As businesses reopen and employees return to a more typical work environments and schedules, it’s a good time to consider the options.

Some employees have grown accustomed to their new normal and prefer different working situations. Employers have found they can function surprisingly well — in some cases more effectively and efficiently — using the models they employed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

What are some options for new working environments? Here’s a look at some of the most common variants:

Traditional, but with different expectations: Many companies plan to return to a “business as usual” approach.

Some employees are eager to get back to pre-pandemic work environments. They miss co-workers and the structure of a regular working environment. These employees function best in a structured environment and welcome a return to normalcy. However, other employees might not be so keen to go back to “9 to 5” routines. 

Your business could function better with most, if not all, employees working at your location on fixed schedules and routines. But some employees could be happier and more productive with a few options. These options might include one day a week working remotely or perhaps a 9/80 schedule. The 9/80 schedule might prove appealing since employees work 80 hours over the course of nine days rather than 10 days, giving them another day off every two weeks. This can help with the return-to-work readjustment since employees using this option have a day to catch up on the personal things they were doing while working remotely.

Hybrids: This could include a takeoff from the 9/80 schedule or involve a combination of working remotely and onsite. Effective scheduling ensures the right employees are physically present to cover normal operations and contingencies. Your schedule might include having employees physically present on Mondays and Fridays and an additional day each week. Or each employee could designate one or two days each week to work remotely, with a schedule to ensure key people are physically present as required. Implementing this model takes effort. Employees and employers must remain flexible since unexpected events or deadlines could wreak havoc with the best-laid plans and schedules.

Getting employee input about how they see a hybrid environment working is critical to success. Ask your employees: “How do you envision a hybrid working environment functioning? What are your concerns about this new approach?” Employee support is critical to ensure everyone has the same expectations. Schedules must be clear and in writing. Some employees might work almost entirely remotely while others spend most or all their time onsite.

Long-term remote: Some employees might never want to return to a traditional working environment. You’ve probably had a year or more of experience with employees working mostly or entirely remotely, so you’re in a great position to decide who can continue working remotely and who needs more time onsite

Working entirely remotely, especially if others work mostly onsite, presents the disadvantage of missed face time with managers and fellow employees. To minimize problems associated with lack of face time, managers should set clear performance and availability expectations in writing and schedule virtual meetings and updates. It’s important remote workers know they’re still part of a team.

Flexible scheduling: An interesting combination of the preceding three options is to set up a flexible schedule that maintains core hours — maybe 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday — when everyone must be physically present either onsite or at their virtual locations. The remaining 25 or so hours a week are allocated in agreements between managers and employees. Some hours might be onsite and some remote. All the hours might be onsite for some employees and all remote for other employees.

These options come with advantages and disadvantages. The fewer people you have to accommodate in a physical location, the lower your overhead and related expenses. On the other hand, it’s more difficult to promote teamwork when people don’t see each other most days. Perhaps the most critical considerations are setting clear expectations and putting those expectations in writing.

The work-a-day world might never return to business as usual. There are so many options. One of the biggest benefits of the unintended remote working experiment of the past year or so is the world of options going forward.