5 Tips for Effectively Managing the Hybrid Work Environment

By Belle Wong
The Hartford Small Biz Ahead
Originally Published: May 18, 2022 | Updated: December 15, 2025

The hybrid work environment has become a new reality, with many people seeking some combination of on-location and remote work. What’s the key to success for small business owners? Be flexible and willing to adapt, and keep your focus on employee wellbeing.

The Hybrid Work Environment Is Here to Stay

Whether you embrace the idea of a hybrid workplace or feel some ambivalence, it’s a workplace model that’s here to stay.

According to The Remote Work & Compensation Pulse Survey conducted by Salary.com in 2021, 44% of workers want a hybrid work option, while 48% prefer to be fully remote — meaning 92% of employees surveyed want to have some form of remote work as an option.

Meanwhile, Microsoft’s 2022 Work Trends Index reports that 52% of those surveyed say they’re likely to consider switching to either hybrid or remote work.

These numbers point to another new reality: many of today’s workers are willing to make sacrifices or give up their current jobs to fulfill their desire for more flexible work. For example, OwlLabs reported that 46% of employees in 2021 were willing to take a 5% cut in pay to have a hybrid work option. And the 2022 Work Trends Index reports that the lack of flexible work options was one of the top five reasons employees quit last year.

What does this mean for the small business owner? Offering a hybrid work option can help you retain valued employees and attract new talent. But managing such a workplace presents a host of other challenges. Check out the following five tips to help you more effectively manage your hybrid work team.

1. Develop a hybrid workplace policy.

Clear expectations are at the heart of a successful hybrid work environment. They help your remote workers understand their roles and responsibilities within this more non-traditional work arrangement.

Start with your employees when developing your policy. Knowing their preferences and how they work will help inform your rules and procedures. Areas your hybrid workplace policy should address include:

• Core work hours — Establish the core hours during which remote employees are expected to be online. For example, you may want everyone to be available on weekdays between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m.
• Hybrid work schedules — Outline the different hybrid schedules available within your workplace and what each type of schedule involves. Address issues like the ability to change to a fully remote option if an employee moves out of state.
• Remote locations — If a remote employee doesn’t want to work from home, are coworking spaces or local coffee shops acceptable? Will you offer a stipend for cowork space? Establishing guidelines in this area will make your policies clear and reduce potential misunderstandings.
• Cybersecurity — Set out security rules concerning access and the usage of the technology you’re providing. For example, what kind of security is required on company laptops? Will employees need to use a VPN to access your internal systems?

2. Include employee wellbeing in productivity goals

You may worry that offering a hybrid work option will negatively impact employee productivity. But it turns out that remote work may have the opposite effect: productivity increased during the pandemic when many businesses had to rely on a largely remote workforce.

There’s a high cost to this increased productivity, though. Monster found that 69% of employees who worked from home during the pandemic experienced burnout.

Productivity goals are important for every business. The key is to establish how to reach those goals to avoid employee burnout. For example…[MORE]

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