The hybrid work model - you may have heard or even experienced this term at some point in the last three years. It is most often used in conjunction with “higher employee engagement”, “higher productivity” or our favorite “the new normal”. Is this the style of work that suits you or not at all? Let's sum it up.
The annual survey also mentions the hybrid State of Agile. Respondents in it have been pointing to the ever-increasing dispersion of the workforce and the frequent outsourcing of work for several years. Sometimes even all over the world. The latest 15th survey thus recorded a major shift towards remote work and a clear indication that online collaboration is not a temporary thing.
Hybrid and numbers
Only 3 % organizations indicated that they planned to return to the office full-time. 25 % respondents said they will continue to work remotely in a post-Covid world, and 56 % people prefer a hybrid approach where they return to the office regularly but not daily. This combination of remote and in-office co-working presents a major challenge for organizations that want to continue building their success.
State of Agile is not the only source to mention this trend. Reflecting on how COVID-19 has changed the global workforce, the company's survey Gartner found that "in response to the pandemic, organizations are accelerating the implementation of new processes, procedures and technologies to support changes in the delivery of products and services". Gartner also found that organizations will need to adapt to succeed, saying: “The radicalization of distributed software engineering in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed process and skills gaps that are impacting organizations' ability to successfully deliver applications. At the forefront of the 'new normal' will be organizations that are able to quickly identify and address the critical skills needed to drive their business.¹"
What exactly is a hybrid work model?
Hybrid collaboration is when an employer gives its employees the flexibility to split their time between working remotely and working from the office. For most people, remote means working from home, but it can also mean working at a coworking space or a local coffee shop.
But hybrid work isn't just about where you work from. Some companies have also implemented:
- work four days a week
- enable employees to work abroad
- the possibility of unlimited vacation
- part-time work according to personal possibilities
At its best, hybrid work is combined with agile working, where the team is able to achieve high performance and efficiency while maintaining flexibility and regardless of where, who and when they work.
Unfortunately, attempts at such functioning often end in chaos and frustration for all involved. The basis is order, discipline and team agreements, which everyone in the team accepts and adheres to. Giving people a home office, a laptop and sending them home doesn't work. Without the rules of operation, your hybrid will fall apart like a house of cards.
What are the impacts on employee productivity?
The impact on employee productivity is a frequently debated topic. The most common idea of bosses is that their employees relax at home. Employees often feel overworked at home. Where is the truth? Somewhere in between. Various surveys show that a person works more hours at home than in the office. Remote, like everything, has its advantages and disadvantages.
There are many ways hybrid work can benefit individual workers:
- For example, employees may feel safer from health risks in face-to-face contact, and the pandemic was a perfect example of this.
- Another positive is the promotion of a better work-life balance. They are less prone to stress or burnout and do not spend a significant part of the day commuting to the office and personal meetings.
- Employees feel more trusted by their employer and the more they want to prove that they will be just as (if not more) productive at home as they are in the office.
- They divide their work for the whole day according to their energy and personal time. Thanks to this, they have greater results and a proactive approach towards the employer.
But it can also have negative effects:
- One of the disadvantages of the hybrid work model is that some workers prefer to communicate more quickly and efficiently with their colleagues in a shared workplace. They often reject a different way of cooperation than they were used to and create bad blood.
- Also related to this is the concern that employees "seen" in the office will be perceived as higher performers. Remote employees may feel left out of opportunities because they are less visible than those who return to the office.
- Another disadvantage is the increased dependence on technology. Outside the office, they often feel like they have to be available all the time or that they are missing something. Every moment they update the communication channels and check the phone. By doing so, they themselves increase their addiction, but in the worst case, stress and fear of failure rise.
- Well, and finally, it goes without saying that the hybrid work model is not suitable for all fields. It will be difficult for a nurse to take blood at home or a galvanizer in a cafe to modify the surfaces of car parts.
How should business owners and team leaders approach hybrid work?
If you've decided that you want to allow your employees to work from home and from the office, it can be difficult to know where to start.
Here are four steps that can help you create a successful hybrid workplace:
- Listen to your employees – It makes sense to act on what your employees want, so make sure you listen to their needs and concerns. Remember that everyone is different and what works for one person may not work for another.
- Create a plan – you need to make sure your business structure supports working in the office and remotely, so you'll need to think about HR policies as well as the technologies and processes you use.
- Create an attractive office – if your office is not a place people like to go to, it is unlikely to attract employees to work regularly. It is important to ensure that once employees arrive, they can make meaningful connections through team activities and meetings.
- Evolve as people's needs change – although the hybrid working model looks set to stay, you'll need to constantly update your approach. Meeting the needs of employees is the key to high productivity and retaining the best people.
In conclusion
Whether you are a fan of the hybrid work model or not, one thing is clear. The hybrid model is no longer an alternative style of work. It's here and it's here to stay. But like any working model, it has its advantages and disadvantages. Companies today must meet the needs of their employees or risk losing talent to their own benefit. Find a compromise and a way of working that will suit your team. Set the rules and follow / demand them. If you don't know where to start, 2 days at work and 3 days at home are often cited as the ideal ratio. But really take him with a grain of salt. Every person is different, every team is different, and unfortunately one blanket approach cannot work for everyone.
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