Does hybrid work really work?
Many businesses have embraced hybrid work with open arms. But the big question still hovers over us – does hybrid work really work? If you are a leader and still looking for the real ROI of hybrid work, read on. Find out if hybrid work really works, the benefits, the best practices to support it, and what should you do to create a destination workplace.
Returning to work after the pandemic has been challenging. For most companies, rather than a 100% return to the office, adopting the middle ground (read hybrid work) has worked better. This is because it offers the perfect balance of facetime with co-workers and the flexibility of working remotely to have undisturbed focus time.
However, there continues to be a huge disconnect between how employees and leaders feel about productivity in a hybrid setup. According to a recent report published by Microsoft, 87% of employees feel they are productive at work while only 12% of leaders say they have full confidence their team is productive. This, despite an increase in productivity from businesses working in hybrid environments.
Here are some more key findings from recent workplace research:
Long periods of remote work have made people realise the importance of having a balanced work-life that’s offered by hybrid work. Returning to the office full-time can take away flexibility and increase stress and expenses as a result of a work commute. Research shows that the same or even better levels of productivity could be achieved by working a few days from the office and the rest, remotely.
Accenture’s Future of Work research shows the positive impacts of hybrid work on employees. Although people prefer the hybrid setup, businesses are investing in the onsite work environment. Many organisations are now downsizing their real estate to create a world-class ‘destination workplace’ to support hybrid work.
Results from a study conducted by PWC show that several companies had reported increased productivity during the pandemic. Clearly, giving the freedom of choice to employees helps enhance productivity and well-being while also improving the organisation’s overall growth.
Leading the change
As a business leader, it is imperative to create a hybrid work structure that allows your people to thrive. The first step is understanding the role of the office in the modern workplace. The office should become a destination for collaboration, innovation, and progression, not just a place to sit and work. By creating the right environments, both remote and in-office, you give people the right spaces they need to be at their most productive state.
It also ensures you stand a better chance of attracting and retaining top talent who are looking to enjoy the benefits of a hybrid workplace. The ability to work remotely has quickly become one of the top items on a prospective employee’s list when looking at a new role. If you can’t offer a defined hybrid policy they’ll look for someone who will.
This also puts undue pressure on managers who are battling to find a balance between the demands of their employees and the demands of the business leaders.
Greater focus
As hybrid work allows employees to work from both the office and remotely, they can decide where and when they can give undivided attention to high-value projects and block out time to finish important tasks. This will benefit the business as projects would move quicker through the cycle.
Autonomy and trust are essential to motivate a hybrid workforce to maximise productivity. In practice, this can mean a commitment to mobile-friendly applications—more than just your email and calendar—but customising key business apps to be mobile-friendly.
Improved collaboration
Hybrid work allows better collaboration. It creates a platform for meaningful collaboration between employees working remotely and in person. This leads to better decision-making and thereby improved business outcomes.
Reduced stress
Hybrid work means employees can choose when and where they want to work from. This reduces the stress of getting to work on all days of the week giving them the time to focus on things that matter, ultimately enhancing productivity.
Work-life balance
Integrating other aspects of life while still being productive at work is a great boon that hybrid work provides. This helps create a balance between personal and professional life for employees and a higher retention rate helping HR to focus on sincere employee engagement initiatives and not just recruitment.
Reduced real estate costs
Implementing a hybrid approach generally means fewer people in the office at any one time and therefore a reduced need for desk space. With the right policies and technology to manage it, you can reduce your office space, reducing costs with it.