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The best HR tools to manage hybrid working

In our blog post looking at the state of hybrid working, we analysed research by the Office of National Statistics (ONS), Accenture, and other thought leaders. 

Two graphs from these reports stood out as particularly interesting: one which looked at perceived advantages and disadvantages of hybrid from employees’ perspective; the other, from the employers’.

In this blog post we’re going to round up the best tools for hybrid working, with reference to the pain points (and pleasure points!) in this research. Our goal is to showcase the full suite of cloud-based HR software for small businesses looking to make the transition to a hybrid working model, and to tie these to real-world examples.

HR software for small businesses

Let’s begin by taking a look at the graphs. 

The first, taken from the ONS’ Business and Individual Attitudes Survey, shows how employees in different age brackets perceive the pros and cons of hybrid work:

 

A majority consider themselves to have improved work life balance, improved wellbeing, and find it quicker to complete work. However some employees experience more distractions, find it harder to think of new ideas, and struggle to work with others.

In terms of hybrid working technology, the areas of interest to be explored further in the next section are as follows:

  • Staff location recording: as above, with regard to work life balance. Also facilitates collaboration by giving visibility of location

The next graph, from the same source, shows the main perceived benefits of hybrid working from the perspective of employers:

There is direct overlap in some places - improved staff wellbeing, for example - and close alignment in others (increased productivity vs quicker to complete tasks; reduced sickness levels vs improved wellbeing), but some perceived benefits are unique to employers: reduced overheads, ability to recruit form a wider geographical pool, and ability to better match jobs to skills.

We’ll also take a look at these cloud HR solutions related to these outcomes in the next section:

  • Company document management: reduces financial and logistical overheads by streamlining internal process
  • Onboarding: streamlines the recruitment process by allowing remote onboarding of staff who live further afield
  • Reporting: gives instant insights into all manner of metrics, contributing to improved decision making and possible reductions in overheads as a result

The best tools for hybrid working

Now we’ve seen the benefits, let’s take a look at the cloud-based HR solutions that a business needs to be able to achieve them.

The best time tracking software

A reliable employee time tracking system is the first step toward smooth hybrid working. Having full visibility on what your employees are doing paves the way for more accurate forecasting and planning, and improved productivity.

A remote work time tracker also lets a business identify instances where it’s giving away free work, by allowing staff to track billable and non-billable activities. Without effective employee time tracking, hybrid working risks becoming unaccountable and untrackable.

Our time and attendance tracking tools are designed to facilitate employee time tracking and keep the wheels turning in your business. You can see real time insights like who’s started working and who’s on break, or you can see historic timesheet data to pull actionable insights.

See who’s clocked in and out, and from where

Try our time tracking software for free today, or request a demo to see it in action.

The best staff location recording software

Any business wondering how to track employees working from home will benefit from staff location recording software. As will any business looking to downsize their office space as a way to bring down overheads during the transition to hybrid.

Location tracking software provides easy office capacity management. Staff simply enter their location - in real time or in advance - and the system updates accordingly, giving visibility and sending alerts when preset capacity limits are reached.

By giving staff the tools they need to plan which days they are in the office and which days they're working from home, an organisation can delegate some of the logistical considerations associated with hybrid, relying instead on automated interventions when full capacity is reached. Control is still in your hands, though: requests can be made for staff to work in specific locations at required times.

Try our location tracking software for free today, or request a demo to see it in action.

The best leave and sickness management software

Working from home doesn’t protect against staff sickness, although employers and employees both note improved staff wellbeing as a benefit of hybrid. When your staff do get sick, though, you need cloud-based HR software that can manage these absences.

Appogee Leave is HR leave management software tailored to businesses who need simple, reliable tools to track and report on all types of staff leave, including annual leave and sickness.

By giving employees the tools they need to effortlessly submit sickness reports - along with any required documentation - HR departments can reduce the headache associated with approving and tracking sickness requests.

A centralised source for leave and sickness data also empowers employers to run detailed reports and identify trends, spotlighting situations where you may need to step in and take action on an employee who has tracked a lot of sickness. Appogee Leave includes built-in Bradford Factor Method reporting tools, giving you immediate access to this powerful and reputed absence tracking system.

The Bradford Factor Method report: one of many available

Try our leave and sickness tracking software for free today, or request a demo to see it in action.

The best project resource management software

For any business looking to move to a hybrid working model, reducing overheads is an appealing prospect. This is one area where cloud-based project resource management software excels: by providing actionable, real-time insights about where you’re wasting time, effort and money.

With employees working from different locations, there’s no reason why work on projects shouldn’t run smoothly. However, employees do report distraction and issues with focus amongst potential disadvantages of hybrid working. The solution here is to implement suitable solutions, rather than to avoid hybrid altogether.

Project resource management software lets you track whether projects are being delivered on time, and if not, or where more resource is required. Such insights let you forecast and plan more accurately, ensuring gradual improvements in productivity.

Appogee Time is a suite of project management tools designed to let you track time against customers, projects and teams with customisable metrics and reporting tools.

Granular insights about who’s worked on what, and how much time is left

Try Appogee Time for free or request a demo to see it in action.

The best company document management software

Keeping on top of compliance and policy is a crucial part of any hybrid working model, but things can feel more vulnerable when some of your staff are working remotely. With cloud-based company document management software, though, you needn’t worry.

Storing all company policies in a cloud environment with versioning and permissions means that all documents are kept up to date, and only accessed by those with a need to see them. All sorts of documents can be stored in the cloud, from policies and procedures through to company templates. Each can be shared with the individuals or teams who need them.

Acknowledgement requests can be used to make sure employees are actually engaging with documents when requested. Features like this ensure full visibility and accountability, without risking the integrity of the documents in question.

See detailed information about who is accessing documents, and how

Try our company document management software for free or request a demo to see it in action.

The best onboarding software

A lot of employers worry about onboarding new staff within a hybrid working model, especially if they’ve been recruited from further afield than usual with the agreement that some onboarding will be done remotely.

This is where cloud based onboarding software steps in. These tools, designed to engage new hires from the moment they’re hired, are a powerful part of any forward-looking organisation’s toolkit.

Onboarding software deals with the practical things (providing key information, ensuring documents are read and signed, and so on) while also allowing a great deal of customisation, through which your company can make a memorable introduction and bring new hires into the fold: think custom welcome messages, meet the team sessions, maps and more.

Configured correctly, a cloud based onboarding process can be just as powerful and welcoming as a face to face one. 

Give your new hires the welcome they deserve

Try our onboarding software  for free or request a demo to see it in action.

The best reporting software

All of the hybrid working solutions above are designed to give employees and employers the tools they need to ensure success. A key part of this process is reviewing and reporting on the data collected, to make sure the direction of movement is a positive one. Any business moving towards hybrid needs to know that staff are engaged, work is being done, and morale remains high.

The best tools for hybrid working will offer expansive reporting tools, where default and bespoke metrics can be tracked, reported and analysed. They will reveal actionable insights that organisations can use to refine their processes and strengthen their decision-making, leading to further success.

All AppogeeHR software solutions contain powerful reporting tools so that all of the data your organisation collects can be put to good use. If you’ve made the decision to move towards hybrid, equip your staff with the tools they need to succeed.

Book a demo today and discover how AppogeeHR can lead your organisation toward a brighter future.

Why the future of work is hybrid - Appogee HR white paper