Hi Clare,

Good places to start...

Our Hybrid working hub and the grouo in this Community to which I have moved your thread. Lots of helpful discussions in here, I think.

What sector / business are you in? Number of employees, etc.?

In reply to Steve Bridger:

We are in Aviation, we already have a flexible approach some people in the office for a few days at home for a few days etc.

What we really want is to ensure people have a few days a month in the office if they are fully remote, for training, to encourage a team and also for their own mental health as the benefit to each team member is think is huge, each team will be different based on role and shift pattern.

More formalized really I suppose after Covid.

In reply to Clare Beverley:

the benefit to each team member is think is huge

I think the benefit of attending the office for "a few days a month" is surely more for the employee to define than the employer who isn't a psychiatric professional.

I continue to be astonished by how many people think that "social contact" (which is, indeed, good for psychological health) only occurs in a work context and that remote workers somehow exist in a solitary bubble. I cannot, of course, deny that some people do enjoy meeting face to face with their fellow team mates on a semi-regular basis, and it is good to formulate a policy that facilitates in-person contact when necessary, there is no actual evidence that doing so creates a more innovative or productive workforce when the work itself can be done remotely. In fact, the academic evidence, both from before COVID and, now, since the pandemic created a worldwide experiment on the subject, is that employees are consistently more productive and better engaged when they are given the freedom to decide for themselves whether they wish to work remotely or otherwise. And, weirdly, it's a lot easier to sustain healthy social contact through hobbies, community groups and local activities when you aren't spending 2.5 hours a day in a car.

I would ask you to remember that whilst a policy may have advantages it can never over-ride the law on flexible working. Policy is not one of the 8 specified reasons for refusal.

Hi Clare - have you got your policy in place now? Do you need more help? I really rate Nick Bloom and his work from home (WFH) research - wfhresearch.com/.../ all his research and speakers he has recommend team level agreements, or team charters, rather than policy, so that new ways of working are agreed at a team level and role specific. We have taken this further and created a framework, with guidance and principles. Happy to chat to you about it, if you want some help?
Kristal