How to Succeed in a Hybrid-Structured Workforce

Working remotely is likely here to stay—at least in some capacity. Here are a few tips for making the most out of this new normal.

2020 was supposed to be the kick-off to a decade full of new opportunities. What we got instead was a global pandemic, months of quarantine and social distancing, and remote work making the transition from perk to the new normal.

The COVID-19 vaccine has given us some hope of a return to normality, but it could potentially take a year or more before it’s safe to fully return to the crowded office spaces we’ve come to know over the years. For the foreseeable future, a hybrid model is going to represent a large portion of the workforce. But how can you succeed in a hybrid-structured workforce when we’ve been conditioned to clock into an office each day?

What Are Hybrid-Structured Workforces?

In general, the concept involves having part of your team working in a central location, and part of it working from home or other remote locations. This practice has been part of work culture since the advent of the internet. But in 2020, it became a necessity as offices closed their doors to keep their team members safe from the global pandemic.

Challenges of Hybrid Work

The necessity of hybrid workforces left many companies scrambling in the early months of 2020 trying to figure out the best way to keep their teams working while preventing them from spreading the virus. Companies that weren’t set up for remote work suddenly had to find ways to maintain productivity and security without overseeing their teams in-person.

This type of work dynamic presents its own challenges, from scheduling and deadlines to security and team building when your teams are socially and physically distant. Bhagyashree Pancholy, an expert on remote employment, describes hybrid work as “the most challenging type of workplace” still on the rise. While we learned a lot of things that worked (and just as many things that didn’t), we’re all still feeling things out as we continue to navigate through 2021.

Focus on a Healthy Work-Life Balance

Perhaps the most important thing to remember when working remotely or in a hybrid-structured workforce—especially when working from home—is to build a healthy work-life balance. That’s often more difficult than it seems, especially when you’re just walking to your desk or kitchen table instead of commuting to the office. Where does work end and home begin when everything happens under the same roof?

Setting a work schedule can help you keep the two separate. In a lot of ways, it’s no different than sticking to an assigned work schedule in the office. You start and end your workday at the same time every day, which can help to convince your brain that your day is indeed over.

Preventing Burnout

Burnout has been an enormous problem with months of social distancing and remote work under our belts. If you find yourself feeling constantly exhausted or are taking steps to distance yourself from your job mentally, you may be experiencing work-from-home burnout—at least according to signs and symptoms outlined by the WHO (World Health Organization).

Take the time to set boundaries, maintain your limits, and do everything you can to keep your work and home lives separate. It’s even more important if you’re juggling a family as well, especially with kids who are distance-learning from home. Finally, make sure you’re taking care of yourself. You can’t help anyone else—in work or in your personal life—if you’re spread too thin or entirely exhausted.

Looking Forward

It will likely be the better part of a year before things start to get back to normal, so we’ll be working with hybrid workplaces for some time to come. These tips should help ease the transition and make this new normal feel more natural and productive.