Hybrid working combines remote work with in-person work, allowing employees to be in the office at least part of the week and spend the rest of their week working from home. Hybrid schedules look different for every company. Some companies allow their employees to choose their in-office and remote days. Other companies assign days based on business needs or space.

A study from HR Dive reveals that one in five companies have implemented hybrid work. If your company is one of them (or about to make the move), be sure you are prepared. In this issue of Promotional Consultant Today, we share tips from Brittany Lieu, a marketing consultant at Heinz Marketing, on how you can set your team up for hybrid work success.

1. Customize schedules. In a hybrid workplace, people are in and out of the office all week long. There’s no universal ratio of days spent at the office and at home, says Lieu. You can use this flexibility to maximize your sales team’s productivity.

For example, if you know sales reps have a day of cold calling, consider making that an in-office day. And if they need focused time to create client deliverables, schedule it for an at-home day. When creating personalized schedules, Lieu recommends thinking about which employees are in the office and when. It also helps to think about your team’s other life commitments.

2. Create mirrored workspaces. Hybrid working involves moving between workspaces. It takes some thoughtful planning so you can work efficiently both in the workplace and remotely. Lieu recommends creating similar physical working spaces to cut back on time adjusting monitors, cables and equipment every time you switch work location.

Start by making a list of everything you use in your home office and then recreate it in your workplace. If you can’t mirror everything exactly, Lieu says you can create a “go bag” that contains all your work necessities. You can grab your bag on your way out the door and not have to worry about missing a file folder or cable.

3. Be intentional about connection. As your sales team acclimates to hybrid working, you may see some employees more often than others. It all depends on when different people are in the office. While this can make it difficult to maintain a sense of community, Lieu says you can help everyone stay connected in several ways. For example, consider incorporating some socializing before or after meetings. You could also host brown bag lunches and celebrate birthdays when employees are in the office.

Just be aware of proximity bias, which is the false assumption that in-office employees are more productive. Always include remote workers when physical meetings are held and continue to use collaboration tools like Slack.

There are many benefits to offering your sales reps a blend of in-office and remote work options. If your team is moving to hybrid working, look to the guidance above for a smooth and productive transition.

Source: Brittany Lieu is a marketing consultant at Heinz Marketing.