Man meets with people over video call

Financial Advising in a Hybrid Work World

You probably pivoted to an unanticipated role as a work-from-home financial advisor during the pandemic. Maybe you embraced this remote work, or maybe you longed for the camaraderie and structure of days in the office. Either way, COVID-19 changed the way we work. And even as offices reopen, working as a financial advisor won’t look like it did in 2019. Here are six tips for merging the best of remote and traditional work. 

1. Be Attentive to Your Culture

Your team and your business have a unique culture that reflects your shared values and experiences. That culture might have been easier to foster when everyone worked under the same roof. As you develop your hybrid workplace, you’ll need to make sure your financial advisor team feels connected and supported even when you can’t all be together in person. That may mean creating things like hybrid lunch meetings or coffee breaks to foster the connections that happen more naturally in traditional settings. 

2. Ask Your Team What They Need

Hybrid workspaces, and the way people work in them, are not one-size-fits-all. Some team members will need quiet space in the office where they can concentrate. Others will be more productive remotely. Some may need better remote internet connectivity. Trust that your team members know where and how they are most productive and help them create a workplace that supports their needs. 

3. Design for Flexibility

During the pandemic, we’ve learned to expect change. For example, parents of young children may need to stay home if their child’s school switches to remote learning. And bigger changes, like a new COVID-19 variant or widespread stoppages in public transportation, could be even more disruptive to your workplace. Your hybrid office should allow people to transition easily from remote to traditional work and back.

 

4. Create Opportunities for Collaboration

Traditional workspaces give teams more ways to connect casually and work together. Group meetings can be valuable, especially for brainstorming and other creative work. For your team, it might make sense to have everyone in the office at the same time periodically for in-person collaboration. If not, look for ways those working from home can participate without feeling sidelined. 

5. Evaluate Your Office Space

When everyone worked in the office from 9 to 5 Monday through Friday, you needed space to accommodate them all. Does hybrid work allow you to organize your space more efficiently? Ask yourself how much space you need and how you can use it best. 

6. Make Hybrid Work for Your Clients

Working as a financial advisor in a hybrid work setting isn’t just about you and your team. Your clients are probably adept at multiple platforms these days. They may prefer video meetings, phone calls, in-person appointments or a blend of communication methods. For example, some clients may prefer in-person meetings once or twice a year, with video meetings at other times. Others may want to jump on a quick phone call or video chat while others will want to meet face-to-face for every meeting.

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