Hybrid WFH Model — New reality or just a phase?
Covid-19 pandemic left many employees and companies under question — what after? With significant changes in the economy and new ways of doing business, we are all questioning if we can work from home or tether to our workplace.
Both companies and employees have a similar version of the future — a model that combines remote work and office time.
What is the Hybrid WFH work model?
The Hybrid WFH work model allows some employees to work from home and some at the office. Some companies are even offering the opportunity to work from anywhere they’d like or out of the office; the choice is on them.
Is hybrid work sustainable in the long term, and is this new flexible model here to stay?
I would undoubtedly say yes! Attractive to companies and their workers, the hybrid model will save a fortune in real estate costs and give employees more control over their life. True, it is not perfect, and it still has many potential severe problems to solve. Still, it also gives fantastic alternatives for all who enjoy the cost-effective and productivity-enhancing perks of remote work.
So, is it sustainable? For remote work to be sustainable, it is crucial to provide a healthy work environment, and individuals should be able to do their tasks without burning out.
Inclusive and diverse remote work has to remain productive, cost-effective and, maintain companies culture and goals and at the same time give employees opportunities for career progression.
Is the Hybrid model suitable for your company: advantages and drawbacks
We are finally getting closer to the end of the pandemic, and the companies are focusing on new work arrangements for their employees. With both home-remote and in-house team members, the hybrid model comes with various challenges to consider and many benefits for all turning to this work style.
Brave New World
As I mentioned before, the hybrid model has many positive consequences that makes it so attractive:
- Employees are keener to work on themselves, productivity, and strengths.
The new telework era brought many questions about the productivity and overall satisfaction of companies and workers.
With potential higher in advanced economies, the hybrid model gives companies more satisfied workers, as they have more time for personal and professional growth. It will be perfect working quietly from home for some of them, and for some sitting at the office makes them more productive.
Remote employees are saving time as they no longer have to commute to work. Along with time savings, there are also cost savings on fuel and other expenses, and with all, people have more time for themselves, family, and hobbies.
When you give an option like this to employees, you will probably get their full potential, and what else you can ask for!
- Talented people are here locally, but they are also all around the globe.
Hiring locals is excellent, but have you ever thought about hiring all around the globe. People with exceptional skills can be found online, and with a remote work model, you can create a multicultural team.
This brings you a completely different perspective, experiences, and ways of thinking. I mean, how cool is the zoom call when knowing that you are productive at different sides of the world, time zones, languages.
Even for me as an employee, the fact that I am on a call with a person from Asia and America at the same time while being in Serbia gives me phenomenal moments of cultural shock while working with people from different economic systems.
Hiring global will widen your talent pool, strengthen team communication skills and help you understand different cultures, and use the best from each.
- Telework is more comfortable for introverts, people with disabilities, or medical conditions.
Sometimes we are not paying enough attention to those who are not easily mobile, or too many interactions with people makes them anxious. With the hybrid model, you are providing more comfortability to those groups while staying connected.
- Fewer people at the office means lower office expenses.
With fewer people at the office, you won’t need ample space, which will cut your office costs, not only for the place but also for electricity and other bills.
- Diminished health risks
Maybe the Covid pandemic is coming to an end, but it still produces a lack of comfortability and confidence for office work for many. Fewer in-house employees mean lower chances of cold, flu, or COVID spreading around the team. This will save their health and also may result in fewer sick days.
Despite all these pros, Hybrid mode also has its obstacles.
Downsides of Hybrid WFH Model
Just like more others, the hybrid model and its patterns won’t fit everyone. It requires more effort and has to be embraced with care, consideration, and intentionality. So, what should you pay attention to:
- Global team means time difference, and that’s a challenge
The main issue when having a global team is the time difference. Sometimes in-house teams will have to wait for hours to get an answer if remote workers are in faraway time zones. With good organization and working hours, the time difference is not necessarily a problem; it is more a challenge to work on.
- Your remote workers can feel isolated from the in-house team.
When you have people working from home and the ones from the office, remote ones can feel isolated and disconnected. They won’t be able to chat with colleagues, and they will be missing happy hours, lunches, birthday parties, and other events not organized, especially to bring employees together.
Here is where you should be careful; no one should feel like they don’t belong to the team, so you will have to find a way to include them in all. Building a virtual community that works for everyone, virtual happy hours and company mixers, weekly one-on-one with managers, and highly organized and conducted meetings are just the points you should consider.
- Remote workers are harder to prove and get faster promotions.
When you can’t interact with people daily, it is hard to see what they’re up to every day. Also, they usually do not get enough facetime with decision-makers to prove they deserve a promotion. If you don’t make a way to give equal chances to all, remote workers could feel less motivated as they don’t see opportunities for the future.
- Communication requires more effort.
WFH team communication occurs mostly virtually via Slack, Asana, Trello, video calls, emails, etc. As in-house building rapport is not an option, this communication requires more commitment, check-in, punctuality, and response promptly.
It Won’t Be Easy, but It Will be Worthwhile: The Importance of Maintaining Culture in a Hybrid Working Environment.
I’ve had to adjust to a hybrid working team that works from home and on-site in the past year. It has not been easy. There are many challenges in culture in a hybrid environment, but it is possible with intentionality and effort. One of the most important things that I learned is making sure everyone feels welcome at the workplace, no matter where they work. If you have an on-site office space, don’t forget about those who work off-site! They should be able to feel included in company events too!
“Success in a hybrid work environment requires employers to move beyond viewing remote or hybrid environments as a temporary or short-term strategy and to treat it as an opportunity.” George Penn, VP at Gartner
The future of work is here.
For years, the office has been a hub for productivity and customer intimacy. But with the advent of COVID-19, many organizations have had to turn to remote and hybrid work models to keep their operations running smoothly.
The future of work is here. It’s just not evenly distributed. Evolution in the workplace has been happening for decades, but it was only when technology began to profoundly impact how we live and work that things changed — in both good ways and bad. The rise of social media has allowed people to collaborate across cultures and borders as never before. It’s enabled employers to shift much of their workforce away from traditional offices into remote working arrangements or hybrid ones (part-time at home with occasional visits).
Ultimately, it seems like we all are confident about the future. It just requires a little bit of confidence, comfort, and creativity to get used to a new way of doing things.
