Hybrid Working at Equator

Working at home can leave people feeling isolated

Colleagues identified that some extended periods of working at home left them feeling isolated from their teams, especially missing the social contact that comes with seeing each other face-to-face. There is a lot to be said for the quality of work and collaboration that flourishes when you can sit across the table from your co-workers.

As a result, many offices are now utilising an open form of hybrid working. Some places have opted to give their staff total flexibility of when they want to go to and from the office. At Equator, we’ve provided the team with the option to work from home, but they can come into the office as often as they like. It has worked very well over the last year now Covid restrictions have finally been lifted across the country.

We have therefore been able to enjoy a hybrid working pattern here in the Equator offices, and as such, we’re keen to share some of our top tips for enjoying a productive and balanced working week. 

Keep the separation between work and non-work at home

It’s one of the more challenging lessons we all had to learn when home working became the norm in early 2020. Working from home meant many people struggled to keep their working life from impeding their home life. A few lessons to help here still ring true today and are helpful to those working on a hybrid pattern.

• Put your laptop away when you’re not working
• Set regular working hours and stop working when your “end” time comes around
• Resist the temptation to reply to non-urgent work emails out of hours
• Give yourself time for a proper break

Plan your meetings when other people are in the office

We all know that working from home can be isolating. Missing that office chatter can leave you feeling a little cut-off from your colleagues, but for practical reasons, there might be a good reason to stay home on certain days. When you make an effort to work from the office, it can be disappointing to come in when none of your colleagues opts to do the same.

Get around this issue by picking a day in the week/month where you can have your in-person meetings together. This will guarantee you a more social day in the office and get those vital face-to-face meetings into your calendar.

Work to a consistent schedule

One of the most effective ways to manage your day as a hybrid worker is through consistent schedule management. If you have a clear timeline you work to with a preferred start and finish time, you can build this into your regular week. This can include a consistent time for lunch, whether you’re working from home or the office. Keeping a consistent time pattern throughout your day creates continuity and can be adapted for whether you’re someone who works better in the morning or those who prefer to have time to work later into the afternoon.

Keep to a time of day that works for you

At Equator, we offer the team a flexible working day, meaning people can log on at 7:30 am to finish at 4 pm or start at 10 am to finish at 6:30 pm. We work to a set of core hours between 10 am and 4 pm to ensure everyone is online simultaneously, but the flexibility allows everyone to work at their own pace!

Encouraging people to socialise together!

One of the best ways to encourage people into the office is through social events and other initiatives that aren’t directly related to work. This can help with replacing some of that more casual conversation that is missed from generally being in the office. We use various events throughout the year to bring our team together with the likes of our summer BBQ, a Christmas party and a big Halloween social event! They’re great for helping everyone relax and have fun together.