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          executed, a hybrid workplace could create a         include those caring for either young children
          divide between those who work in the office and     or an elderly parent, those dependant on public
          those who don’t.                                    transportation, and those with anxiety who
                                                              simply don’t feel safe returning until a vaccine
          How to implement a hybrid workplace model           is developed. It is therefore important to ensure

          Say hello (again) to your intranet                  that employees who continue to work remotely
                                                              are provided the same opportunities for success
          The hybrid work environment may be new, but         as those who return to the office. 
          the challenges associated with connecting and
          communicating with employees aren’t. The            Don’t neglect your culture
          good news is that these problems were solved        A hybrid workplace requires the management
          a long time ago with intranet software. Long        of two distinct employee experiences, making
          before COVID-19, organizations around the           it challenging to retain and grow a unified
          world depended on their intranet to increase        workplace culture. Again, it’s about investing
          knowledge management, communication,                an equal amount of effort into your at-home
          innovation, efficiency, and resilience. Modern      employees as your in-office employees. Virtual
          intranets take it one step further by automating a   social hours video townhall meetings, and
          variety of business processes, like those involving   the continued usage of online collaboration
          paper forms.                                        platforms can help keep all employees connected

          Intranets play a key role in the success of a hybrid   to your shared values and goals. 
          workplace by providing centralized repositories     Communicate your plan
          for ever changing information related to the
          pandemic. Intranets also make it easy for           To ensure the best outcome for a hybrid
          communicators to understand if employees have       workplace initiative you must ensure it’s carefully
          read important announcements.                       communicated to all employees. Employees must
                                                              understand their expectations, as well as what
          Include your employees in the process               they can expect from their leadership. 
          There is a greater chance your hybrid workplace
          initiative will be successful if employees feel     In conclusion
          included in journey and related discussions.        If there is a silver lining from 2020, it’s that the
          This could be accomplished through employee         pandemic has empowered us to re-imagine the
          surveys, where employees are asked for input on     workplace, and the opportunities to optimize
          how they feel about returning to the workplace.     it. But for the hybrid workplace to be successful,
          Make it safe                                        it must be well planned and executed, and not
                                                              treated as a novel experiment. 
          Any return to the physical workplace must satisfy
          all health and safety requirements. Guidance        While the hybrid workplace may seem like an
          can be found by contacting local health or work     answer to a temporary problem, it’s really a
          safety authorities, and should aim to answer        solution for the future of work. It’s about finding
          questions relating to maximum amount of             ways to structure and balance work, safety,
          employees allowed in a workplace, cleaning and      communication, and mental health. 
          hygiene techniques, employee communication,         The pandemic will eventually end. And when it
          social distancing guidelines, and risk assessment.   does, the workplace will be a happier, healthier,
          Establish an even playing field                     and more productive place than before. 

          As mentioned above, not every employee may be
          able to return to a physical workplace. This could                         www.thoughtfarmer.com




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