Finding the Balance Between Remote and In-Person Employees

In today’s ever-changing corporate landscape, businesses must learn new ways to adapt to current-day workplace operations and cultures, especially when it comes to managing remote employees. In this brief article, we will go over the process of striking a balance between your company’s remote and in-person employees, while keeping your processes and productivity in tact. 

Addressing the New Culture of Remote Work

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have had to face a complete and utter change in corporate culture and workplace standards. Chief among those changes is the overwhelming switch towards remote and semi-remote employment models, where employees and management alike must balance the challenges of no longer being together in a physical workplace.  

Employees are Prioritizing Work-Life Balance More Than Ever

Now more than ever, employees are finding it critical that they maintain a strict demarcation between their at-work priorities and their home life. This can mean shifting expectations in the workplace, in addition to a greater sense that an employee’s mental health and wellbeing are very important to consider. Remote work can make achieving this balance easier, as it removes some of the stressors of office life and allows team members to work from the comfort of their homes.  

Why Is Work-Life Balance Important?

This turn towards a stronger work-life balance is mostly considered a good thing within corporate culture. It is critical to maintain a balance between the two; without a strong boundary between them, one may find themselves overwhelmed and overworked. Even worse, workplaces that don’t value work-life balance may end up exploiting their employees, leading to burnout and increased turnover.  

Tips for Balancing Remote and In-Person Employees

Balancing remote and in-person work models doesn’t come without challenges. For one thing, it can be very difficult to get all of your team on the same page when not everyone is together in one place. As such, it’s important for management to keep some of these tips in mind as they prepare for their transition to remote work. 

1) Create a Schedule and Set Expectations

Creating a clear and defined schedule for all of your employees can be incredibly helpful for ensuring that all work is completed in an efficient manner. Not only does it set the agenda for what projects are currently “in the works,” but it can also help reign in remote employees who may be more able to put off or avoid some work. 

Leave Room for Flexible Work

One of the valuable parts of remote work is the flexibility it grants, and it can be helpful to preserve that for the remote members of your staff. As a result, it can be good to leave room for flexibility when it comes to scheduling tasks. You don’t need to be granular about every timeline; at some junctures, you’ll simply need to trust that your employees will be able to allocate the proper amount of time towards a particular task. 

Evaluate What Tasks Need to Be Done In-Person

When balancing remote and in-person work, it’s important to be honest with yourself and your staff about what truly requires in-person interactions. Hybrid environments can make it tempting to get everyone into the workplace as often as possible, but it’s not always necessary. Some tasks require an email or two, and that’s it. 

2) Ensure You Have Clear Lines of Communication

There is nothing more crucial in balancing remote and in-person work than extremely frequent and clear communication. After all, all of the in-person staff is going to have much better communication with one another simply by virtue of being in person with one another! By contrast, remote workers may feel left in the dark on certain tasks. Having multiple clear lines of communication can help prevent this knowledge gap and garner a better work experience. 

Put Technology and Software In Place for Remote Work

In the past several years, many new programs have popped up that make managing remote work a breeze. Use these to their fullest potential, and make sure that all of your employees feel as though they have the tools to stay informed, on task, and focused on their work, even when they’re not in the office. 

3) Be Open to Employee Feedback

At every stage of the process, you ought to remain open to employee feedback. After all, they know what’s working for them and what’s not working for them in the workplace, and heeding their feedback can help you find solutions to issues as soon as they arise. 

Create a Culture of Equity

Your employees will never offer their honest opinions if they feel as though the company culture is one that is based strictly on seniority and authority. When no one is honest, you won’t know how to fix or accommodate problems, and as a result everyone suffers. To prevent this, you can help foster a culture of equity at your business in which all voices are equally valuable.  

Understand That Finding This Balance Will Be On-Going

The transition to hybrid work or fully remote work can be very difficult to pull off, and it’s inevitable that adjustments will be needed. Keeping in mind the fact that your transition to remote or partially remote work may be difficult can help to temper your expectation and stay alert to potential problems that crop up down the road. 

What are the Benefits of Remote Work for Employers?

Considering some of the challenges involved in transitioning to remote work, it might be reasonable to wonder why a company would make such a drastic change. Below are a few different reasons why switching to remote might be a good idea for your business. 

Lower Operational Costs

If your company is not operating out of an office building, you’ll be able to cut down on or cut out overhead costs entirely. You simply won’t be spending as much on rent, electricity, water, refuse, and property taxes if you remove the office from the equation!  

Increased Access to Talent and Applicants

No matter the city or the width of the pool of applicants, you’re always necessarily limited by the physical proximity an employee has to you. After all, people are only willing to commute so far from home. Offering remote jobs open employment up to any worker looking for a gig anywhere in the world. 

Happier Employees

Many studies seem to show that the average employee strongly prefers remote work over in-person work. It offers a lot more comfort, flexibility with their personal life, and freedom than a traditional job, which means happier employees, and happier employees means higher performances! 

Horizon is a Top-Rated Payroll and HR Services Provider

Looking for a company to assist with your payroll and HR operations? Look no further! Here at Horizon, we offer top-rated payroll and HR services in the region. Check out our full list of solutions here. 

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