Hybrid Work Schedule: Types, Benefits & Best Practices

A hybrid work schedule is a combination of remote and office work settings that allows employees to enjoy the flexibility of a remote work culture while facilitating in-person interaction for better collaboration.

This human-centric work setting works as a win-win solution for both employers and employees as employees get the autonomy to navigate between remote and on-site work while the employers can reduce the overhead expenses. This way, a hybrid work culture paves the way for organizations to embrace a flexible work approach without compromising productivity and efficiency.

So, this blog will walk you through the new work paradigm of a hybrid work schedule, outlining its various types and discussing its pros and cons. Furthermore, this blog will also touch upon the best practices to help employers implement the hybrid work schedule for their diverse workforce efficiently.

What Is a Hybrid Work Schedule?

A hybrid work schedule is a flexible work arrangement in which employees work remotely for a few days of the week and from the office for the remaining days. This work schedule blends the concept of remote and in-office work in a way that employees alternate between both work settings periodically.

By combining the cultures of two work settings, this new schedule enables employees to work collaboratively face-to-face in a usual office setting and also enjoy the perks that remote work offers.

This mixed work culture comes with numerous advantages for employees, such as the flexibility to work from home, improved productivity, better work-life balance, etc. On the other hand, it’s beneficial for employers in terms of reduced overhead expenses and lower employee turnover.

Did You Know? According to a recent report by Accenture, 83% of workers surveyed revealed that they prefer a hybrid model over the rigid 9 to 5 schedule, in which they can work remotely at least 25% of the total time.

Types of Hybrid Work Schedules

Based on Structure

Cohort

The cohort work schedule is a prearranged hybrid work model where all employees follow the stipulated schedule set by their managers.

Here, managers create an advanced schedule specifying when employees will work from the office and when they’ll work from home.

This hybrid approach arranges employees so that the schedules of the same team members are aligned for on-site and remote days, facilitating better coordination at work. With this approach, organizations can easily plan to work in small office spaces by scheduling different departments to work from the office on different days.

For instance, the administration team can be scheduled to work from the office on Thursday and Friday, while the sales team can work on Monday and Wednesday in the office.

Pros

• Highly predictable schedule, as employees know when they have to be in the office and when they’ll be working remotely
• Effective collaboration as employees from the same team can work together in the office
• Fewer possibilities of conflict as all teams get equal chances to work remotely and in office

Cons

• Less flexibility to choose
• Becomes complex for organizations with a large workforce

Staggered

The staggered schedule is the more rigid form of cohort schedule, where employers not only decide which days employees will work from home and office but also determine their arrival and departure times.

With staggered schedules, employers expect employees to come and leave the office on a predefined date and time to prevent congestion and effectively utilize the office space.

This hybrid schedule is suitable for shift-driven work so that employers can ensure enough employees are available throughout the workday while operating at a lesser capacity. This scheduling practice is mostly common in the healthcare and education industries.

For example, in an organization, the scheduling manager can schedule the administration team on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 8 am to 4 pm, while the finance team can be scheduled on the same days from 4 pm to 10 pm. This way, they can schedule different teams on different days at different timings with limited office space.

Pros

• Predictable schedule, as everyone knows who’ll be available on which days and for what duration
• Uniform flexibility to work remotely and from the office
• Ensures adequate staff coverage while operating at a lesser capacity

Cons

• Less autonomy for employees
• Scheduling shifts for a larger workforce is complex

Split Shift

The split approach has a predefined structure that divides the entire week in such a way that employees work for a stipulated number of days from the office and home. Here are the two popular split shift models that organizations use.

• Three Days On-Site, Two Days Remote [3:2]

In the 3:2 approach, employees are expected to be in the office for three days of the week while working remotely for the remaining two days of the workweek.

• Two Days On-Site, Three Days Remote [2:3]

Unlike the 3:2 approach, employees in a 2:3 schedule are required to come into the office for two days of the week and work remotely for the remaining three days. Organizations that require minimum collaboration may find this schedule feasible.

Pros

• Equal opportunity for everyone to work remotely and from the office
• All teams need to come at least 2-3 days in the office to collaborate with their team members

Cons

• If all the employees come to the office on the same days, the organization may not get to downsize the space

Flexible

As the name suggests, the flexible schedule has no hard and fast rules regarding scheduling structure; it solely depends on when and where employees choose to work. Here are the two variations of the flexible hybrid schedule:

• Flexi Place

Flexi place schedule allows employees to choose where they would like to work on any day of the week, as long as they complete their workweek hours. Organizations can also avail of the desk reservation system while implementing Flexi Place, allowing them to downsize their office space to a great extent.

• Flexi Time

Flexi time schedule allows employees to choose their work hours, i.e., when they would like to start and end their work. However, they may be required to be available during the core hours that the management sets to streamline collaboration and communication.

Pros

• Boosts employee productivity as team members can choose the work location and time that best suits their needs on any day
• Provides utmost flexibility and autonomy over their work schedule

Cons

• Scheduling face-to-face team meetings in the office can be a challenge due to differences in employees’ work hours and location
• Keeping a tab on employee work hours and schedules may become challenging

Based on Decision Maker

Team Driven/Bottom-up

This scheduling approach allows employees to choose when they would like to work from the office and the home. However, managers can adopt a rule for better management, such as 2:3 or 3:2, and give employees the autonomy to choose the days and places for work. Suppose an employer sets a rule with two days from the office and three days from home. Here, employees can decide which days of the week they would like to work from home and which days from the office for better collaboration and face-to-face interaction.

Doing this empowers employers to schedule employees so they can utilize the limited office space effectively. It also provides autonomy to employees to decide when and where they would like to work, working as a win-win situation for both.

Pros

• Offers employees a say in the schedule-making
• More flexibility and liberty to choose the work location
• The organization can downsize its office space as it’s much less likely that all teams will work on the same day from the office

Cons

• Cross-functional teams may not work on the same days, which may hinder collaboration

Company Driven/Top-Down

Unlike the bottom-up approach, the top-down approach involves the organization making a call on when employees will work remotely and from the office. Management can determine the schedule on a team-by-team basis or set a common rule for everyone.

Pros

• Easy scheduling for managers
• Organizations can downsize their office space by accommodating different teams on different days

Cons

• Less flexible approach compared to other types
• Employees don’t have any say in scheduling

Other Hybrid Work Schedule Types

Remote-First

As the name suggests, in the remote-first model, employees mostly work from home; however, they have a choice to work from the office as well. As most employees work from remote locations in this model, the management needs to invest in tools and equipment that can assist employees in working from their respective locations efficiently. Sometimes, this schedule is also referred to as the 90/10 hybrid model.

Pros

• Organizations can significantly reduce overhead costs by downsizing office space or doing away with it altogether
• Reduces the commute time of employees to a great extent

Cons

• Employees may feel disconnected and isolated due to minimum face-to-face interaction

Office-First

Unlike remote-first, office-first culture requires employees to work from the office most of the time. However, employees have the option to work from home whenever required. For instance, employees may be asked to work from the office for most days of the week but can be offered to work remotely for at most one day each week.

Pros

• Easy to manage team meetings and face-to-face collaboration
• Provides necessary remote work whenever there’s a need

Cons

• Provides less flexibility than other types

Half Day On-Site, Half-Day Remote

This hybrid schedule splits the workday into two parts, i.e., half-day employees work from the office and the other half-day they work remotely.

With this approach, organizations ensure that employees can interact and collaborate with teammates daily while they can work on the tasks requiring focus from home.

Pros

• Employees can be available for necessary coordination at the workplace while accomplishing focus-intensive tasks from home
• 50% of the teams can work from the office during the first half of the day while the rest can work in the second half, helping employers operate in the limited space

Cons

• This model can be hectic and stressful for some employees
• The daily transition from office to home may hamper productivity

Job-Role-Specific Hybrid

Job roles that require more face-to-face interaction or in-person collaboration can be allotted more on-site work, while the job roles that require more focused work can be offered remote work for most days of the week.

For example, the sales and support teams that need to interact with clients face-to-face may be asked to work from the office, while employees in creative job roles may be offered more remote work.

Pros

• Work that requires creativity, analytical skills, and cognitive thinking can be done from home, which may contribute to better productivity
• Organizations can use a desk reservation system and downsize their space

Cons

• Employees with more on-site work may find this practice unfair

Alternating Weeks

In this model, employees work one week remotely and the next week from home. This model offers employees a relaxed week by allowing them to work remotely for the entire week while also ensuring regular in-office attendance for seamless coordination. With alternating weeks, management can schedule employees in a way that a few teams can work from the office while the rest can work from home, allowing them to downsize the office space.

Pros

• A flexible schedule where employees can work with more consistency
• This model has the scope of downsizing the office space

Cons

• Inconsistency in coordination due to long gap in office

Rotational Schedule

Like the alternating week, the rotational hybrid schedule is a system where different teams rotate between on-site and remote work days on a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly basis. This arrangement allows organizations to operate in the limited office space.

Pros

• Organizations can easily downsize their office space

Cons

• Collaboration between cross-functional teams gets hampered

Benefits of Hybrid Work Schedules

Increases Productivity Due to Right Balance

Face-to-face interactions and collaboration require employees to be in the office, while work that requires deep focus can be done efficiently at home. A hybrid work schedule combines both work types, facilitating employees to complete focus-intensive work at home while enabling them to be in the office for necessary collaborations, coordination, and strategy planning. This leads to increased productivity and better efficiency for employees.

Reduces Overhead Costs

In a hybrid work schedule, fewer employees will be present in the office at any given point of time. Thus, organizations can downsize their office space and save money on infrastructure, utilities, and overhead expenses.

Though employers can reduce overhead expenses in a hybrid setup, costs related to office space depend upon the type of hybrid model they choose. For example, if teams are scheduled to be in the office on different days, they can easily downsize the space and save on expenses.

However, if they use the rule where all teams need to be in the office on the same days, then they’ll need to reserve the desk for everyone, reducing the possibility of downsizing the space.

Improves Work-Life Balance

A hybrid schedule facilitates employees in planning their work duties around their personal commitments. It provides flexibility to the extent that they can plan their job hours while managing their errands, thus improving work-life balance.

“As part of a study published in the Journal of Business and Management Studies, a survey was conducted on 354 employees of a technology company specializing in industrial software and engineering to understand the impact of the hybrid work paradigm on individuals. It was found that 84.4% of respondents feel the hybrid work model is effective in several ways and praised it for its flexibility and improving work-life balance as well as job satisfaction.”

Helps Attract and Retain Talented Workforce

Many job seekers prioritize job opportunities that provide a flexible work model over the rigid 9 to 5 schedule. Thus, organizations offering a hybrid work culture become more attractive to the talent pool as they provide some autonomy, flexibility and better work-life balance to employees. Moreover, the increased flexibility in the schedule helps retain existing employees in the organization, reducing the staff turnover rate.

“A survey by Envoy conducted on 1000 workers revealed that around 41% of respondents prefer taking a job with a lower salary if the company offers a hybrid work model.”

Reduces Commuting

A hybrid work schedule saves employees’ commuting time, as they work only a few days from the office and the rest from their homes. For example, in a 2:3 schedule, employees need to commute to the office only for two days and can work remotely for three days, saving commuting time and fuel for three days.

Also, in the case of a flexi-time approach, employees are free to come and leave the office at their convenience. Thus, they can choose to commute while avoiding the rush hour.

Enhances Employee Engagement and Satisfaction

A hybrid work setup offers employees autonomy and flexibility to choose their preferred work location on any given workday. This increased control allows employees to plan their work hours around their productive hours while managing personal commitments without hampering the office work. This approach reduces stress related to rigid schedules, leading to heightened employee satisfaction and engagement at work.

Increases Creativity

A hybrid model is the amalgamation of on-site and off-site work arrangements, i.e., employees can collaborate in the office to discuss the work, updates, strategies, etc. On the other hand, they can perform tasks requiring creativity and cognitive thinking in a better way from their homes, where it’s easier to concentrate in a distraction-free environment. Thus, the hybrid work model fosters employee creativity and innovation, benefitting both the employee and employer in the long run.

Challenges in Hybrid Work Schedules

Partial Treatment

A hybrid work schedule increases the probability of managers favoring certain employees who are frequently present in the office. In the case of a hybrid schedule, where employees are free to choose where they want to work more, some managers may even offer a salary hike or promotion to those employees who work from the office more often and meet them frequently, even though employees working from home must be pulling their weight equally.

Thus, organizations must ensure that managers aren’t biased toward employees working from the office more often. The decision regarding promotions and salary hikes should be based on the employees’ performance rather than who has more face time with their colleagues and managers.

Higher Risks of Cyber Attacks

Whether employees work in a remote or hybrid setup, the risk of a data breach becomes prominent as soon as employees start working from a remote location. This is why organizations should invest in tools and technology to ensure that employees in hybrid work setups have access to:

• a secure internet connection,
• a system secured with firewalls or VPNs,
• two-factor authentication,
• limited access to confidential data.

Also, organizations must educate employees about cybersecurity attacks and ways to prevent them by adhering to security protocols, such as regularly updating passwords and staying cautious against phishing attempts.

Challenges in Collaboration

A hybrid setup allows individuals to decide when they would like to be in the office and when they would like to work remotely; however, this autonomy can hamper coordination and collaboration at times.

For example, if the team members work on different days from the office, they may not be able to collaborate with cross-functional teams, especially if the organization has less office space and follows a desk reservation system.

In such cases, it’s advised to implement a shared calendar system, schedule regular catch-up calls, and create communication protocols for teams to streamline communication and coordination.

Difficulty in Creating Personal Connections

When employees work on different days from the office, they may have less face time with their teammates, leading them to work in silos and feeling disconnected at work.

Especially in the cohort and staggered schedules, where management decides which employee will be scheduled in the office and when, individuals may be scheduled to work with different people. Due to this, they may feel disconnected and isolated at times.

To mitigate the effect of cohort and staggered schedules, management can try scheduling employees from the same team on the same office day. They can also try to organize virtual team-building activities and provide digital space for day-to-day communication.

Not Suitable for All Industries

Some jobs require employees to work from the office. Thus, a hybrid setup doesn’t fit the bill for such job sectors. For example, industries such as manufacturing, healthcare, hospitality, and retail require employees to be on-site for work and don’t have any option to work remotely.

However, hospitals can take a stab at implementing staggered schedules where doctors can be scheduled in shifts in a way that at least one doctor is available to patients 24/7. At the same time, others working remotely can provide online consultations to their OPD patients.

Best Practices for Hybrid Work

Communicate the Work Culture to Employees

Employers can ask managers and employees to share their thoughts on the hybrid work culture and which type they would prefer more. Note that everyone’s needs can’t be met, as employees may have different preferences. However, with the help of this brainstorming session, employers can at least get an overview of the majority’s preferences, along with the challenges.

Once you map out the type of hybrid culture to be implemented, it’s time to spell out how the schedule will work for employees and what you are expecting from them.

Also, it’s recommended that the policy be introduced in the employee handbook, which will work as a guide for existing employees and new joiners. It’ll also eliminate the scope of any conflict in the future.

Align Teams’ Schedules for Better Coordination

A hybrid schedule can be effective for organizations only when employees can coordinate and collaborate effectively in the office while working on focus-intensive tasks from home.
However, certain hybrid work schedules hinder in-person coordination, which may decrease the hybrid work culture’s efficacy and can result in miscommunication and conflicts.

As a solution, each team’s managers can coordinate their team members’ timings so they can be in the office on the same day at least once a week. They can either use surveys, group chats, or even emails to collect information on which day each individual can be in the office to book the desks for their team on the same day.

Set Clear Expectations

When employees work from different locations and even at different timings, it becomes a concern for managers whether or not everyone in the team is pulling their weight and working at the pace they should be.

To overcome this challenge, managers can have regular stand-ups for teams and set clear expectations concerning performance, work hours, communication channels, and security protocols.

Also, if you implement a fully flexible work schedule, ensure that you specify the core work hours to employees and inform them when they’re expected to be online, irrespective of the work location.

Tip: Make sure everything in meetings is well-documented, including KRAs, goals, achieved milestones, action items etc.

Choose Communication Channels

To facilitate work coordination, organizations can set clear communication guidelines and ask managers to conduct regular 1:1 meetings, brainstorming sessions, team catch-ups, etc., to keep everyone on the same page.

Organizations should also invest in the tools and equipment that facilitate seamless communication, such as Slack, Zoom, Teams, and Google Workspace, irrespective of the employee’s work location.

Also, in the Flexi hybrid model, teams can work at different timings or some of the employees may be occupied with some focus-intensive work. In that scenario, managers can ask employees to set a status on their calendar and in messaging apps to convey to others that they may not respond right away but will respond as soon as they’re available.

Tip: It’s stated that a person is most productive when they are in a flow state or when completely immersed in a task. However, multiple meetings during work hours can interrupt the focus and hamper productivity. As a solution, organizations can adopt a rule of ‘no-meeting day’ once a week so employees can focus on their tasks and be more productive.

Start With a Trial Period

Before implementing the hybrid work schedule in a full-fledged manner in the organization, employers can run a trial for 15-30 days to understand how well it goes.

This trial phase will allow employers to understand, experiment with, and fine-tune their schedules to meet their unique needs.

Employers can also solicit employee feedback after the trial period using surveys or group discussions to understand how employees like it or if they face any challenges/roadblocks.

Leverage the Right Tools

Since a hybrid schedule is a mix of in-person and remote work culture, organizations need to invest in the tools and technology that help them manage their workforce effortlessly, whether they work from office space or home.

For example, employers can use employee scheduling software to automatically create schedules for employees based on the required parameters.

This is where the Workforce Management Solution from Replicon can work wonders by empowering employers to create shift schedules across roles, skills, and locations within seconds. It also facilitates employees to view the latest schedules, check release shifts, request shift swaps, and apply for time off from their mobile devices. The platform also captures employee time data accurately to ensure they complete mandatory workweek hours without fail.

Bottom Line

A hybrid work schedule provides a blend of two work cultures, allowing employees to reap the benefits of remote work while ensuring they’re in the office for necessary face-to-face coordination. It’s popular for its diverse models/types that can meet the specific needs of the organizations.

For example, organizations that look forward to providing work-life balance to employees but would need control over their schedule can go with cohort and staggered schedules; on the other hand, employers who prefer to give full flexibility and autonomy to their employees can go with a bottom-up hybrid work type.

No matter which model organizations prefer to follow, it’s imperative that they set clear expectations and leverage the right practices and tools to ensure seamless communication for the successful implementation of the hybrid work setup in the organization.