A better way of working? The pros and cons of the ‘hybrid model’ in 2023.

Is working in the office full-time a relic of the past? For many industries, the COVID pandemic provided a long overdue push into the hybrid model, where employees split their time between working remotely and going into the office. This shift has been largely welcomed by organizations and employees alike. According to a Capgemini global study of 500 companies, remote work is becoming the new norm, with 75% of companies expecting that at least 30% of employees will work remotely. On the employee front, a McKinsey survey revealed that more than four out of five survey respondents who worked in hybrid models over two years preferred to retain them going forward.

If the hybrid model is here to stay in 2023, it’s important to understand the positive and negative impacts it can have on organizations and their staff. Let’s explore some of the implications that can arise from the hybrid model, and how it can be optimized to boost productivity, improve mental health and create a sustainable workplace culture.

The Pros

Work-Life Balance

In our busy, fast-paced world, the importance of a healthy work-life balance has become recognized as an essential part of our happiness, job-satisfaction and productivity. Employees working in hybrid models will naturally find themselves with more time at home. Through structuring their workdays to fit in with personal commitments, these workers can create more flexibility in their schedules. In turn, this helps them better manage their time and competing responsibilities. Having the freedom to pick your children up from school, taking short bouts of exercise, or getting chores done around the house during work breaks can all help to ease the pressure of everyday working life. When employees are able to achieve a healthy work-life balance, knock-on benefits for their mental health, organization and productivity will often follow.

Improved Finances

Along with the convenience of spending more time at home, visiting the office less has also helped employees significantly boost their savings and businesses improve their bottom line. Let’s add up the expenses – there’s the cost of gas or public transport, buying work lunches and coffees, and often paying for babysitting five days a week. It’s clear that commuting into the office five days a week makes a solid dent in the hip pocket of white-collar workers. Unsurprisingly, these financial gains are leading to employees preferencing the hybrid model over a traditional office set-up.

Just like their employees, organizations are also finding their bottom-line improved from the hybrid work revolution. Having less staff in the office means that you’re catering for a smaller team, which leads to savings on rent, utilities, food and refreshments and cleaning services. These factors lead to real cost savings from the hybrid work model, yet commentators argue that organizations must make some initial investments to get the most out of the hybrid model.

Employee satisfaction and staff retention

Due to marked improvements to work-life balance, flexibility, and savings, the ability to work from home is becoming a highly desired option for employees. A global survey by Citrix shows that 57% of employees prefer hybrid models – leading previously hesitant employers to consider adopting this model. Going forward, organizations that provide their staff with the option to work remotely will therefore be more competitive in recruiting and retaining employees. Not only does this practice reduce the cost of replacing employees through lower turnover rates, but retaining valuable staff also makes organizations more productive, more competitive, and fosters a strong workplace culture. It’s no surprise that more employers have started using flexible working arrangements as a key incentive to find, hire, and retain the best quality candidates in the market.

 

The Cons

Reduced Collaboration

One major challenge of the hybrid model is a decrease in cooperation between team members. Employees working in hybrid environments will find themselves working from different locations and on different schedules, leading to silos in team communication and difficulty working collaboratively on projects. Such practices left unmitigated can lead to a drop in work quality, reduced productivity and missed deadlines. Feelings of isolation and disconnection can also arise in these instances, as some employees may feel like they’re being left out of decision-making processes and important conversations that happen in-person. To avoid these pitfalls, it’s important for organizations to utilize tools that promote collaboration, such as Slack for instant messaging and day-to-day communication, and videoconferencing software to discuss key issues. If done right, an effective hybrid model can lead to collaboration and productivity gains, as in-person meetings tend to take longer than virtual conferences.

The struggle to switch off

If you spend significant time working remotely, you’ve probably found it difficult, at times, to completely disconnect from work. For many employees, the hybrid model can blur the lines between work and home life, for a number of reasons. Firstly, employees working from home are often logging in at non-standard hours, and may find their work hours eating into time that might normally be spent at home unwinding or with family and friends. Additionally, employees working remotely can feel pressure to constantly be available and respond to emails, messages and calls at night or on the weekend. Without taking active steps to switch off, it can start to feel like your office and your home are merging into one. To prevent this situation, it’s important for organizations and employees to set clear boundaries that separate work from personal time. Sending emails and messages outside of regular work hours should be discouraged, so that employees have the chance to completely log off from work.

 

The hybrid model, while favored by a majority of employees, comes with significant challenges. Yet, on the whole, the benefits that flexible work arrangements can make to our work-life balance, job satisfaction and productivity make the hybrid model a worthwhile investment. We’ve also seen that through planning and proactive steps, the downsides of working from home can be mitigated. For the time being, the hybrid model offers a better way of working for both employees and organizations. With workforces set to return to their offices in droves in 2023, the hybrid model will be put to the test – will it continue to deliver, or be remembered as a fleeting COVID trend?

 

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