The COVID-19 pandemic may now be behind us, but its impact on how businesses operate has been long-lasting. It revealed that many organizations were unprepared for flexible work models — yet it also pushed them to adapt. As a result, remote and hybrid work options have become a standard part of many companies’ operations.
Major tech giants like Apple and others have adjusted their return-to-office strategies, with some embracing fully remote setups for the long term. The once-standard traditional office environment is steadily giving way to more adaptable, employee-centered work models.
Employers may have initially opposed remote or hybrid working arrangements, but they have now come to appreciate the benefits they provide. The rates at which businesses pay their office leases reflect the shift in employer attitudes. According to Computer World, “only one out of every 20 office buildings in the United States had occupancy levels above 10% in early May, and occupancy rates averaged barely 16 percent last month.” According to Moody’s Analytics, a consultant, around one out of every five workplaces will be vacant by 2022.” This reluctance to renew office leases is largely due to a lack of knowledge about how much space is truly required to keep operations functioning.
This is not to say that there is not a demand for workplaces; it just means that the office layout is changing. Businesses are increasingly adopting a hybrid model, in which workers work in the office part of the day and work remotely the rest of the time. Some firms are apprehensive to employ such a strategy, but if done right, it may help them save money. Technology makes this new notion of hybrid operations possible for all sorts of enterprises, allowing them to overcome barriers that previously stopped them from doing so.
We recognize that before the pandemic, some firms may not have considered hybrid operations, but with technological solutions that are more accessible and hyper-focused on communication than ever before, we believe that distant or hybrid operations are now available for all sorts of organizations.
The business benefits of hybrid working
Hybrid Jobs, like flexible working in general, have a lot of advantages for companies who take it seriously and do it right. These advantages are well-known by now, but here is a quick rundown of the most important ones:
- Employees desire it, therefore providing it will help you recruit and retain a larger pool of qualified candidates. And doing so in public will improve your company’s image by demonstrating that you have a flexible, trust-based culture.
- Employees are more likely to deliver if a hybrid pattern helps them feel happier, healthier, more productive, less worried, and more in charge of their life.
- When there are fewer individuals at the workplace at the same time, less space is required, which saves money on real estate, power bills, and other expenses. It is an opportunity to reconsider how you utilize your space and make the most of it.
Issues to watch out for
While the advantages are obvious, hybrid working is not without danger. Here are some of the concerns to think about:
Fairness: Will you be able to accommodate everyone in your team or organization with a hybrid arrangement? What will happen if you do not believe you can?
Inclusivity: An influence gap between an office-based ‘in-crowd’ and their more remote-based colleagues might result from inconsistently implemented hybrid working and behavioral bias. More women, careers, individuals with health concerns, and introverts may choose to work from home, which might have a knock-on effect on diversity and inclusion.
Collaboration and innovation: Zoom conversations are not the greatest environment for brainstorming, and some jobs are better accomplished when individuals share a desk rather than a screen. An unplanned talk around the coffee machine might sometimes generate fresh ideas.
Inequality: Homeworking may not be effective for employees living far, for example, because not everyone has space for a home office or super-fast broadband. If you expect these teammates to be home-based for part of the week, how will you support them in doing their best work?
How to get it right
These problems demonstrate that this is not something that can be taken lightly. Simply informing your employees that they can split their week between home and the workplace and crossing your fingers that everything will work out would not cut it. Rather, you should endeavor to create a hybrid society in which:
- Leaders, managers, and HR professionals recognize the dangers of having a two-tier workforce, with those who come in and those who remain out, and they take efforts to avoid them.
- Leaders set the tone from the top, indicating that your opinion is appreciated no matter where you work, and they commit to role-modeling hybrid working.
- HR teams and managers should learn about hybrid job design and decide which elements of responsibilities should be performed where, when, and by whom as a team.
- Managers are taught to assist and interact with colleagues they do not see every day, to trust their team to produce when they aren’t around, and to generate and agree on collaborative possibilities.