What is hybrid work?
DefinitionHybrid work is a working model that blends in-office, remote, and on-the-go workers. It offers employees a lot of flexibility and the autonomy to choose to work from wherever and however they feel most productive.
Types of hybrid work
Hybrid businesses blend remote working with the in-workplace experience. Exactly how this is structured depends on the employees’ needs, the technological compatibility of the job, and what the company believes is the best outcome for the team.
For this reason, hybrid work has been classified into four hybrid working models:
Primarily office-based with the option of remote work
Employees are expected to go to the office every day and attend meetings, team briefings, and collaborations. They get a certain amount of freedom and are allowed to work some days and evenings remotely. Although they are mostly in the office, they can still miss parts of the company’s culture and real-time contributions.
Office first but with regular remote work
Work and team briefs still revolve around a physical office, but employees have a number of days per week to work from home. Employees can take homework they have independently, but the team will meet in the office for collaborative work.
Remote work first with a workplace
The business has a physical office (or coworking space) but is not a centralised office. The focus is on collaborating digitally, using the right technology tools to facilitate this way of working. The norm is working from home, except in exceptional cases where the team gets together in the workspace.
Remote work with no workplace
Everything is done digitally. It centres on the distributed workforce with no workplace. The technology has to be top quality for this to work, and colleagues may never meet in person.
Benefits of hybrid work
Ever since the pandemic, more and more companies have been offering hybrid work as a perk for their employees. According to an Envoy survey, 77% of the 800 companies they questioned have opted to go hybrid. Furthermore, 56% of those companies offer employees to choose when and how often they wish to go to the office.
So what are the reasons more companies offer a hybrid work model? Why is it so popular? Let’s look at some benefits of hybrid work for employees and businesses.
Bigger talent pool
Want to increase your talent pool and hire global talent? Well, your answer might be a hybrid work model. With hybrid work, you can hire talent from all over the world! It not only gives your business a competitive edge but also helps you move into new markets, it improves your employer branding, and it increases the range of candidates with specialised skills.
Happier and more productive employees
Employees who work hybrid hours have greater control over their lives and control over their lives, which may improve both physical and mental health. An employee survey conducted by Wakefield Research found nearly half (47%) of employees would likely leave their company if it didn’t offer a hybrid working model. Having a hybrid work schedule makes employees happier, simultaneously making them more productive as well.
Furthermore, hybrid work gives employees more flexibility to work when and where they feel most productive, which makes them feel more empowered.
Less exposure to illness
Many people feel nervous or worried about their health and safety when it comes to returning to the office. Hybrid working means fewer employees at a time in an office, which lowers the chances of a sick employee infecting others.
In addition, hybrid work opens the possibility to work from home when your employees are sick, protecting their co-workers while helping them keep up with their tasks and responsibilities.
Save on office space expenses
With hybrid work, fewer people will be on-site at the office. This can potentially help some businesses decrease their expenses, especially in terms of real estate. Rethinking your workplace strategy can help you lower real estate costs and allows you to reinvest those cost savings elsewhere (e.g., better technology, satellite offices, or smaller co-working spaces).
At the very least, hybrid working will help you figure out how much space you need for your employees.
Implementing hybrid work
Now that you know the benefits and the types of hybrid work, you might want to implement the hybrid work model in your business, but where do you start? Adopting a hybrid work model requires the right technology, process, and people. Here are some things to consider when moving to a hybrid work model.
Survey your employees’ needs
It is essential to communicate with your workforce and learn their needs before creating your hybrid model. Involving your employees makes embracing changes easier and keeps them motivated to do their best work.
The best way to communicate with your employees is by doing surveys around the office. You can ask them questions about the working environment they’d thrive in and include examples.
Once you find out what your employees want out of hybrid work, you can begin creating a personalised hybrid work model for your business.
Match employee needs with those of your business
Asking yourself how would the hybrid model match your vision and mission is an excellent method to plan your goals and understand if it is a good step or not. Some critical questions to ask yourself are:
Create a flexible working environment
Hybrid work must connect remote and on-site office employees so communication and work go smoothly. Investing in technology and improving remote collaboration is essential for the business to make the process and transition smooth. Good technology, such as remote communication tools and on-site video conference equipment, will be a significant expense.
Have a look at your business and decide whether you need new tools or if you can use the existing ones in new ways.
Invest in the company’s culture
Company culture is the soul of your business, and implementing a successful hybrid work model depends on it. It is essential to reinforce your company culture as your employees work remotely and return to the office. This can be done with company-wide events, pizza days, and more fun things to keep your employee’s morale up.
You can create this event not only physically but also online. It is a great way to create experiences for the hybrid workplace around your company’s values. For example, virtual team-building activities like a virtual coffee chat or a peer learning exchange.
Gather continuous feedback
As you continue implementing your hybrid work mode, remember to gather feedback from your employees. It will significantly help to make future changes and create the perfect hybrid workplace that works for you, your business, and your employees.
Do you think the hybrid work model works best for you? Or do you still prefer remote work? If you can’t decide, read the article on Remote work vs hybrid work: Which model is best for your office?
