How to Create an Effective Employee Schedule for Hybrid Work

Hybrid work has become a popular choice for many organizations, with employees splitting their work time between working remotely and in-office. Creating an effective employee schedule for hybrid work can be a daunting task, but it is a necessary one

WiggleDesk supports 6 styles of in-office scheduling for your employees. Things to bear in mind when considering these and a comparison of their benefits are explored below.

For a step by step guide on how to roll these styles of hybrid work out within WiggleDesk please see our help center article or our walkthrough video.

Flexible Self Choice

One of the key benefits of hybrid work is the ability for employees to choose when and where they work. This type of hybrid work gives full autonomy to employees to choose for themselfs whether they will work from the office or remotely, based on their individual preferences and workload.

When considering rolling out this type of hybrid work, it can additionally be helpful to provide employees with the flexibility to choose their working hours and locations.

Certain teams can benefit more than others with this type of flexibility, it's important that a high degree of trust is established amongst teams working in this style to ensure the full benefits of hybrid work are realised, whilst ensuring that teams meet their deadlines and work efficiently.

X Days Per Week

Another type of hybrid work is where employees work from the office for a set number of days per week and the remaining days they work from home. This is generally expressed with an expectation of a fixed or average number days working the the office from 1-5.

This type of hybrid work is beneficial for those who prefer to have a structured schedule, allowing them to plan their week accordingly. It can greatly benefit those who are considerring the implications of living slightly futher from the office for whom a once/twice weekly long commute would be tollerable where a daily one wouldn't be.

When creating a schedule for this type of hybrid work, it's important to ensure that employees have a clear understanding of how many days they are expected to work in the office.

Set Days in the Office

For some organizations, it may be necessary to have certain teams, all employees in the office on certain days. Additionally, if a minimum staffing level must be met, by explictly saying who will be in and when, this can ensure that these targets are met.

This can be very helpful for ensuring effective team meetings, training sessions, or other collaborative work, where it's important to have in-person collaboration. When creating a schedule for this type of hybrid work, it's essential to provide employees with ample notice of when they are required to be in the office, so they can plan their schedule accordingly.

Permanent WFH

Some employees may prefer to work from home permanently, either due to personal preference or the nature of their work.

When creating a schedule for this type of hybrid work, it's important to ensure that employees have all the tools and resources they need to work from home effectively. This could include access to necessary software, hardware, and communication tools, as well as regular check-ins with their team and manager, in order to check that any negative effects of isolation are not being felt.

Permanent WFO

On the other hand, some employees may prefer to work from the office permanently, for various reasons such as better focus, networking or access to resources. When creating a schedule for this type of hybrid work, it's important to ensure that employees can work in the office efficiently and safely. For teams that have at some of their team mates assigned to this style of work, tools like WiggleDesk can be hugely helpful to coordinate in-office meetups between those normally in-office and those normally out-of-office.

Permanently Assigned Desk

Finally, some organizations may choose to assign permanent desks, meeting rooms, offices or other bookable spaces such as parking or lockers to employees who work in the office regularly (and sometimes even to those who are more often than not, not in the office).

This type of hybrid work provides employees with a sense of ownership and allows them to personalize their workspace, while also ensuring that they have a consistent workspace to work from. This is particularly helpful for employees who may potentially require specific accessibility facilities or tailored ergonomic support.
When creating a schedule for this type of hybrid work, it's important to ensure that employees have access to their assigned desk when they need it. WiggleDesk Admins can assign permanent desks on the space management tab on any floor.

When creating an effective employee schedule for hybrid work, it's essential to take into account the various types of hybrid work and provide employees with the flexibility and tools they need to work efficiently. Whether it's providing flexible self-choice, X days per week, set days in the office, permanent WFH, permanent WFO, or permanently assigned desk, the key is to ensure that employees feel supported, productive, and engaged, regardless of where they work. With the help of tools like WiggleDesk's platform, managing and scheduling hybrid work can be made simple and hassle-free for organizations.

Revised: March 6, 2023, 6:18 p.m.

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