The primary purpose of this kind of policy is to:
● Ensure operational effectiveness and the successful delivery of programmes and projects.
● Maintain and enhance team cohesion, collaboration, and communication.
● Support the well-being, productivity, and work-life balance of all team members.
● Provide clarity on expectations, responsibilities, and available support.
This policy should be read in conjunction with a company’s standard HR policies.
2. Guiding Principles
Our hybrid model is built on the following core principles:
● Trust and Accountability: We operate on a foundation of trust, focusing on outcomes and deliverables rather than physical presence or hours logged.
● Flexibility with Structure: While offering flexibility, we require structure to ensure alignment and predictable collaboration points for the team.
● Inclusivity and Equity: All team members, regardless of location, must have equal access to information, opportunities, and decision-making processes. We will actively combat “proximity bias” (favouring those in the office).
● Well-being and Boundaries: We encourage healthy work habits and respect for personal time to prevent burnout.
● Customer-Centric Delivery: Our model must serve the timely and high-quality delivery of our programmes to our stakeholders and customers.
3. Working Patterns and Expectations
3.1. Defined Working Patterns
To balance flexibility with the need for collaborative time, we define the following patterns. Individual patterns will be agreed upon between the Programme Manager and each team member, considering the needs of the specific programme.
● Anchor Days: Certain days will be designated as “Anchor Days” (e.g., Tuesdays and Wednesdays) where team members are strongly encouraged to be in the office for key collaborative activities, team meetings, and workshops.
● Flexible Days: The remaining working days are flexible. Team members can choose to work from home or the office, based on their tasks (e.g., focused work at home, client meetings in the office).
● Core Collaboration Hours: To facilitate scheduling across time zones and locations, all team members are expected to be available online between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM Local Time for meetings, impromptu calls, and collaboration.
3.2. Role-Specific Requirements
● Programme/Project Managers/ Work Stream Leads: Expected to be present in the office for key stakeholder meetings, governance boards, and team anchor days, as required by the programme’s cadence.
● Project Support/PMO Analysts/Administrative Support: Flexibility is available, but alignment with the Programme schedule is essential.
3.3. Workspace and Equipment
The company will provide the necessary equipment (laptop, monitor, etc.). Employees are responsible for maintaining a safe, secure, and ergonomically sound workspace at home. An allowance may be available for home office setup.
4. Communications Strategy
Effective communication is the most critical success factor for a hybrid programme team. Our strategy is based on the principle of “Right Tool, Right Purpose.”
4.1. Communication Tools and Their Purpose
Tool
Primary Purpose
Usage Guidelines
Email
Formal communication, official updates, decisions, and communication with external stakeholders.
Not for urgent matters. Keep subject lines clear and action-oriented.
Microsoft Teams / Teamwork
Primary channel for day-to-day team interaction. Quick questions, team chats, informal updates, and urgent matters.
- Use dedicated channels for each project/workstream.
- @mention individuals for direct questions.
- Status messages should be used to indicate availability (Available, Busy, Do Not Disturb, etc.).
- Assume good intent in all messages.
Video Conferencing (Teams/Zoom)
All team meetings, workshops, 1:1s, and any discussion requiring rich interaction.
Video ON is the default to foster connection.
Project Management Tool
Single source of truth for tasks, timelines, status, and deliverables.
All work must be logged and updated regularly. This is non-negotiable as it provides transparency for all.
Mobile
For truly urgent and immediate issues that cannot wait.
Use sparingly and respect personal time outside of working hours.
4.2. Principles for Inclusive Communication
● Default to Digital and Transparent: Conversations and decisions that affect the whole team should be documented in the appropriate team channel or project tool, not in private messages or side conversations.
● Over-communicate Key Information: In a hybrid setting, it is better to repeat important messages across multiple channels (e.g., announce in a meeting, post in the team channel, and email the summary).
● Asynchronous First: Respect that not everyone is online at the same time. Pose questions in team channels so others can respond when they are working. Avoid “Hey, do you have a minute?” messages; state the topic directly.
5. Team Meeting Protocols
Meetings are a vital touchpoint and must be optimised for hybrid effectiveness.
5.1. Before the Meeting
● Agenda is Mandatory: Every meeting must have a clear agenda with defined objectives, sent out in advance.
● Right Attendees: Invite only those who are essential to the agenda items.
● Technology Check: The meeting organiser is responsible for ensuring the video link works and relevant documents are shared in the chat beforehand.
5.2. During the Meeting
● One Meeting for All: Whether in the office or remote, all participants join the meeting from their individual laptops using a headset. This eliminates the “us and them” dynamic and ensures remote participants can hear everyone clearly.
● Video On: Cameras should be turned on by default to improve non-verbal communication and engagement. Exceptions are acceptable for bandwidth issues or personal circumstances.
● Facilitation and Inclusivity: The meeting facilitator must actively manage participation:
○ Pause for Remote Input: Explicitly ask for comments from remote participants by name. “What are your thoughts, [Remote Colleague’s Name]?”
○ Use Raised Hands Feature: Encourage the use of the “raise hand” function to manage speaking order fairly.
○ Leverage Chat: Designate a person (or rotate the role) to monitor the chat for questions and comments and bring them into the conversation.
● Action-Oriented: Every meeting must end with a recap of decisions made and clear action items with owners and deadlines.
5.3. After the Meeting
● Minutes and Actions: Meeting minutes (focusing on decisions and actions, not verbatim notes) must be shared in the relevant team channel within 4 hours of the meeting concluding.
6. Performance and Well-being
● Performance Management: Performance will be evaluated based on the achievement of objectives, deliverables, and demonstrated competencies, not on physical presence.
● Well-being: Managers are expected to have regular, meaningful check-ins with their team members to discuss workload, challenges, and well-being. Employees are encouraged to set clear boundaries between work and home life, such as logging off at the end of the core day.
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