Is your company considering a permanent hybrid work environment? Perhaps you’re tasked with looking at the advantages and disadvantages of various hybrid models. Or maybe you’re writing a hybrid work policy.
Here’s what human resource departments and company executives need to know about hybrid workplaces.
5 Hybrid Workplace Models
When it comes to the work environment, “hybrid” has multiple meanings. In addition to fully remote or fully in-office options, Inc. reported five hybrid workplace models:
- Office-centric hybrid: which requires employees to come into the office most of the time
- Fully-flexible hybrid: giving employees complete choice
- Remote-ish (or remote-friendly) hybrid: which may include work-from-home (WFH) days and scheduled in-office days
- Hybrid remote office: which offers employees a menu to choose how they want to work
- Remote (or virtual)-first: which favors remote work and remote processes
Considerations Regarding Various Hybrid Models
Some of the factors your company will want to consider as it examines a permanent hybrid model might include:
- Preventing work distribution inequities
- Ensuring employees know what to do and how to get it done in a timely way
- Placing necessary boundaries and controls on company expectations
- Encouraging collaboration between remote and in-office workers
- Averting possible inequities in the treatment of employees in different locations, including access to information, executive face time, perks, and career advancement
- Managing logistics, such as desks, technology, out-of-state payroll laws, etc.
- Avoiding employee turnover by deeply reflecting on the needs and wants of your employees when it comes to remote, hybrid, and in-office policies
Possible Disadvantages of a Hybrid Workplace
Furthermore, the following are perceived or real disadvantages of a hybrid work environment:
- Management fears that remote employees are slacking (the “butts-in-seats” philosophy)
- Increased costs to ensure that remote workers have the proper equipment, can securely transfer data across all devices, have fast internet service, and can quickly access IT support
- Possible need for office renovations
- Placing women at career risk, as reported in this Harvard Business Review article, because of perceptions regarding commitment level of and mentorship opportunities for those working from home
- Proximity bias—the idea that those who work near their team will be more successful
- Some employees may prefer routine and consistency, struggling to adjust between days at home and those in the office
- Modern “open office” spaces often lack privacy, distracting coworkers
- Employees may overwork from home and experience burnout
- Working at different hours may decrease collaboration and efficiency
- Attempts at developing company culture through on-site, after-hours activities can be a fun team building activity for some, but may be impossible to attend for those with family caregiving responsibilities, putting a large portion of employees at a disadvantage
Possible Advantages of a Hybrid Workplace
By contrast, here are some possible advantages of a hybrid workplace.
- Employee flexibility to work in a way that best fits individual styles
- Saved workplace costs (rent, utilities, equipment, etc.)
- Increased productivity
- More adoption of technology
- Happier employees
- Employee empowerment and satisfaction
- A wider talent pool for recruiting
- Greater employee retention
The future of work
What’s clear is that hybrid workplace options are the future. Employers who want to remain competitive should consider offering work-from-home options, if they can, in addition to traditional workplace models.
Two details are less obvious:
- Deciding which of the five hybrid work models to implement for your organization, and
- How to develop hybrid work policies that prioritize company needs while addressing those of employees.
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