Planning a Hybrid Working Environment This Manic Monday

Welcome to another Manic Monday!

As you can see, I am back in the office. I know it’s only the end of July, and as much as we don’t want to think about it – right now is the perfect time to plan how you are going to reintegrate the team back into the office.

Businesses and offices are all starting to reopen and bring their teams back. It’s critical as small business owners and CEO’s that we think about how we are going to bring our teams back feeling connected – and also keeping them safe! We need to make sure they are feeling seen and heard, and that their concerns about returning to work are respected.

This may mean you have to adopt a Hybrid working environment. This can help ease your team into returning to work while keeping them feeling safe. It’s a combination of working from home and getting back into the office. This may mean some are in the office three days a week, and working from home two days a week. Or this can mean only working in the office when it’s deemed appropriate – for client meetings, or collaborative projects. The truth is, it is all about mixing and matching what is right for the team, and what makes sense for your business.

The best thing we can do is listen. Book some time to talk with your team and really hear their concerns. What do they feel would be advantageous? What can be done from work/home? And most important – how are they feeling about getting back together again? Get really curious! And really listen! You also need to consider your thoughts and feelings – and consider the needs of the business! What makes sense from your client’s perspective, an expense perspective, or even from the perspective of space! What is going to work?

Now, the truth is that whatever you decide will work might not please everyone. And that’s okay! But the real point is that if you are thoughtful, collaborative, and listen they will feel valued and like they had a part to play in the discussion. And that’s the goal!

You will also want to stay tuned, as I have a great interview coming up at the end of the week with my good friend Jonathan Christian. He is the owner of We Make Stuff Happen, which is a digital media agency. They had to move to a very remote working environment, in fact, Jonathan has been working from the UK over the last several months! I am super excited to talk to him about how he leads his team and what he is thinking about in terms of a hybrid working arrangement.

So stay tuned for that this week, and I hope this helps you have some really magical Mondays as you return to the office!