Increasingly, existing and prospective employees are expecting remote work conditions in the workplace, but employers have been reverting to full-time onsite work arrangements. Hybrid work models can offer a middle ground, but to be effective, organisations need to be intentional about the arrangements they put in place.

 

Remote work, it is not going away. The pandemic taught us that working from home is indeed possible, and in many instances could be more productive than working onsite. However, with isolation restrictions being relaxed or completely abandoned, there has been a growing expectation working arrangements will revert to what they had been, and employees will return to the office full time.

However, having enjoyed a considerable reduction in travel time and cost, a more relaxed work environment, and the ability to introduce some flexibility in their schedules, employees are not as eager to return to the office. In fact, there have been reports that prospective hires are putting greater weight on being able to work remotely in deciding whether to accept a position.

Having said this, employers have also benefitted from having staff members work from home. First there are considerable cost savings to be realised in not needing to secure office space, and the attendant furniture, utilities, supplies and services. Staff morale reported also increased, and the cut-throat nature of office politics was usually minimised. Also, employees were generally more productive, resulting in improved outputs for the organisation.

However, with employers and employees being on the opposite ends of the spectrum, a compromise may be possible: hybrid work.

 

What is hybrid work?

Although definitions may vary, essentially, hybrid work is a flexible approach that allows employees to split their time between working in the office and working remotely. Regarding working remotely, there are variations, such as working from home, and working on the go, which to an employer, may have different constraints and administrative requirements.

 Additionally, there is latitude in the type of hybrid work model organisations adopt. For example, a flexible hybrid model would allow employees, as often as on a daily basis, to decide whether they will work remotely or onsite. In contrast, in a fixed hybrid model, the days and times employees work offsite are agreed and established. There are also models that emphasise office-first or remote-first, and so employees are expected to spend more of their time in the location where the emphasis is.

 

Pros and cons of hybrid work

Without a doubt, hybrid work is widely considered the best of both world – providing some balance between remote work and working onsite. To that end, some of the benefits include:

  • Fostering freedom and flexibility for employees to determine where and when they work
  • Building a trust-based relationship with team members, which can increase loyalty and job satisfaction
  • Allowing organisations to expand their search for talent
  • Greater opportunity for in-person collaboration and team building
  • Maintaining organisation culture and camaraderie.

On the flipside, there are disadvantages associated with hybrid work, such as:

  • Employees feeling isolated
  • Challenges in maintaining the organisational culture and sense of community
  • Limited savings in operating costs for the office
  • Challenges coordinating onsite team activities and collaboration
  • A decline in productivity.

 

Navigating the hybrid work conundrum

Although organisations might experience challenges in determining whether or not, or how they might implement a hybrid work model, the truth is that hybrid work is here to stay. Current employees and new hires want greater autonomy and flexibility in their work lives – which technology does afford, and which is consistent with the future of work. However, if organisations prefer if employees are onsite all the time, trade-offs will need to be made, and so it is crucial that the requisite systems are put in place, and that the arrangements and expectations are properly managed.

In the first instance, organisations need to determine why they wish to adopt hybrid work, and what are the perceived benefits and drawbacks of hybrid work based on their area of work. Thereafter, the focus ought to be on understanding how the benefits can be strengthened whilst minimising the drawbacks. For example, frequently, management is eager for peace of mind, and so want to SEE all employees onsite as that is perceived as an indication of productivity, and view that as a disadvantage of working remotely. However, there are tools that can be implemented to measure productivity and the time spent doing the organisation’s work, but a culture shift will be required, in addition to the necessary resources to successfully implement those tools.

Most importantly, the model the organisation intends to adopt ought to be documented, and the policies to support the model developed. These policies are likely to touch all areas of the organisation: administratively, as well as with respect to how services delivered to internal and external clients are executed. It is thus vital that consultations are held with employees, in order to understand the processes that are currently implemented and how they might be affected when a hybrid work model is adopted.

It is emphasised that the documentation and policy development processes are likely to be iterative and protracted, and could take several months to complete, even with concerted effort. However, it is among the most critical elements, and so care should be taken during this phase.

Having set out the policies and guidelines, the next stage would be to develop and conduct a pilot of the model. The objective of the pilot is to test the model in a controlled manner, in order to resolve kinks and address unforeseen challenges, before the more significant investment of money, time and resources are committed.

During and on completion of the pilot, agreed metrics and performance indicators would be measured and examined, and consultations held with pilot participants, along with their managers, colleagues, and direct reports, as appropriate. Based on the outcomes of that exercise, decisions will need to be made regarding how the model and attendant supports can be improved, and thereafter, a plan be put in place for more comprehensive deployment of the approved hybrid work model in the organisation.

 

 

Image credit:  Shridhar Gupta on Unsplash