Hybrid work is here to stay. While that’s good news for the 65 percent of employees surveyed in our 2022 HR Trends Report who prefer flexible working arrangements, it presents unique challenges for employers. Adopting a hybrid model requires a re-examination of policies and processes to ensure a productive and compliant workplace.
It’s likely your clients are addressing these responsibilities as well. According to the same survey, 60 percent of organizations who have supported remote work before vaccines were widely available have now switched to a permanent hybrid model (another 19 percent have moved to remote).
By providing robust and nimble solutions to address their concerns, you help your clients adapt to flexible work while favorably positioning your PEO or HR service bureau. Here are some basic workforce management tasks affected by hybrid work and how the right human capital management (HCM) technology supports it.
Recruiting
Hiring remote workers means employers can cast a wider net when expanding their teams, a benefit considering the current talent shortage. However, organizations will need to streamline their hiring practices to avoid being overwhelmed by a larger talent pool. To evaluate candidates more quickly, employers should outline their hiring needs (determine which positions they need to fill and what will be required of those positions), define their ideal candidates and refine where they are sourced.
Talent acquisition platforms can help shorten the time to hire by automating tasks like posting to job boards, pre-screening candidates, scheduling calls and interviews, gathering feedback and rating candidates. These solutions also enhance the experience for the candidate by eliminating data entry redundances and allowing for clear and consistent communication throughout the hiring process.
Maintaining compliance
There are many things to consider when ensuring compliance across a hybrid workforce. Avoiding potential tax and payroll issues with out-of-state employees, ensuring data security and maintaining a safe working environment for at-home and in-office employees are just a few.
A written hybrid work policy is essential to address these issues. It should be included in the employee handbook, clearly communicated to employees and made available for acknowledgement. HR management software can assist with distributing the handbook to employees and collecting signed acknowledgements.
Tracking time
Time theft, when an employee accepts pay for time that they didn’t work, is easy to identify when an employee is in the office, but not when they are working from home. To deter it, employers should establish expectations for employee availability and responsiveness, along with methods used for measuring productivity within their hybrid work policies.
Modern time and attendance technology eliminates manual time entry and timecards, reducing the likelihood of time theft. Seamless solutions can provide insight by tracking and monitoring employees’ meals, breaks and overtime, calculating and managing comp time and tracking employee locations when they clock in and out.
Engaging employees
Not only do most employees prefer flexible working arrangements, nearly half of the employees surveyed in our Voice of the Workplace Report say it supports their mental health. Despite this affinity for hybrid work, employees often struggle with staying engaged, aligned and working toward the same goals when they are not in the same location.
HCM solutions with robust engagement tools can help employees communicate, collaborate and connect—basic needs that are often lacking when teams aren’t under the same roof. Integrated learning management software helps with professional development, another necessity for employee engagement.
To retain and grow your client-base, you need to provide a solution that will help employers adapt to whatever the future of work holds. The right HCM technology matters. isolved People Cloud is an agile platform that can meet your clients’ needs as their business and overall business landscape evolves. As an isolved Network partner, you will also benefit from continuous support and a community of resources to help you win more and grow faster. Discover the Benefits of the isolved Network.