone informed.
✔️ Create transparency — Make team members keep their schedules visible to colleagues to prevent meeting conflicts and improve communication efficiency.
✔️ Set clear work expectations — Establish clear work hours; this clarity promotes work-life balance because employees know when they are expected to be available. However, trust your team to work independently without constant oversight.
✔️ Encourage focus and productivity — Establish a dedicated “no meetings day” each week to promote uninterrupted focus time. Also, distinguish between important meetings and tasks that can be handled through emails or other asynchronous methods.
✔️ Manage response times effectively — Encourage realistic expectations around response times to alleviate the pressure of immediate notifications.
✔️ Make the transition right with the right tools — Streamline office your hybrid work schedule calendar with tasks like desk bookings, employee scheduling and meeting coordination. Enjoy the convenience of an all-in-one platform and integrate all your favorite tools.
Considering all the possibilities, it shouldn’t be too hard to choose the optimal hybrid schedule for your company, particularly with the right tools and a commitment to ongoing improvement. With time, it will form into the best hybrid schedule for your company’s needs.
