The shift to hybrid, flexible workforces is growing across the globe. As the trend continues to grow, more and more businesses will be looking at how they can best utilize hybrid staff within their organizations. However, a significant proportion of companies are still unsure about this new form of work. Hybrid staff are a mixture of traditional and non-traditional staff members.
The past year has taught us that the future of work is now, and it will be shaped by technology. While the Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated technology adoption, it also highlighted the importance of maintaining a hybrid workforce (a combination of employees and contractors).
What is Hybrid Staffing?
The hybrid workforce will dominate the way businesses operate in 2022. Let’s say you have an office in San Francisco and half of your team lives there, but you also have a team member in New York who lives on the other side of the country. They work from home but still attend occasional meetings at your headquarters. It’s a hybrid form of employment that becomes more popular as remote work becomes more common. As this trend continues, it will drastically change how startups hire and manage talent.
Hybrid staffing is a mix of technology and human resources. Your company can choose to use hybrid staffing for every role or in specific scenarios. Hybrid staffing is a more affordable, flexible, and efficient method of employing people.
For example, workers may find that they’re most productive during certain hours of the day, so they could commute to work at those times and then continue working from home later on. This flexibility is attractive to many people looking for a better work-life balance and more freedom.
The Power of Hybrid Staffing
Organizations are now turning to hybrid staffing because they see its opportunity to address their workforce challenges. By leveraging outside resources, organizations can access talent where they need it at a lower cost.
Some companies that have turned to hybrid staffing include Amazon, Flipkart, KPMG, Uber, ITC, and Saint-Gobain. These organizations use hybrid staff for high-level advisory work and complex projects that require specialized skill sets.
According to a Gartner survey of 317 Chief Financial Officers and leaders conducted in March 2020, 74% of respondents said that they wanted to continue working remotely at least some of the time for the foreseeable future.
That means that companies will need to adapt if they are going to attract and retain top talent as we move into 2022 and beyond.
The Growth of Hybrid Staffing
Hybrid staffing will become increasingly popular in 2022 as organizations continue to feel the pressure to improve efficiency and performance while keeping costs low.
A pulse survey conducted by PwC revealed that 33% of respondents believe hybrid staffing will become more prevalent in 2021, while another 67% think it will become an industry norm in 5 years.
Making the transition to a hybrid working environment is not as straightforward as it may appear.
The hybrid working model, which combines both remote and office-based work, has grown in popularity over the last decade as technology has played an increasingly important role in our lives. And though many companies were reluctant to embrace hybrid working before the 2020 pandemic entirely, the health crisis forced them to change their stance.
Now that we’ve had several months of experience with hybrid working, many companies are leaning toward making this arrangement a permanent part of their operations. This is an exciting time for the workplace, and business owners who want to take advantage of this trend will need to prepare now for what lies ahead.
Future of Work-Remote Employees
Remote work has shifted from a trend to something of a necessity as COVID-19 spread worldwide. Companies that don’t have a remote work policy are scrambling to create them, and those that have one have been forced to make it work at scale.
The term hybrid workforce refers to a mix of on-site, remote, and contingent workers employees who aren’t solely based in an office or working for your company full time.
But it’s not just companies that are starting to adapt to changes in how we work. Employees are now thinking about what they want their professional lives to look like, and many have concluded that they would like to continue working at least some of the time remotely.
A new report from Buffer finds that 30% of respondents would like a hybrid model where they can work both remotely and in person, while 43% would prefer all remote work for the foreseeable future. That’s significant because if workers aren’t willing to go into an office, some companies may be forced to operate entirely remotely.
Hiring Hybrid Staff
Hiring staff for a hybrid world is different. The last 12 months has accelerated the shift to remote and flexible working, but this has created new complexities for HR.
The hybrid workforce is a two-way street. Remote workers benefit from the autonomy and flexibility that a hybrid workplace affords. Still, remote work also requires employees to be more productive and self-managing and communicate effectively with colleagues in disparate locations.
Hiring for hybrid places a greater emphasis on candidates who can demonstrate these abilities during the hiring process. Here’s what you’ll need to think about when hiring staff in the future:
What is the nature of work?
Will employees be required to work from home all of the time, part of the time or not at all? This is a decision that must be made before interviewing candidates. You may need someone who can work from home full-time but can also come into the office for occasional meetings, for example. If this is the case, that should be made clear in your job advert to attract candidates with these skills and attributes.
Remember that employees may have their personal preference as to whether they want to work from home or go into an office regularly, so it’s helpful to communicate your position clearly upfront.
What’s the purpose of hiring?
Before diving into anything, you need to know your goals. You should be able to articulate why you are hiring in the first place. Is it because you want to expand your business? Or because it’s an emergency requirement? Knowing your goals will help you identify your needs better and find the right people for the job.
What type of talent do you need?
This question will help you identify what type of talent you need for the job – full-time or part-time employee or freelance worker. You must understand that the process of hiring is different for every kind of talent you hire. For example, when hiring a freelancer, you need to check their skills and portfolio before bringing them onboard, whereas, when hiring a full-time employee, you need to assess their soft skills and technical skills.
Tips for Hiring Hybrid Staff in 2022
1. Offer flexible hours and days off
You don’t have to offer every employee unlimited vacation time or let them work from home all day long, but giving them flexibility is an easy way to attract top talent. If you want your employees to feel like they’re part of something bigger than themselves, then offering these perks will go a long way toward achieving that goal.
2. Provide them with the technology they need at home and work
This includes laptops (or desktops) with internet access to connect remotely during their off-hours or when traveling for work.
3. Take advantage of new screening tools
Hybrid hiring managers should take advantage of new emerging screening tools as businesses adapt to remote work. For example, online team-building exercises like Lighthouse can help identify candidates who can work well remotely while also offering an opportunity to evaluate interpersonal skills.
4. Create clear job descriptions
It’s essential to set clear expectations about working hours. Does your company need staff available during regular business hours, or is it flexible with when the work gets done? Are you looking for a full-time employee, or would a freelancer be sufficient? Candidates will have their preferences and priorities regarding working hours so make sure you’re clear about yours.
How to outweigh the cons of hybrid staffing with performance management tools?
One of the biggest challenges of managing hybrid teams is ensuring that everyone is pulling their weight. While some staff might be working from home or in a different office location, it’s still crucial that you keep top of your team’s performance.
While hiring employees who work remotely can bring many benefits to your business – from reducing overheads to increasing productivity – it also comes with its challenges.
For example, how do you know a remote employee is as productive as possible when you can’t see them working? How do you keep track of project progress when your team is scattered across the country? And how do you keep everyone connected and communicating effectively when some members of your team are working remotely, and some are in the office?
The answer is simple: employee time tracking. By using employee time tracking software, you’ll reap several benefits such as better project management, improved productivity, increased accountability, and more.
Employee monitoring software like Time Doctor can monitor what your employees do for you when they’re working from home and even monitor how productive they are during work hours. It does this by tracking how long it takes to complete tasks or projects assigned to them.