As the world’s first hybrid workplace platform, Hubble knows that “hybrid working” can mean a whole bunch of things. Not only is there no clear-cut definition of what hybrid working actually means, but there’s also no “one-size-fits all” approach to implementing a strategy.
This means that it’s up to individual companies to decide how they’ll adopt a hybrid setup (with their employees’ input, of course!)—and in turn, construct a policy to accompany it.
What’s great about hybrid policies is that they’re truly bespoke to your employees, workplace culture and your business needs. For example, if you value in-person collaboration, a hybrid policy could be that employees will spend 3 days in the office and 2 days at home, like Apple.
But if your employees have said they’ll like more autonomy over how and where they work, you could implement a policy where they’re only expected to come into the HQ just 8 times per year, like Canva. The beauty is that it’s up to you and your employees.
But since hybrid work setups are so bespoke, it can be a little tricky to know where to start when it comes to writing your own policy—but be rest assured that you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Instead, you can cherry-pick ideas from other companies to help you create a policy that’ll suit your team.
So, without further ado, here are 7 real hybrid working policies that your company can draw inspiration from. Each one is an excellent example of how you can construct a hybrid working policy that’s in line with your employees and work culture.
Learnerbly, the online marketplace for learning resources curated by 200+ professional providers, has opted for a remote-first strategy. Here at Hubble, we find this incredibly exciting, so here are a couple of interesting things about their strategy:
Back in June 2020, Learnerbly made the decision to remain fully-remote for the foreseeable future. This was in light of the COVID situation at the time, as well as their employees’ feedback; which is always an excellent way to help inform your future workplace strategies.
But as the world opens back up, Learnerbly knows how crucial it is to prioritise flexibility. As a result, they’re offering all their employees a £500 workplace allowance which can either go towards their WFH setup or a coworking subscription at Spaces all over the world.
Check out Learnerbly’s workplace policy for:
- An example of how Learnerbly has defined “flexible working hours”—and how they ensure that their employees can take ownership of their own time
- Useful guidance on how to enable smooth communication and collaboration across different time zones
- A pretty thorough employee handbook in general; covering everything from their back story to benefits (as well as a great example of how to use emojis to your advantage!)
Monzo are huge fans of flexible working. Each employee, (or “Monzonaut” as they call them!), can work according to their own schedules, and at a time that suits their wider team. Monzo trusts that each employee will work enough hours to do their job to a high enough standard.
While their Customer Operations team has set work hours, it’s this level of trust and responsibility that goes a long way in hiring and retaining top talent, as well as creating more productive and happier workforces.
Another interesting thing about Monzo’s hybrid strategy is that every other Friday, everyone works from home—no matter if you’re employed as a distributed worker or you’re normally office-based.
Check out Monzo’s workplace policy for:
- A great example of how you can format your employee handbook so that it has a clear and concise layout
- Useful guidance on how you can effectively communicate your non-negotiables around things such as working from home
- A succinct overview of everything you should include in your employee benefits handbook
Buffer has always been a fully-remote team. Joel Gascoigne, CEO and Co-Founder of Buffer, made this decision all the way back in 2012—making their policy pretty ahead of its time.
Buffer is an affordable and authentic way to connect with more people on social media, so it’s no surprise that their distributed team of 79 across 15 countries, 11 time zones and 42+ cities, works remotely.
They pride themselves on allowing their employees to work from wherever they feel most comfortable and productive, whilst using excellent workflows and remote-friendly tools to help manage this.
But while the team thrives off remote work, Buffer also organises regular team retreats each year to ensure they get that all-important face-to-face interaction.
Check out Buffer’s workplace culture blog for in-depth resources on:
- Useful insights on how and why they’ve decided to implement a 4-day work week
- The best practices, tools and tips on asynchronous communication
- Examples of how to organise successful team retreats when managing distributed teams
Koru Kids, a childcare company and part-time nannying service, has always promoted flexible working. But since the pandemic’s shift to remote work, Koru Kids has kicked this into overdrive.
Their hybrid workplace setup allows potential hires to have a choice to either work full-time or part-time for most roles (as Koru Kids are huge advocates of flexible working hours!), and their current employees have the choice to work from anywhere in the UK.
To do this, they’re using the Hubble Pass; the all-access ticket to a global network of on-demand workspaces. Rachel Carrell, Founder and CEO at Koru Kids, has said the Hubble Pass has been a “sanity-saver” for their team, which has given them access to coworking spaces all across London.
Check out Koru Kids’ Careers Guide for:
- A great example of how you can be innovative and engaging when communicating your hybrid work policy (i.e. through the use of different mediums, such as soundcloud recordings and YouTube videos)
- How you can use creative storytelling to highlight what an employee’s typical day-to-day will look like under a hybrid working model.
Born Social, the global social media agency that’s on a mission to optimise brands’ social awareness, has also chosen a remote-first strategy. For us at Hubble, the way they’ve presented their hybrid working policy is highly impressive and inspirational. Here’s why:
Born Social’s remote-first strategy is compiled neatly into one employee handbook. It’s on Notion, so it’s super well-organised and easy to navigate.
But what’s really caught our eye is Born Social’s meticulous attention to detail into making their hybrid working setup easy to digest and enact.
For example, they’ve taken the time to include clear definitions and examples of their hybrid working practices, as well as succinct “Do’s and Don’ts” to things like asynchronous and synchronous communication.
Check out Born Social’s hybrid workplace handbook for:
- Useful guidance on how to communicate your hybrid working policies in a clear and concise format
- A great example of how to break down important information into easily-digestible chunks
- How to use Notion to your ultimate advantage
In Spring 2021, Culture Trip sent out an employee survey to help formulate their future hybrid work strategy. The survey found that 94% of employees said they’d like to continue with some form of flexible working in the future—which led them to launch their “Feel Good Flex” policy.
“Feel Good Flex” enables employees to have total flexibility over how and where they work. With it, employees have the freedom to work from the company HQ in the evening, a cafe on the weekend or at home during the working week.
At Hubble, we’re huge fans of Culture Trip’s dedication to giving their employees the ultimate flexibility, that we even interviewed them on how they decided to adopt a hybrid workplace setup, as well as what led them to launch the “Feel Good Flex” policy.
Check out our interview with Culture Trip for:
- An example of how you can utilise your employees to come up with a great hybrid working policy
- Useful guidance on how to interpret employee survey data to help form a strategy
- An all-round example of how to navigate your journey to hybrid working in the midst of a pandemic
Spill, the all-in-one emotional support tool you can access through Slack, has opted for a remote-first approach. But they’re also a great example of how “remote-first” doesn’t necessarily mean “zero office”—and we’ll explain why:
Spill decided to go “remote-first” primarily because of two things: they want to hire talent from anywhere in the world and to be inclusive. As a result, all their processes, procedures and meetings will be virtual and recorded, so employees have a chance to catch up if needed.
But they’ve also kept their London office to allow employees to continue using the office if they’d like—whether that’s for mental health reasons, practical reasons or whether they need an in-person brainstorming session.
What’s interesting about Spill’s hybrid strategy is that they also organise annual trips away to get together in-person and work on important projects. Last year, they went to Morocco—and more recently, the team flew out to Lisbon for 6 weeks.
Check out Spill’s careers page for:
- A great example of how you can write your hybrid policy in a way that’s engaging, fun and informative
- Useful guidance on how you can connect with your remote teams
Keen to unleash your employees’ ability to work from anywhere, anytime? You should definitely check out the Hubble Pass; your all-access ticket to a global network of on-demand workspaces.
