At first glance, the idea of hybrid working for lab-based roles may seem impossible but the pandemic helped us to see that there are ways of creating a flexible working environment that offers employees the opportunity to enjoy a long-term hybrid arrangement. Find out some of the ways that you can make hybrid models work for your team.
Why Hybrid Working is a Good Idea
The great thing about hybrid working arrangements is that it offers you and your team a wide range of great benefits that will create a happier and more productive workplace. If you aren’t convinced, then take a look at some of the benefits you can look forward to enjoying:
- Enhanced Productivity – because hybrid working is more flexible, it provides employees with an opportunity to improve their work life balance, resulting in greater levels of happiness at work and higher levels of productivity. This will not only help you to power through projects but will also provide you with confidence that all the potential discoveries have been made.
- Improved Technology Usage – Because hybrid working arrangements require greater levels of modern technology, you can also look forward to stronger links and more opportunities to collaborate with others in different locations, helping to enhance the outcomes of your work.
- Better Levels of Inclusion – another perk of hybrid working arrangements is that you will have access to a more diverse workforce as you are providing the potential to fit work alongside other commitments that employees may have.
- Improved Employee Retention – there’s no denying that the life science industry is struggling to recruit the number of candidates needed to fill all the vacancies available. Hybrid working helps to foster better attitudes towards work, creating a happier workforce who are more likely to feel a sense of loyalty towards your organization, even when they are offered more money or benefits in a company that doesn’t offer hybrid roles.
How to Make it Work
When you consider the positives that hybrid working offers, making it work for your team is a logical step. To help you get hybrid-ready, try some of these tips:
- Invest in Task Management Software – organization is the key to success when it comes to hybrid working arrangements and task management software will allow the team to see who is working on what and when the deadlines are for each task, ensuring that everyone has their fair share of accountability.
- Create Equitable Access – when it comes to arranging the days and times that people are working in the lab or from a different location, you need to be proactive and create a master schedule so that your lab is never overrun or empty! Surveying laboratory personnel about their needs and preferences and scheduling resources will allow everyone equitable access to the resources needed to complete their work without putting additional pressure on your operations.
- Think About Shifts – creating shift patterns will also provide greater levels of flexibility in the system, allowing individuals to sustain their workload in a way that also supports a good work life balance.
At GeneCoda®, we work with several different life science organizations, supporting them to find the best talent and developing a recruitment strategy that works. If you need help finding the best people, then get in touch with our team today and find out more about how we can help!