The COVID-19 Pandemic has forced us to reimagine the way we work. Businesses, companies, and organizations had to shift from physical to remote work. Many Employees struggled to adapt to remote work, however, employee sentiment has changed in the past year as they have realized the benefits of working in a remote environment.
Employers have begun to rethink the way they operate and have started to adopt the Hybrid work Environment or Model. A business model that provides employers and employees the best of both office and remote work.
What is a Hybrid Work Environment?
A Hybrid Work Environment refers to a business model which combines remote and office work. This model has gained popularity due to the pandemic in many organizations and working in a hybrid environment has been known to be more beneficial for the wellbeing of the team.
During the pandemic, working remotely became the norm which allowed for more freedom of time and better work-life balance. A study by Accenture of 9326 global workers during March 2021 revealed that 83% of people wanted to work in a hybrid workplace.
Companies that adopted the hybrid model during the pandemic had stronger employee retention, better employee mental health, increased productivity, and experienced fewer burnouts.
Hybrid Work Environment or Model: Better or Worse for the productivity of workers?
The productivity of workers will remain constant, to say the least. Instead, it is more likely that their productivity will increase due to the various benefits of the Hybrid Work Model such as:
Improved Mental Health
Adopting a hybrid work model can be great for the employee’s mental health as employees will have the freedom to work at their chosen time which will improves the work-life balance of the employee. A better work-life balance reduces stress and prevents occasional burnouts.
Increased Productivity
A hybrid work model will be optimal in increasing productivity as it offers the best of both worlds. Some employees are most productive when they are at home, whereas others thrive in an office setting. A report by the Boston consulting group shows that due to increased focus and flexibility, over 50% of managers believe that their teams are more productive working remotely.
For remote workers, digital tools can be utilized for interaction between remote participants to increase collaboration, planning, communication, and productivity. Remote workers are also free from all distractions and interruptions from their coworkers. Whereas, other employees might need a dedicated workplace because of distractions at home such as kids who require constant attention.
Better expertise can be hired as there are no geographical limitations
A hybrid environment offers organizations with a much larger talent pool. People with years of experience can be hired internationally, whereas that kind of talent might not be available in a local setting.
Limitations in a Hybrid Workplace
Despite the numerous benefits of the Hybrid Model, Organizations are doomed to face difficulties in implementing such a model, primarily, because they have never been in such a situation. Employers will need to purchase the right digital tools that allow for maximum collaboration and productivity. Other limitations of the hybrid work model include:
- Employees having a poor Internet Connection
- Employees not being able to socialize with their colleagues
- A quiet workplace environment might not be feasible at home for some employees as there are many distractions such as kids.
- Employees regularly seen in the office might be considered to providing greater output than those working remotely
It is necessary to execute the model in the correct way to smoothen your organizations’ transition towards the hybrid model. Luckily, we have come up with solutions to help employers and managers in getting started:
Providing a safe office workplace to employees
The Physical workplace must satisfy all health and safety requirements as 65% of employees felt unsafe returning to physical work because of the fear that they might get infected. Employers could introduce bonuses for employees who get vaccinated to ensure the safety of all team members.
Participation from employees
It is crucial for managers to take regular opinions, surveys, and polls about the transition from employees so that they do not feel excluded. This will also inform the managers of the necessities of workers to perform productively in a hybrid workplace.
Taking care of employee’s wellbeing
Regular communication with employees will be key to having a friendly relationship with them. Informing them of recent developments in the company, sharing good news stories across the business including the team and the company.
One way of increasing team collaboration is to hold formal and informal team events. This will give the employees and team members an opportunity to connect with each other. Having this connection will help avoid a divide between the office and remote workers.
Training of employees
It would be wise to invest in equipment and training programs for your employees. Making sure that they are given the correct resources is crucial as it can affect their productivity.
It is necessary to set realistic small goals and get feedback from employees. Also based on the feedback from employees managers should introduce regular revisions in their training plans.
People have experienced the various benefits and flexibility which a remote environment offer. A recent study conducted by Fortune of 2000 employees showed that nearly half of the employees could quit their jobs if they are forced to work in an office space. Another study by Monster.com suggested that 34% of employees felt that the best way for growth is to look for a job with a new employer. Therefore, organizations adopting the hybrid work model are more likely to succeed in the future as they are more likely to attract skilled and diverse workers internationally.
It is necessary to set realistic small goals and get feedback from employees. Also based on the feedback from employees managers should introduce regular revisions in their training plans.
