What is a hybrid policy and how to make a hybrid policy template in 6 steps

In today’s competitive market, many companies are adopting flexible work models to attract and keep top talent. These include options like remote work and part-time schedules, which help companies stand out, as well as boost employee productivity and satisfaction. However, setting up clear hybrid work rules and policies presents challenges in maintaining smooth operations for everyone, from employees to management.

Here, we’ll explore how to create effective hybrid and remote work policies and provide you with hybrid work policy examples ⬇️

Why Does Your Workplace Need Hybrid Work Policy

A hybrid-working policy is a roadmap that outlines how a company approaches hybrid work. It clearly defines where, when and how employees can work, as well as sets expectations and guiding behaviors. It also specifies which roles participate in hybrid work and details the legal rights and responsibilities of hybrid employees. 

Implementing such a model is important because:

• Helps you achieve consistency and fairness in how remote and in-office work are managed.
• Optimizes productivity at work by aligning employee expectations with organizational goals and operational needs.
• Supports employee well-being and satisfaction by offering flexibility while maintaining accountability.
• Addresses legal considerations and compliance requirements; it also reduces risks associated with remote work arrangements, such as workplace safety issues or communication breakdowns.

How to Write a Hybrid Work Policy + Examples

Here are a few key sections that should be included in your hybrid policy ⬇️

General Provisions for the Model

What questions need to be answered in the section:

1. What is the main objective of implementing this work policy?
2. Which employees or teams are covered by this work policy? Are there any specific roles or departments exempted from the model?

This is how you can approach this:

1. This hybrid work policy aims to boost flexibility and productivity while promoting work-life balance for all employees. 
2. It applies to eligible full-time and part-time employees, except for roles that must be on-site for operational reasons.

Hybrid Work Schedules

Here are considerations to define work schedule details:

1. What is the process for requesting and approving flexible work schedules?
2. Do team leads or managers need to approve flexible working schedules for employees who request them?
3. Are there country-specific legal requirements regarding work-from-home schedules?
4. What expectations are set for hybrid employees’s schedules?

Examples for your hybrid work policy statement:

1. Employees should send a request to their supervisor or HR explaining the desired schedule. It will be reviewed based on the job role.
2. Team leads or managers must check how the schedule impacts team productivity and if it fits the company’s needs.
3. There might be specific rules for mandatory breaks, maximum work hours, and safety standards for remote work.
4. Employees must notify their team when taking extended breaks and make arrangements to catch up on missed work time.

Place of Work: Home, Office or Hybrid

In defining where work happens, companies must address:

1. How many days per week are employees expected to work in the office?
2. Are there specific days or times when employees or teams need to be in the office?
3. Can employees work exclusively from home or from other locations? How do local laws impact this?
4. How are decisions made regarding where employees should work based on their roles or tasks?

Here’s how you can respond:

1. Employees must be in the office at least 3 days per week.
2. Employees can work from home up to 10 days per month.
3. Attendance at necessary in-person meetings is required; remote work from home can be scheduled on other days.
4. Remote working privileges may be revoked in case of repeated issues.

Working Hours and Availability

Continue by examining working hours and availability choices:

1. What are the expected opening hours during which employees should be available for work? Is there flexibility in these hours?
2. What times are designated for work meetings and collaborative sessions?

You can make the following statements:

1. Employees are expected to be available between 7am and 7pm for at least 8 hours, with a flexible lunch break.
2. Meeting times are scheduled during core hours to accommodate both in-office and remote employees.

Technologies and Equipment for Work Tasks

Next, consider these questions for your hybrid work model:

1. What steps are taken if employees need additional equipment for their home setup?
2. Does the company provide any assistance for electricity, gas, or internet bills for remote/hybrid workers? Are there specific provisions in labor laws that address financial support for remote work expenses?

Hybrid policy examples:

1. Employees are provided with laptops that allow remote connection to the server.
2. Remote/hybrid team members receive a monthly stipend to help cover work-from-home costs, adjusted based on their location.

Work Communication and Interaction

Some details for you to consider:

1. How will meetings be managed for consistency and participation?
2. Which tools will be used for team communication, project management, and meetings?
3. Will you facilitate project management?
4. How effective communication practices are encouraged?

Example implementation details for the model:

1. Meetings will use Zoom for a consistent experience from different locations, and outputs will be shared via OneDrive.
2. Teams will communicate through Teams/Slack.
3. Project management will be facilitated through Monday.
4. Teams are encouraged to create effective communication practices. For example, instead of having work meetings to share information, everything is documented so employees can access it whenever they need.

Evaluation and Performance of Employees’ Work

Here are some important questions that companies will need to address in their model:

1. How will managers and employees provide feedback within hybrid teams?
2. What methods will be used to measure productivity and achieve equitable treatment between employees working in-office and remotely?
3. How should goals be established?

Examples:

1. If either the company or the employee feels the current arrangement isn’t working well, they can revert to previous working conditions.
2. Teams will use metrics like planned-to-done work to evaluate how individual employees perform.
3. Managers should discuss the workload, mental health, interests, and career aspirations of employees to establish achievable goals, at the same time, they should clearly communicate the company’s performance and output expectations.

Workplace Security and Privacy

Key questions to consider:

1. Do employees require additional equipment for their safety and IT security while working remotely or from home? What measures are in place to ensure home workplace setups meet ergonomic standards and reduce the risk of physical strain or injury?
2. What guidelines are in place to ensure confidential company information remains secure during remote/hybrid work?
3. What training or resources will be provided to employees to enhance awareness of cybersecurity threats and safe remote/hybrid work practices?

Statement examples:

1. Employees use company-provided VPNs and encrypted devices for data security. Ergonomic equipment like chairs and desks is available upon request.
2. Strict data security protocols include encryption and secure handling of confidential information. 
3. Employees have access to online courses and materials to help identify and mitigate cybersecurity risks.

Support and Training From Management

Finally, ask the following questions about support and training:

1. What training will be provided?
2. How will employees get support for technical or operational issues while working remotely?
3. How will HR help employees navigate hybrid work policies?

Here’s what you can offer:

1. HR will host orientation sessions on hybrid work policies.
2. IT provides 24/7 helpdesk support for remote access and cybersecurity.
3. HR will assist employees in planning their work to ensure hybrid policies are implemented correctly.

How to write a hybrid working policy in 6 steps

Writing a hybrid model policy is easy. Just follow our six-step checklist ⬇️

1. Assess the Company’s Needs

Start by analyzing current conditions and outlining the goals your hybrid work policy tries to achieve.

2. Collect Data and Survey Employees

Gather insights on remote work from employees and managers through surveys to understand preferences and study best practices from other organizations.

3. Develop a Draft Hybrid Work Policy

In a draft policy for the hybrid model identify essential elements for remote work, such as remote work eligibility, communication guidelines and work performance expectations.

The hybrid allows employees to control their work schedule, change their environment in time to improve their work efficiency, and manage their personal time more flexibly. And to prevent such a model from turning into chaos, you need to organize the process and figure out how to control it.

For example, you can implement a system to manage a flexible office - a single space where employees will book desks, meeting rooms, lockers and parking spaces. To get the most out of such a system, you can additionally implement an unassigned workstation format that allows employees to choose where they want to sit in the office.

4. Review and Make Adjustments

Collaborate with stakeholders to review the draft so that there’s clarity and compliance before final approval of the model. Stakeholders like HR, IT and legal advisors might need clarification. 

5. Approve and Implement the Model

Once approved, inform employees and provide training on hybrid work policy implementation to promote understanding and compliance. The initial implementation will take 4 to 6 weeks, and the rest will be rolled out in stages over 3 to 6 months.

6. Monitor and Adapt

Regularly evaluate the hybrid work policy’s effectiveness and adjust as needed to meet evolving company needs and employee feedback.

You may find that scheduling meetings on an ad-hoc basis, rather than on a fixed day or time each week, better accommodates the varying schedules.

5 Tips for Successfully Implementing a Hybrid Work Model

We’ve covered most of the ground already, but here are a few final tips to make your hybrid policy work well:

1. Address clarity and specificity — Instead of using vague language like “transitioning to hybrid work,” specify key details such as the start date (e.g., September 1) and the work schedule expectations (e.g., two days remote, three days in-office per week).

2. Support equality between remote and in-person work — Make sure your hybrid work model doesn’t favor in-office employees over remote workers or vice versa to avoid perceived discrimination. Create equal opportunities and support for all employees, regardless of their work location.

3. Explain the benefits of in-person work — Many employees hesitate to return to the office because they don’t see clear benefits. Some feel pressured to return for monitoring or productivity reasons. To address this, show how face-to-face collaboration drives success or makes for engaging work days.

4. Share the policy across multiple channels — Send it via email, discuss it in team meetings, share it on instant messaging channels, upload it to collaboration tools and display key points in common areas. Keep it visible and accessible.

5. Make it your own — Hybrid work isn’t one-size-fits-all but all about adapting to your organization’s and employees’ specific needs. Embrace the flexibility of this model to create a customized policy that suits your industry, company culture and workforce dynamics.