Hybrid work
Hybrid work is a location-flexible arrangement that allows employees to divide their time between remote and in-office work. The level of autonomy to set up individual schedules may vary depending on each organization's strategy.
History
Hybrid work's popularity increased after the COVID-19 pandemic, as employees showed a growing desire for workplace flexibility.[1] More than 52% of workers in the U.S. say they would prefer a more flexible working model post-pandemic.[2] Meanwhile, 39% of employees would consider quitting if their organizations were not flexible about working from home. This trend is very prominent among younger generations: 49% of Millennials and Gen Z admit they would consider quitting their jobs if required to work in the office full time.[3]
Depending on their needs and internal policies, organizations usually settle on one of these hybrid work strategies: remote-first, office-occasional, or office-first.
Hybrid work models are most common in corporate settings. They exclude a large pool of workers in different sectors: factory or service employees, medical professionals, etc. Employees in these industries do not have a choice about where to work—physical presence is required to perform their duties.[4]
Notable hybrid companies
Hybrid work strategies
Remote-first
Remote-first is a hybrid work strategy in which most or all employees are working remotely.[8] They can choose to work from a centralized office, but it is not the primary option.
Organizational processes in remote-first setups are based on the premise that not all employees work onsite. There is no disadvantage to working from home versus working in the office. All employees have the same experience.[9]
Office-occasional
Office-occasional is a hybrid work strategy in which employees are required to come into the office a few times a week or month. In the office-occasional setup, work schedule flexibility depends on the organization’s needs. For example, employees can be instructed to work from the office 3 days a week of their choice, or be on-site every Thursday.
Office-first (remote-friendly)
Office-first is a hybrid work strategy in which working in the office is the default for most or all employees. This strategy is also called remote-friendly. A company might allow employees to work from home a certain number of days per week (or hire remotely for some roles), but it is not an occasional practice.[10]
Office-first companies do not design their organizational processes to accommodate both remote and in-office employee experiences. As the office is the primary mode of working, employees benefit from the full workplace experience only on-site.
Potential benefits
Hybrid work carries its own benefits and drawbacks, such as improved employee experience, higher job satisfaction, increased reliance on technology, and others.
Higher employee satisfaction
Hybrid work emphasizes employee autonomy and flexibility and enables them to work in an environment that suits them best. Statistically, employees who work in hybrid settings are more satisfied (65% satisfaction rate) with their jobs compared to employees who work only on-site (53% satisfaction rate) or only at home (57% satisfaction rate).[11]
Emphasis on productivity
The hybrid model requires modern performance management and performance measurement techniques. Hybrid organizations are shifting from an efficiency-driven approach (maximizing efficiency by guaranteeing employee presence at the office) to a productivity-driven approach (supporting both on-site and remote employees with the resources they need to succeed in completing their tasks and scoping projects in a clear workflow).[12]
Wider talent pools
Hybrid organizations have access to larger talent pools. As the hiring process is not bound by location, companies can look for the best candidates beyond their office-centric talent pools. This, in turn, creates a distributed workforce.
Lower real estate costs
Hybrid work models can lead to rental cost savings as organizations need less office space to accommodate employees on-site. Distributed hybrid workplaces have better space utilization (7–12% better than in traditional offices) and benefit from 33% first-year cost avoidance over conventional workspaces. Fewer office supplies are needed. Employees spend less time and money commuting, which is an important saving for organizations that provide company transportation.[13]
Potential drawbacks
Reliance on technology
Hybrid work requires digital systems to bridge remote and in-house employees. A report by Harvard Business Review Analytic Services for Verizon Business, ‘Re-Creating Work as a Blend of Virtual and Physical Experiences’ (published in September 2020) reveals an increased organizational reliance on technologies and collaboration tools, such as video and web conferencing or file sharing.[14]
Most people have between 5 and 9 workplace apps open at once. The average number of apps used by a modern knowledge worker is 9.39.[15] 43% of employees admit to spending too much time switching between different applications.[16] Digital overload is one of the biggest productivity problems in modern workplaces. There is little evidence that high technology spending improves business productivity. Excessive workplace tools pose a risk of app fatigue and its consequences: poor communication, distractions, growing stress levels, and plummeting productivity.[17]
Heightened cyber risks
In 2020, Radware reported that 76% of companies were preparing to adopt cloud services faster than planned.[18] Cloud-based productivity suites enable hybrid work but may increase organizational vulnerability to hackers. For example, the FBI witnessed a heavy upsurge in cybercrimes (from 1,000 to up to 4,000 daily complaints) since the beginning of the pandemic.[19]
Cyber risks are also high inside the organization. Using personal devices, downloading malicious applications, connecting to public WiFi when working in a cafe, or gaining unauthorized access to data are increasingly common situations in hybrid workplace setups.
In the “Securing the Future of Hybrid Working” report, security firm Tessian reveals that 58% of corporate IT leaders are planning to organize more security training to gain visibility into their employees’ IT habits. The same percentage of decision-makers emphasize multi-factor authentication as an effective solution. Other ways to improve security in hybrid workplaces include updates (or renewal) of endpoint protection and VPN, as well as implementation of a “Bring Your Own Device” (BYOD) policy.[20]
Weakened team relationships
In hybrid work settings, especially in remote-first organizations, the primary form of communication is digital. Employees interact with each other using computers, smartphones, by sending text messages, emails, or attending video conferences.
Related terms and concepts
Remote work
Remote work is a work arrangement in which employees do not commute to a central place of work, such as an office building, warehouse, or store.
Distributed workforce
A distributed workforce is a workforce that reaches beyond the restrictions of a traditional office environment. A distributed workforce is dispersed geographically over a wide area—domestically or internationally.
Hot desking
Hot desking (sometimes called "non-reservation-based hoteling") is an office organization system which involves multiple workers using a single physical workstation or surface during different time periods.
Hoteling
Hoteling is a method of office management in which workers dynamically schedule their use of workspaces such as desks, cubicles, and offices.
References
- ↑ "The Ultimate Guide to Hybrid Work". yarooms.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "What employees are saying about the future of hybrid work". mckinsey.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Employees Are Quitting Instead of Giving Up Working From Home". bloomberg.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Hybrid work is not a one-size-fits-all solution". teambrightly.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Evolvin Reddit's Workforce". reddit.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "The Future of Work at HubSpot: How We're Building a Hybrid Company". hubspot.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "5 Companies Planning for A Hybrid Work Model (And How They're Doing It)". compt.io. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "What is Remote-first?". vmware.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Embracing a remote-first culture". purposehr.co.uk. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "What is Remote-first?". vmware.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "The advantages of hybrid work model". hibob.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Pros and cons of the hybrid workplace model". blog.jostle.me. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "The Metrics of Distributed Work. Financial and Performance Benefits of an Emerging Work Model" (PDF). knoll.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Recreating Work As A Blend of Virtual and Physical Experiences". hbr.org. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "The false promise of the app economy" (PDF). dropbox.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Workgeist Report 2021". language.work. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Digital workplace tools: the thin line between empowerment and distraction". yarooms.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Survey: C-Suite Executives Expect Changes Made in Response To Covid-19 to Become Permanent". radware.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "FBI sees spike in cyber crime reports during coronavirus pandemic". thehill.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
- ↑ "Securing the Future of Hybrid Working". tessian.com. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
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