How culture and connection can make hybrid working a success.

With hybrid working being one of the fastest accelerated trends of the past 18 months, leaders must prepare for it to remain even beyond the pandemic. It has reinforced the idea that work is an outcome that isn’t affected by place or time, giving people the freedom to work almost wherever they feel most comfortable.

There is still a lot of thought that needs to go into hybrid working to make it a success moving forward, however. Culture and connection are two aspects that can make or break hybrid working and the best companies will put their employees first to develop a working schedule that reaps the rewards. Express Refreshments explores what this means.

The value of culture in hybrid working.

For hybrid work to be implemented effectively, your culture needs to provide a feeling of trust between the company and its team. After all, an employee will often be working out of the sight of their manager.

Perhaps owing to the rise in video technology and instant communication makes this “hurdle” relatively easy to push aside. Studies show that hybrid working was popular even prior to March 2020, with up to 65% of people being able to do so by their companies. If employees are trusted to work where they feel most comfortable, most of the time this will provide game-changing rewards for productivity. It could even impact how dedicated an employee is to their company.

Cultivating a strong culture that is based on freedom and flexibility is key if you want hybrid working to be a success.

Innovate through connection.

Whilst as many as three in five people say they work more productively if they are allowed to choose where from, collaboration is a key reason why the workplace will remain a central hub regardless of how often it is used.

30% of staff from a recent study said they prefer connection and communication in person than via phone, email, or video, and that’s taking into account the ease in which we can all do that nowadays. The workplace is a great location to keep employees connected and included, which is precisely why hybrid working will possibly never turn to full time home working. As sites continue to reopen, it is important to overhaul shared workspaces to allow employees to flourish through connection.

The standard office setup, whereby employees sit at a desk for up to 7 hours a day and with minimum rest breaks, is what a lot of businesses are focusing on. Remember, work is simply an outcome that isn’t affected by place or time, so you can still provide a more comfortable way to work even if that remains office based. Technological transformation spurred on by the pandemic will reshape the future of work.

How Express Refreshments can help you embrace hybrid working.

Express Refreshments’ Micro Market is more than just a 24/7 refreshment hub for the workplace (where your team will always have morale boosting refreshments whenever they’re in the workplace), it’s a facility that promotes connection, engagement, and creativity amongst employees.

By installing a tailored market intertwined with your dedicated break out area – or by coming to us to provide bespoke furniture solutions – employees have an alternative place to work in the modern world. One that is perfect for the modern world.