We understand in the SOS Bookkeeping office that hybrid working has become the go-to option for many companies in Ireland since the beginning of the covid pandemic. Whilst some companies have 100% returned their staff to the office, many are embracing the hybrid reality and thinking long term.
Here are some tips from the SOS Bookkeeping team on how your company can facilitate hybrid staff in your business.
To prepare for a hybrid approach, your business must:
- Have the necessary cloud infrastructure – if your employees are going to work from home, or while out on the road, you need your key systems to be in the cloud. Old-school applications on an office-based server are just not going to cut it for hybrid working. Cloud-based accounting, project management, CRM and workflow tools give you the flexibility to work from any location, with one ‘point of truth’ in the cloud for all your customer information and business data.
- Have clear systems and processes – when people are working in different locations, at different times, it’s important to have some consistency around how the work is done. To achieve this you need well-defined operational systems, where each task has a pre-agreed process – so the whole team knows when, how and where to carry out their day-to-day work, record notes or raise expenses and bills etc.
- Trust your employees to self-manage – when employees are no longer based in the office five days per week, it becomes more difficult to have management oversight. With some people home-working and some out at other locations, you need to place more trust in their ability to self-manage and work to a high standard. Increasing trust and reducing micro-management are key to making a hybrid approach work for the team.
- Have performance reporting in place – trusting people to work hard is a given, but you do also need to know if the business is remaining productive. Having some form of performance reporting in place is a good idea, so you can review areas like productivity, staff attendance, sales targets and revenues generated etc.
- Empower people to get their jobs done – when you can’t all be in the office for the traditional ‘stand up team meeting’ it can be hard to build team spirit and keep your employees motivated. Try having regular Zoom/Microsoft Teams huddles, where teams come together to talk through the work for the week and can raise any issues. And also think about distance or in-person social events too, so people can let their hair down and enjoy being part of your business family.
If you would like to discuss your business needs. Call SOS Bookkeeping on 01 849 5131 or email shane@sosbookkeeping.ie For the latest business/practice news, taxation/financial resources and our Newsletter, visit https://sosbookkeeping.ie/