Have you found yourself struggling to be productive in a hybrid work situation? Are you starting a hybrid job and unsure what it will be like?
Photo by Standsome Worklifestyle on UnsplashWhen I first started working in a hybrid role, I found it challenging to meet the demands of the job balancing working at home and working in the office. It was hard to meet deadlines because I got distracted with things at home like watching TV.
Here's how I learned to be a more efficient and effective hybrid worker.
Success Tip 1: Know your schedule
When you start a hybrid role, you need to know if you have anchor days or in-person days, and if they're fixed (the same every week) or variable (change according to need).
In-person day: When you're in the office.
Anchor day: When the whole team is together in the office. This day is important for planning and organizing the week
Remote day: When you work at home.
Ways to stay on schedule:
Use an online color-coded calandar.
Spend a few minutes each day looking at the schedule for the next day.
Note times and locations for meetings.
Success Tip 2: Be in control
Apply the same self-discipline you have when working in the office to working at home. Just because you're at home, it doesn't mean you can do chores or stray from your regular work week routine.
To make your hybrid work successful try to:
Wake up at your regular time. Your commute is shorter, but being awake and prepared during regular hours is essential to success.
Get dressed. You don’t have to wear a suit, but get out of your pajamas!
Confine home distractions to breaks or lunchtime. You're still workingfrom home, so don’t plan to do your laundry, shop for groceries, or watch TV during work time.
Quiz
You're a bit worried about working remotely because you can be easily distracted. What can you do to make sure you have a successcul day?
Success Tip 3: Communicate, communicate, communicate!
It’s easy to check in with your team while in the office because you see each other. While working at home, you can feel isolated or frustrated if things you are working on aren’t going well.
Ask your team lead about daily check-ins, so you stay on track with projects and clarify any areas you are unclear about. In your check-ins, you:
Summarize what you've done.
Relay your plan moving forward.
Ask if your lead has any suggestions for you.
My preference when hybrid working was to have one check-in meeting a day. They were sometimes only 15 minutes, but I knew I could ask for help on the same day I had a problem.
Success Tip 4: Know what tools you need
Staying in contact also means making sure you know how to use tools like Zoom, Webex, MS Teams and Slack. If you need training on these tools, ask for it so you can use them effectively and efficiently.
When you feel confident with the tools, your work-from-home tasks are less stressful and more efficient. You'll get better the more you use them!
Scenario
Eve is new to her role. She has only been with the company for 3 months, but she is now transitioning from a 100% in-person role to a hybrid role where she will work 3 days at home and 2 days in the office. Eve has decided to do the following:
A. Ask how she will stay in touch with the team when she is at home. Will there be a daily check-in meeting? Is there a monitored chat to ask for help?
B. Find out what tools she is expected to use at home, such as MS Teams or Slack.
C. Play with the tools on her own. It's best not to admit that she doesn't know how to use some of them.
Quiz
Which of these actions will help Eve be a better hybrid worker? Select all that apply:
Take Action
Remember, when you're taking on a hybrid role:
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