Going to the office every day was once the norm but the global pandemic in 2020 changed the scenario forcing companies to support thousands of employees working from home. Post which partial reopening of public spaces was allowed with only a maximum of 50% occupancy, which gave rise to a major change in the work model. The hybrid work model, a midway solution between going to the office and working from home, has been in existence for quite some time. However, not all companies have shifted to this model of work, thereby leaving plenty of room to explore its advantages.
A hybrid work model incorporates in-office and remote work giving employees the freedom of choosing when, how, and where they want to work from based on their individual productivities.
WHAT DOES THE HYBRID MODEL LOOK LIKE?
There are multiple ways in which the hybrid model works. One of the broadest ways to look at it is by classifying it into conditions where –
- Some employees work in the office while the rest work from home.
- All employees spend a part of the week in the office and another part of the week as remote.
Let’s discuss where you fit into this-
Nicholas Bloom, a Stanford University economics professor with expertise in remote work, believes that once the pandemic subsides, working twice a week from home will be an optimal approach for balancing collaborative work, while benefiting from less stress of commuting.
Although Hybrid work comes with its own advantages, the major downsides of this model that come into sight are maintaining relationships with colleagues. Another disadvantage is the lack of hands-on experience for employees working from home as compared to those that work out in the office.
More than half of the workforce like construction, food services, agriculture has little to no remote employment opportunities because a lot of their jobs require collaboration with others like deliveries or the use of specialized machinery and equipment which can only be done on-site.
While flexible working has been globally accepted due to pandemic, implementing a hybrid work model is still not yet fully realized. It is still a new model of work to many companies. Workplace executives must work closely with employees to determine what suits them best. A suitable approach could be testing out this model with a selective few teams and then scaling up when it has been worked out. From changes in productivity ratios to changes in employee turnover rates, the hybrid work model is shaking things up differently in each industry.
For a smooth back to work transition, companies will need the flexibility that the hybrid work offers but it can be only determined depending upon the companies fit. It will be interesting to look at how the system upgrades in the future.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this new approach to work.
