Why a hybrid work model is good and how to get used to it
Miscellaneous / / January 12, 2022
The ability to freely visit the office seems to stay with us forever.
What is a hybrid model
This is a work format in which employees are not required to be in the office all the time. Sometimes they call it thatThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft a situation where only people in certain positions have to work outside of their home.
Some companies have been using the hybrid model for a long time, but it became really popular after the start pandemics. Then organizations had to close offices and send employees home. When the situation improved, some returned to their jobs. So the office and the remote site began to complement each other.
While many companies today are struggling to return to standard workflow, the hybrid model is likely to remainThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft with us forever. Gartner, the largest IT consulting company, namedGartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2022 / Gartner this format of work is one of the anticipated trends of 2022.
How the hybrid model works
Researchers at Jabra, an audio device company, in an article for the Harvard Business Review point outD. Rock, C. Pruitt-Haynes. Why Mandates Make Us Feel Threatened / Harvard Business Review three possible variants of the hybrid model:
- The company decides on which days tasks are performed from home, and on which - from the office. So, Apple requiresD. Pontefract. Is Apple In Trouble With Its Hybrid Work Model? / Forbes from their staff in person on Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.
- The company determines the minimum possible number of days to be spent in the office. For example, the software maker Kissflow allowsC. Ro. Why the future of work might be 'hybrid' / BBC Worklife staff work for three weeks remotelyand one week from the office. It turns out a kind of compromise: the leadership does not give the subordinates complete freedom, but it also does not establish a tough regime.
- The company allows you to work remotely and visit the office at will. So they didThe Great Resignation is here and no one is prepared / WIRED on Google and Twitter. And, for example, at the Barlow law firm in Chicago, employees goC. Ro. Why the future of work might be 'hybrid' / BBC Worklife to the office only if they need access to documentation.
Sometimes the hybrid format assumes that only those whose presence is necessary are in the office, and the rest work remotely. I did the sameK. DelBene. The philosophy and practice of our hybrid workplace / Official Microsoft Blog Microsoft. Workers who can fulfill their duties from home, are free to visit the office at will, if the epidemiological situation allows.
Why the hybrid format will supplant the standard model
He hasJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report many advantages.
Companies can hire the best workers on the go
If the hybrid format involves visiting the office at will, or only key employees need to come there, then the rest can perform tasks remotely.
Thanks to this organization, companies can searchThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft suitable candidates in any city or even country or hire people who are not ready to visit the office for other reasons. As a result, the chances of finding a talented employee increase.
Employees are often more productive
Working from home may seem like people will be more distracted and less likely to perform their duties. But this is not the case.
Microsoft researchers surveyedThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft 30 thousand people around the world to assess the impact of remote work on performance. 82% of respondents reported that their productivity did not drop or even increased.
Subjective feelings are also supported by data obtained by researchers at the London Business School. They analyzedJ. Birkinshaw, J. Cohen, P. Stach. Research: Knowledge Workers Are More Productive from Home / Harvard Business Reviewwhat managers, accountants, designers and developers spent their time on in 2013 and 2020. It turned out that during the period of isolation, employees began to take their responsibilities more responsibly, and perceive the tasks themselves as less tiring. By working from home, people have become more efficient in their time management and less energy spent on meetings - and as a result, productivity has increased.
It is convenient for employees to work outside the office
Free visit to the office allows you to distribute tasks so that it is more comfortable to carry out them. For example, at home you can do tasks that require concentrationand go to the office to discuss joint projects.
According to a Jabra survey, 61% of workers wantedJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report so that they have the opportunity to visit the office as needed. At the same time, 59% of respondents said that schedule flexibility is even more important for them than salary and other benefits. Microsoft also reportsThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoftthat 70% of the participants in her study would like to maintain the work format that was established during the pandemic.
In the new realities for employees, the office has becomeJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report rather a place of communication, and visiting it is a privilege, but not an obligation.
Increased economic efficiency
Employees are awareJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report advantages of the hybrid model, therefore, they are more willing to go to a company where they can be present at the office if they wish.
This means that firms with a similar work organization will find it easier attract the best personnel and increase productivity. So, Gartner predictsGartner Identifies the Top Strategic Technology Trends for 2022 / Gartnerthat the income of 75% of "distributed enterprises" will grow 25% faster than competitors.
Plus, the hybrid format helps reduce costs. For example, companies can reduce their corporate transportation costs.
Companies can easily move to full telecommuting
After all, both management and employees already have experience working from home. This is especially valuableK. DelBene. The philosophy and practice of our hybrid workplace / Official Microsoft Blog during a pandemic: the authorities are able to announce a lockdown at any time, and the incidence within the company may increase. A hybrid allows you to survive such shocks with minimal loss.
What are the disadvantages of the hybrid model
Along with the advantages, it also has disadvantages. First, not all companies can use this format. Drivers, cashiers, doctors, police officers are forced to go to work, regardless of the environment. Secondly, some hybrid mode options do not give you the freedom to choose between home and office, which negates many of the advantages of the format.
The hybrid model has other drawbacks.
Employees can get tired of chats and online meetings
To establish interaction in a team, some of which work from home, and some from the office, you have to use instant messengers and organize video calls. As a result, the working day has become much more intense: for example, from February 2020 to February 2021, the time spent in corporate chats, has grownThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft by almost 45%, and in online meetings - by 148%. Such a load can lead to fatigue and burnout.
Technical problems may arise
As they writeThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft Microsoft researchers, most leaders rarely pays attention to the difficulties that subordinates have. Meanwhile, not all of them can boastC. Ro. Why the future of work might be 'hybrid' / BBC Worklife good internet and a comfortable workplace.
According to Microsoft, 42% of employees do not haveThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft all the necessary accessories at home. And 46% complain that the employer does not compensate for the costs (purchase of equipment, Internet access) when using a remote format.
Employees may feel unequal
Those who switch to telecommuting may feel inferior compared to office workers. For example, to feel that the bosses do not see their contribution to the common cause. Indeed, at a meeting where some are physically present, while others are connected via Zoom, it is even more difficult for the latter to speak out. Their trite can be bad audible. And it's not so easy to wedge yourself into a lively discussion from the other side of the screen.
Such gatherings are even capable of contributingJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report discord in the team. Some employees may not understand why they have to come to the office while someone is at home. Others feel that they are not being listened to and not particularly appreciate. In such a tense atmosphere, conflicts becomeC. Ro. Why the future of work might be 'hybrid' / BBC Worklife almost inevitable.
Interaction between workers may decrease
Due to the online format, employees focus more on the tasks of their department, which negatively affectsThe Next Great Disruption Is Hybrid Work - Are We Ready? / Microsoft on the interaction between teams. Relatively speaking, the development department begins to live with its own problems, and distribution - with its own. As a result, it becomes more difficult to create a product that is both functional and attractive to the user.
How to organize efficient work with a hybrid model
With the right approach, its minuses can be turned into pluses.
If you are the head of the company
Here's how to proceed:
- Respect the rights of your employees. In the new conditions, it is worth listening even more carefully to the opinions of subordinates. So, the requirement to return to the office on a permanent basis may be perceived by employeesD. Rock, C. Pruitt-Haynes. Why Mandates Make Us Feel Threatened / Harvard Business Review as a violation of their own rights. For some, it can even become an excuse for layoffs.
- Balance the load wisely. For this it is worth spendingD. Rock, C. Pruitt-Haynes. Why Mandates Make Us Feel Threatened / Harvard Business Review general meeting and ask which tasks are easier for employees to perform at home, and which ones - in the office. The discussion will help you understand how to organize the work. For example, you can make it mandatory to visit the office during the preparation of quarterly reports.
- Define clearly the work schedule and responsibilities of the staff. ImportantJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Reportso that the company has clear job descriptions. People need to have a good understanding of what is required of them, how the interaction works, who is responsible for what, when and why they work at home or in the office.
- Create a comfortable virtual environment. Get a task manager and define a single messenger for business correspondence. It is better to translate the workflow online so that employees do not carry piles of papers. It is also worth setting clear meeting rulessuch as the order of presentations and opinions.
- Make your office a place for team building and co-creation. Not everyone is eager to return to their traditional workplace, so we need to doJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report office space where you want to come. It is possible, for example, to abandon the standard layout with closed corners or offices and create areas for communication.
- Provide workers with everything they need. IssueD. Rock, C. Pruitt-Haynes. Why Mandates Make Us Feel Threatened / Harvard Business Review laptops for those who do not have a home computer, buy copies of the software and pay the costs of mobile communications and the Internet. In this way, employees will not only work more efficiently, but will also feelJabra Hybrid Ways of Working: 2021 Global Report attention from management.
If you are an employee
To facilitate your transition to a hybrid format, you can doM. Pinola. 6 Productivity Tips for Your New Hybrid Work Life / The New York Times Wirecutter following:
- Take advantage of flexible scheduling. Distribute tasks so that, for example, you can negotiate in the office, and write reports at home, in silence. Benefit from free office visits. For example, discuss with management the possibility of leaving work early so that you don't get stuck in traffic after completing everything in the morning.
- Set up your workplace at home. You can even try to recreate the office environment, such as arranging office supplies in a similar way. This will help you switch between remote and regular formats.
- Remember to keep your work and personal life separate. If you can get so carried away that you don’t notice time flies by, set limits so that you don’t wear down your body. For example, devote no more than eight hours to job tasks when you are at home, or enter a daily routine similar to your office schedule.
- Get the right tools for the job. Buy or ask the company for a laptop, mouse, headset, and set up a fast Internet connection.
- Take care of your own convenience. For example, you might buy two laptop chargers and two mice and leave one set of accessories at home and the other at work. Then you will not need to carry anything with you except a laptop. You can also scan documents, use online editors and cloud storage, so as not to carry heavy folders from the office home and back.
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