How To Manage Time And Attendance In A Hybrid Working Environment

Working in a hybrid environment entails dealing with a flexible work model, which incorporates working in the office and working from home. Employees are expected to split their time and be free to choose their preferred work mode, which depends on where they're most productive. An estimated 49.8% of employees follow a hybrid schedule that alternates days spent working and days spent at home.

Employees benefit from this kind of working environment because they have more time for themselves and their families—and the freedom to balance their work and life simultaneously. This would also mean that they can improve their skills and save resources since they have the privilege of choosing whether to work from home or not. Of course, there are two sides to every coin. 

And one disadvantage of a hybrid working environment is that communication might be challenging, mainly if the work requires a group effort. Some employees might also need help adjusting, and accessing some technology might be more difficult for some than working at the office.

That said, managing time and ensuring team members' attendance might be tricky for some companies. There are some ways companies can implement to track their employees, and one of them is using fingerprint clocking-in machines. 

Through this machine, the company can make a digital image of the fingerprint pattern of the employees.

Continue reading to effectively understand how to manage time and attendance in a hybrid working environment. 

#1. For Employees

Schedule Your Day

 Scheduling everything is one of the most effective ways to keep things organized and leads to excellent time management. By this, an employee would be on track and have a timetable to follow. An employee would be able to collate everything they needed to finish on that specific day. 

Aside from that, scheduling would greatly help them achieve their goals and determine what needs to be done. It will also hone the employee's skills in completing tasks on time and deciding what they can do in a given amount of time.

When it comes to the working field, scheduling plays a significantly important role. It's about more than just managing the team's time; it's also about providing the team with resources that combines the work that needs to be done with the completion schedule. 

Simply put, it provides an overall project summary and serves as a manual or road map for carrying out the task. 

Learn How To Prioritize

Prioritizing is one of the essential keys to saving time. If employees incorporate the essence of prioritizing in their everyday lives, they can sort their plans thoroughly. They can assess which activities should take precedence over the others. Aside from that, prioritizing offers employees a great sense of responsibility, for they need to make sound decisions before ranking what should come first above all else.

Developing effective prioritization tactics while doing their work ensures they can enhance their attention on their most important task, increase employee efficiency, and better manage their time. 

This will also boost their confidence and team members' productivity since they can focus on their tasks one at a time and become more efficient 

Choose A Work-Friendly Space

Choosing a space where employees can be comfortable doing their work is essential in managing their time. By this, the employee would be able to mirror what they feel in their office, thus, being more attentive and focused on what they need to accomplish. Imagine working in a place where children are playing everywhere; there's a high tendency that the employee would be distracted and cannot anchor their attention on their tasks. This might result in inefficient work and a waste of time.

On the contrary, being in a place that screams professionalism and is truly ideal for someone to do their work would bring out the employee's dedication to accomplishing their responsibilities. This can influence their mood and ideas, leading to healthy habits that will help them make the most of their time. 

#2. For Employers

Communicate With The Employees About The Attendance Guidelines

 Communication is one of the essential things that a company must do, especially in a hybrid working environment. As for managing the employees' attendance, the company can set rules for taking attendance of everyone despite not being in the office. This way, the employees still know how to do their responsibilities as part of a company.

The company can discuss ways to keep track of the employee's attendance. For instance, they can install a time tracker, hybrid workplace management software or digital check-ins and outs to know if their employees are in attendance for the day. This will help in maintaining things in order while also keeping the employees on track and disciplined. 

Communicate The Company's Expectations

As mentioned, communication is required to keep things in the company organized. Communicating the company's expectations will help employees become aware of what they should avoid and what they should keep in mind. For instance, in passing documents and other necessary papers that need to be accomplished on a specific time and day, since being in a hybrid working environment means an employee would not necessarily stay in the office, the company can set the expectancy that the employees need to meet. In this manner, both sides can avoid wasting time and energy.

As for managing attendance, when a company sets its specific rules and expectations, employees are expected to follow and abide by these rules. Attendance is essential since they would not be in the office always; if they know that the company values attendance, they'll do their best to meet those expectations. It gives both parties a clear vision of their respective dispositions and responsibilities. 

Conclusion  

Working in a hybrid working environment requires both parties to go above and beyond what is expected of them. Since this setup is all about flexibility and being able to keep up with different pacing and adjustments, both sides should be able to establish the expectations and responsibilities they need to uphold. After all, working, whether hybrid or not, needs employees who know how to abide by and knows how to maximize their productivity and efficiency at the same time.