Hybrid work offers the best of flexibility and connection. Read on to learn everything about hybrid work culture and how it can affect you.
Introduction
Hybrid work culture is the new normal. During the pandemic, many people started working remotely. And, now, with changing times, many companies are allowing their employees to work flexibly, in the office or from home.
According to the independent market research platform, Gitnux, 80% of companies are planning to adopt a hybrid work model. But what exactly is hybrid work, and how does it differ from traditional office work or remote work?
In this article, we are going to share everything about hybrid work culture, its benefits, its challenges, and what it means for the future of work. We will also provide some best practices to help you build a successful hybrid culture in your organization.
What is Hybrid Work?
A hybrid work environment incorporates a mix of on-site and remote employees who work at different levels within the organization. They may work either in the office or in another location, with many employees regularly switching between these environments, based on their needs and the needs of the organization.
Hybrid work allows people to choose where and how they want to work. They can work confidently and productively, collaborating with others safely and securely, regardless of their location and time. Of course, the flexibility to work off-site or on-site and how often employees may do so depends on the organization, the nature of the employee’s work, and their job responsibilities.
This approach also requires efficient software to enable employees to work in a hybrid environment. This, in turn, enables seamless communication, successful task management, and effective collaboration among remote and on-site teams.
Hybrid Work Models
There is no fixed approach to hybrid work. Here are some common models organizations adopt:
- Fixed schedule: The organization sets the days and times employees will work in the office and when they will work remotely. This schedule can be the same for everyone or different for each team.
For example, some teams come to the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, and others come in on Tuesdays and Thursdays. American Express is one of the organizations that uses a fixed schedule hybrid work model.
- Core hours: Employees mostly work in the office, but they can choose a few days a week to work remotely.
Google adopted this type of model, allowing their employees to be in the office three days a week and having the option to pick the other two days to work from home.
- Activity-based: Employees mostly work from home. But they occasionally go to a co-working space or the office for things like team building, working together on projects, or training.
In this model, the company may not even have a traditional office. Instead, they rely on team members in the same area to get together when they see a fit. Twitter uses this approach and lets all employees work from home.
- Completely flexible: Employees get to choose where and when they work each day, depending on what they need to get done. This means they can work from home, a coffee shop, or the office.
For example, if they need quiet time to focus, they can work from home. If they want to collaborate with colleagues or attend a meeting, they can go into the office. Cisco uses this model and lets its employees choose where they will work on any given day.
Why is Hybrid Work Important?
Hybrid work is getting increasingly popular day by day due to a shift in employee preferences. It has become one of the many expectations of job seekers.
Many people want the flexibility that comes with remote work as well as control over their work schedules. The pandemic forced a large-scale experiment that proved many jobs can be done effectively from home.
Benefits of Hybrid Work
- Flexibility and work-life balance: According to a report by McKinsey, 87% of employees would prefer to work more flexibly if their employers offered it.
Flexibility is an important aspect of a hybrid work culture. It is one of the key reasons why employees are attracted to hybrid work. You can easily balance your work and life in a flexible work arrangement.
When employees have more control over their schedules, they can free up some time to attend to personal matters – running errands, picking up kids from daycare, or being home for a delivery.
- Increased productivity: Hybrid work is not just about flexibility. It also boosts productivity. When you need to concentrate on a task, working remotely in a quiet environment is beneficial.
On the other hand, for brainstorming and collaboration, many find in-person interactions are more ideal. Hybrid work schedules allow you to take advantage of both environments, which can lead to better outcomes.
- Employee well-being: Remote work saves a lot of employees’ time and reduces stress by eliminating the need to commute.
And, it allows them to create a work environment that is focused and more comfortable. These benefits lead to happier employees, higher morale, and potentially lower turnover.
- Wider talent pool: Hybrid work has the ability to exceed geographical limitations. It allows companies to hire people from all over the world instead of just one specific location.
Organizations can find the most qualified person for the job regardless of where they live. This not only expands the search potential but also creates a more diverse workforce.
Challenges of Hybrid Work
Hybrid work offers significant benefits. But, it also presents challenges that require attention.
Maintaining Company Culture
In the early days of remote work, many companies noticed that their employees were still engaged and productive — which came as a surprise to some. However, this was largely due to the fact that these employees had already worked together closely and understood the company’s values and expectations. Now, as existing employees leave and new ones join, the challenge is to integrate them into the company culture, whether they are interns, entry-level hires, or seasoned executives.
In addition, corporate culture is critical for signaling the organization’s uniqueness to potential new hires. This is especially true in industries where firms compete heavily for talent, such as tech, consulting, and banking. If employees are not physically present in the office or do not spend time together, it can be challenging to maintain a distinctive company “vibe” and differentiate the organization from others in the talent war.
While it is important to focus on integrating new employees into the company culture, we should not overlook the fact that maintaining a positive culture and strong organizational commitment is equally important for existing employees. In the past two years, many employees have experienced increased demands and stress and a corporate culture that does not recognize their struggles or support their needs. Even employees who are managing their daily tasks well may feel increasingly disconnected from their companies, which can lead to reduced motivation, lower organizational commitment, and higher turnover.
Communication and Collaboration
When we rely too much on technology for work, it can cause problems with communication. This was especially true when employees first started working from home. And it’s still true now that some people are back in the office while others are working remotely. For example, it can be tough to figure out if everyone should use their own computer in the office when some people are working from home. Or if those working from home should be issued with a computer by the company. This makes things even more complicated than they already are.
Another issue is that some people feel more comfortable speaking up during video calls than others. This creates more barriers to communication, especially when there are already differences in power, status, and language in the workplace.
It takes more effort to coordinate with people who aren’t in the same place as you, which makes hybrid work more difficult. This can lead to people being left out of small conversations and decisions, which add up to bigger problems over time. It’s important to make sure everyone is included and has a chance to be part of the conversation, even if they’re not physically in the same place as everyone else.
Overwork and Burnout
The flexibility of hybrid work is a double-edged sword. Blurring the lines between work and personal life can lead to employees feeling like they’re always “on,” increasing the risk of overwork and burnout.
Companies can help prevent this by encouraging employees to set boundaries, and by respecting designated work hours and promoting healthy habits.
Management Challenges
To lead and motivate a hybrid workforce, managers need to adapt their leadership styles. This means setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback through multiple channels, and focusing on results rather than a physical presence in the office.
In a hybrid workforce, managers must ensure that both on-site and remote workers have equal opportunities and exposure. Evaluations should be based on the work product rather than the work process. It is important to make sure that remote team members do not feel isolated or unseen. Likewise, that they are subject to the same expectations and accountability as their colleagues in the office.
Best Practices for Hybrid Work
In a hybrid work environment, companies need to take extra measures to recover and build trust and loyalty among their employees. Here are some best practices that you can follow:
1 Listen to Employees
Instead of making decisions based on assumptions, leaders should ask their employees what they prefer and put their suggestions into action whenever possible. When Salesforce surveyed its workforce in 2021, 80% of its employees wanted to “maintain a connection to a physical space.”
As a result, they decided to give employees flexibility in how, when, and where they worked. They recognized their employees as “the architects of this strategy,” and made a commitment to ensure flexibility would be the key going forward.
2 Prioritize Social Engagements
Connections with co-workers are crucial to engagement and company culture. With all employees on-site, interactions naturally occur. Leaders in a hybrid work model should proactively look for ways to provide face-to-face interactions between employees that fit their needs.
Providing remote employees with a budget to travel to the office once a month or quarter is a great way to foster social opportunities for connection. For the next company all-hands or a quarterly business review, you can also plan a party after the meeting to give people the opportunity to connect on a social level.
3 Invest in the Right Tech
At this point, everyone is over video meetings. Having more meetings does not solve the social challenges. But, there are many new products and tools that can help improve collaboration. Instead of allowing remote employees to “listen in” on the session, companies should create an environment of inclusion.
4 Design Office Spaces for Collaboration
In a remote model, employees often come into the office for collaboration — provided, of course, it’s geographically feasible. However, the cube-and-desk model does not create the ideal environment for working together.
Some organizations have already moved to eliminate assigned seating and move to a hot-desk model in which employees “reserve” a workspace for the day. Additionally, these organizations have set up more social spaces, including couches and larger tables, to encourage socialization.
5 Managers Must Invest in Direct Reports
Workers are always unfairly blamed for quiet-quitting. Managers must take the extra step to check on employees and make sure they’re engaged when employees work in different locations.
Many organizations are turning to AI-powered HR and talent management tools to help employees develop a career path and set learning goals more attuned to them.
6 Track Touchpoints with Your Employees
In the early days of hybrid work, organizations focused on micro-management. But, it often breeds mistrust and poor relationships. They should rather focus on building a relationship that helps keep employees engaged and opens lines of communication. This will help create trust and a good working relationship.
7 Foster a Culture of Recognition
Everyone wants to feel valued and appreciated. Overlooked employees often become unengaged and even leave the company.
However, fostering a culture of recognition isn’t that easy to achieve even if you are working from a physical office.
Companies need to set up formal recognition programs where employees can share positive things about others. Managers can open the floor at the end of team meetings for kudos. When the organization gets together for meetings, recognize employees who have gone above and beyond.
8 Set up a Mentor Program
People new to the working environment often struggle with hybrid and remote work. There are more physical barriers to mirroring and learning from more experienced workers.
For example, PwC found that workers with less than five years experience are more likely to want to be in the office. A mentor program can help new employees learn from more experienced workers and feel inspired.
9 Set Clear Boundaries Between Work and Personal Time
The best part about a hybrid work model is the ability to blend work and personal life as you need. Busy parents can leave early for school pickups. But, there are also negatives. When your office is in your home, it can go over into your personal time.
Employees need to know that they can turn off work and focus on their friends, family, and personal activities. Managers should encourage their team to set boundaries and then respect those boundaries.
Global Companies That Embraced the Hybrid Work Model
Hybrid work is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It varies across organizations and depends on the specific preferences of employees. Let’s explore how some global companies have implemented a hybrid work model.
1 HubSpot
HubSpot has introduced a hybrid work model that allows its employees to choose what works best for them. The company offers three distinct options:
- Home: This option is for employees who prefer remote work. They visit the office only once or twice a quarter.
- Office: This choice gives employees the flexibility to work in the office for three or more days a week.
- Flex: The flex option gives employees the freedom to visit the office two or fewer days per week.
Through this innovative approach, HubSpot allows its employees to tailor their work arrangements. This work arrangement optimizes productivity, engagement, and work-life balance.
2 Nike
Nike introduced a very unique hybrid work approach – the 3/2 flexible work model. This model allows employees to work remotely for two days each week. It gives them the flexibility and comfort of working from home.
The remaining three days are spent at Nike’s physical workspace. In this way promoting collaboration, face-to-face interactions, and a strong sense of community among colleagues.
With this strategy, Nike wants to create a balanced and productive work environment that embraces the advantages of both remote and in-person work.
3 Unilever
Unilever offers a flexible work model, where employees are only required to be in the office for 40% of their time.
The company envisions a future where a flexible work schedule replaces the traditional five-day work week but still values the benefits of working together in an office. They recently conducted a trial run of a four-day work week in New Zealand, and these are the results.
- 67% of employees reported a better work-life balance
- Employee stress levels dropped by 33%
- Feelings of strength and passion at work increased by 15%
Other than these global giants, many other companies have also embraced the hybrid work model and have experienced its advantages firsthand.
The Future of Work
Hybrid work models are going to become the dominant work style in the future. With hybrid arrangements, employees can enjoy flexible work options and a better work-life balance. On the other hand, businesses can potentially boost productivity.
Gallup found that hybrid work options help companies retain top talent by providing a larger talent pool, improving employee value propositions, and reducing turnover.
However, both employers and employees need to be adaptable and innovative if they want to succeed in a hybrid work environment.
Hybrid Work as a Growing Trend
Many companies are recognizing the advantages of hybrid work and employees are demanding more flexibility.
In this work environment, you should opt for best practices for communication, collaboration, and management. You can use effective strategies and tools like ProofHub to stay connected with your team and be productive.
Adapting to a Changing Landscape
The future of work is not static. Both businesses and employees need to adapt and innovate to succeed in a hybrid landscape continuously.
Use technologies to facilitate remote collaboration, develop good communication skills, and stay open to new ways of working. By remaining flexible and adaptable, both employers and employees can seize the opportunities that hybrid work presents.
Looking Ahead
Hybrid work has several benefits for both organizations and employees globally. It offers flexibility, increases productivity, and expands the talent pool. But, it also has some challenges, such as maintaining company culture and making sure everyone feels included.
So, a successful hybrid work culture requires well-formed planning, efficient communication, and a welcoming and inclusive work environment for everyone involved.
Author Bio: Vartika Kashyap is the chief marketing officer at ProofHub, a powerful Asana alternative. She is a strong-headed woman who always puts her innovative inputs into project management, collaboration, balancing work and life with technology and more. She is active on various platforms, including Linkedin, the e-learning industry, and more, to share her expertise. When she is not working she enjoys motherhood and reading about mental well-being.
FAQ
The 5 Cs of a hybrid work model are:
–Communication: Making sure everyone, in or out of the office, has clear information and can easily stay connected.
-Collaboration: Working together effectively even when spread out, using the right tools and processes.
-Culture: Maintaining a strong company spirit and sense of belonging for all employees, regardless of location.
-Connectivity: Ensuring everyone has the technology and resources needed to work productively from anywhere.
-Continuity: Keeping workflows smooth and consistent even with a mix of remote and on-site work.
In remote work, you primarily work from a location outside the office, with minimal in-person interaction. While in hybrid work, you split your time between working in the office and remotely, offering flexibility.
The most common hybrid work model is the split-week schedule. In this model, employees work a set number of days in the office and the remainder remotely. For example, two days remote and three days in the office.
Three days on site and two days on remote (3/2) split is the most popular hybrid model. However, the best schedule depends on your company’s needs and employee preferences.
