What is a hybrid workforce?

A hybrid workforce works between home, the workplace, and/or any other remote locations. After a long period of closure, a hybrid workforce is now the norm for most businesses. While this trend was growing pre-pandemic, it has accelerated since 2020. The number of keyword searches for “hybrid workforce” and related terms grew immensely from December 2020, as we sought resources to equip us for the new normal.

The big challenge businesses face is adapting workplace environments to this “new” way of working. In the current climate, the safety and security of your remote and on-site workers is critical. With new health and safety protocols, how do we make this transition to hybrid work as simple and as safe as possible? In some instances, staggered shifts and even 24/7 operations have been introduced to limit workplace numbers and keep distancing between employees.

employee sign in

What does your hybrid workforce want?

Together with Brivo, we surveyed more than 1,000 workers across the United States. The purpose of these surveys was to gather responses across more than a dozen sectors and explore peoples’ health and safety concerns about returning to work and their preferred working arrangements.

Businesses transitioning to a hybrid workforce should be continuously checking in with staff concerns to maximize their security, safety and productivity. The employees who took part in our study biggest concerns about returning to the workplace are:

  1. Office hygiene and protective measures
  2. Proximity to other workers
  3. Exposure during commuting
  4. Effectiveness of contact tracing

Managing your hybrid workforce

We are all navigating new territory—the hybrid workforce is a completely different environment with unique challenges, risks and opportunities. Employees will be feeling sensitive about their return to the workplace. Your top consideration should be how you keep your employees safe on-site as you all navigate your hybrid workforce arrangement.

This white paper outlines key considerations, including what hybrid work means for your employees, visitors, service providers and contractors.

Health screening
Screen everyone coming on-site with custom questions to determine anything from ‘Have you experienced flu-like symptoms in the past 14 days?” to “Have you recently returned from overseas?.”
Contact tracing
Sign everyone in as they come on-site to quickly and easily report on who has come into contact with an affected individual.
Acknowledgment notices
Ask everyone entering your facility to agree to your policies using acknowledgment notices.
Welcome screen
Use the banner and welcome screen on your kiosk to communicate policies to everyone on-site e.g. “All visitors must use hand sanitizer before entering.”
Set maximum occupancy rules
Prevent overcrowding and limit the number of people permitted on-site by setting a maximum occupancy. When the maximum is reached, any further attempts to sign in will fail.
On-site inductions
Ensure only employees or contractors who have completed your on-site induction and provided the correct documentation are allowed to gain access.
Receive alerts
Notify the right people if someone attempts to sign in outside of your policy.
OnPass
Notify visitors of your policies in advance. Pre-register visitors and send a OnPass email detailing any essential information e.g. “If you’ve experienced flu-like symptoms in the past 14 days, please reschedule your visit.”
Proof of vaccination
Give your visitors the ability to upload or scan their proof of vaccination during pre-registration. Need to verify before they get access? Specify who is required to perform verification and how often the document expires.
Desks and Scheduling
Manage your hybrid workplace and empower your workforce with desk booking and employee scheduling. These features provide the tools you need to create and manage a flexible workforce and assist with identifying underutilized space, offering you opportunities to save on equipment and real estate.
Custom certifications
Manage custom records for your employees, contractors, and visitors. Record COVID test results, licenses and other records your organization requires before granting access.

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