A Clear-Eyed Look at a Hybrid Work Culture

It’s common knowledge that in the early days of the pandemic, most offices sent as many of their employees home as possible. There they were able to work safely and learned to do so effectively. 

Even workplaces that had to jump huge hurdles found a way to equip their staff with the means to work as efficiently as possible. For example, 89% of people who answered a Future of Work is Choice poll had worked from home at some point.

Now that the world is starting to right itself again, many employees are resisting heading back to the office full time. And with the shadow of the Great Resignation still hanging over companies, many businesses are seeking to meet their staff halfway. 

What Does a Hybrid Office Look Like?

An office that has embraced a hybrid work model will likely look different from day to day. A hybrid model allows employees to work off-site at least part of the time. Employees may be either fully remote or only partially remote. In most cases, not all employees will be in office at the same time, and not all will be at home at the same time, either. Instead, each employee will have a schedule that’s unique to them.

It isn’t always as clear-cut as each employee having X amount of days to work from home. And a hybrid work model will certainly look different for each company. Each business needs to consider its individual technology needs, meeting setup, and how best to approach collaboration.

Hybrid working is not a new idea. It has been done in small doses here and there with varying degrees of success. But necessity dictated that companies find a way to make it a success. Now that hybrid working has been demonstrated to be possible without disrupting business, employees are better equipped to handle the demands of working remotely.

However, to be a successful business with a hybrid work situation, your employees will need some support. This includes additional effort from leadership to give them the proper tools and to retain the company culture.

Benefits of a Hybrid Office

A positive work-life balance is one of the most outstanding achievements that a hybrid work setting has brought to the workplace. For example, 43.1% of workers told one poll that this was the driving force for them to begin working remotely.

Employees appreciate the increased time they can spend with their family; they get more time with them since they don't need to commute and can eat meals together they usually might not. They also feel a greater sense of control over their schedule. Additionally, they get to work in their slippers. Who could resist that?

Working from home is less stressful for most employees. They feel relaxed in their surroundings and aren’t worried about potentially awkward or uncomfortable interactions with co-workers. 

Lower stress levels bring about higher productivity and better morale. Naturally, this is a win for the company in terms of efficiency, but also when it comes to retention rates. Happier employees are more likely to stay put.

A hybrid work model has another surprising side effect: better teamwork. Who among us isn’t tired of Zoom meetings after the past couple of years? But, as much as employees may still love being allowed to work from home, they are often quite happy to have in-person meetings. 

The in-person meetings are saved for when they are truly needed, and nobody ends up feeling like their time was wasted. And being together is then a rare treat, not a chore. Working solo from home means less forced togetherness, so employees are more open to the few times face-to-face meetings happen.

And employees can decide which parts of the team project would be most beneficial for them to work on at home. They can plan their productivity better.

And finally, a hybrid work culture helps your business land high-quality talent. Positions that are fully remote aren’t bound by geographical limitations. Suddenly, your company has a wider pool of candidates to consider; candidates who would never have applied previously because they were not local.

Hybrid working offers also draw in talent who appreciate your office system. With so many employees preferring remote or hybrid work, you’re likely to get more applicants.

And 3 Negatives

It wouldn’t be fair to paint hybrid working as all rainbows and lollipops. Of course there will be some drawbacks; there is rarely ever a purely perfect solution to anything. Here are the three largest downsides to offering a hybrid work option.

1. It can be an enormous challenge to shape your company’s culture when some or most of your staff works remotely, even part time. However, it’s critical that you find a way to do so successfully; employees still crave a connection to their work and their co-workers. Forbes found that 90% of Gen Z employees want to feel a work attachment.
   
   
2. Remote workers may end up unintentionally less favored than the employees who are in the office full time. It’s the old problem of “out of sight, out of mind.” When management sees a worker in the office, it’s easier for them to associate that employee with being a hard worker. Even if the remote employee gets all their work done well and on time, it may be easier to dismiss that effort when it isn’t being witnessed. It’s not fair, of course, but it’s just human nature.
   
   
3. IT issues can make working from home a challenge. Off-site work requires a few extra technological hurdles to stay fully integrated and accessible. It may also require further investment in certain technologies. Also, the employee will need to have strong internet and the proper tools to enable working from home.

Conclusion

Offering your employees the opportunity to work from home, whether full time or part time, will present new challenges to your company. However, the benefits outweigh any negatives. If it makes your valuable employees happy and productive, it’s worth making the extra effort to give them this opportunity.