The Effects Of Hybrid Working

Due to the pandemic, several new concepts and practices were introduced to help us continue with our lives and work. One of them is remote work. With the restrictions related to Covid-19 being slowly lifted and people going back to their usual lives, what comes next for remote work?  

What Is Hybrid Working?

Hybrid working is a new work setup that combines workplace and remote work into one. 

As people begin to advocate a safe workplace for employees, the collaboration between office work and work from home setup is encouraged. This offers a secure, inclusive and engaging work environment between employees and companies, similar to what face-to-face work setup has.

How Does Hybrid Working Work?

In a hybrid work setup, an employee splits their time between working in the office and working at home or in a co-working space. The number of days spent working at home or working in an office setup depends on the employee or the employer.

As more companies introduce this type of work environment for their employees, are they getting the efficiency that they require? Is this indeed a better setup that brings more productivity to the company? Here are some of the effects of hybrid working for employees and their companies in general:

Pros of a Hybrid Work Setup

Below are the advantages of having a hybrid work environment. 

Productivity-Oriented

A hybrid model for working redefines how employers measure the performance of their employees. 

In an office setup, employees are given a guaranteed set of hours to work, maximizing efficiency. The management knowingly or unknowingly looks at the completion of tasks in an hourly perspective. 

Meanwhile, in a  work from home setup, completion of work is what employers look for. Their focus is on providing employees with processes, resources and tools that would create a clear workflow needed to deliver results.

Reduced Cost of Operation

When the number of employees are reduced at the office, consumption of energy, rental costs, office supplies and other utilities are decreased, offering savings for companies.

Additionally, employees are spending less too when it comes to commuting. The need to find accommodation close to the office is reduced too.

Employee Prioritization

Working away from the office requires trust from the management. Employees need to be flexible too, with a home setup not sustainable for long term work.  This is why we see more employers supplying their employees with customized work fittings, standing desks and other office furniture and tools that would break the monotony, and would make remote work more convenient.

Regular meetings are also performed to check in with employees and see how they are doing with balancing their personal and professional lives at home. 

Pain points are addressed immediately by companies to help team members stay effective and productive while in a work setup. 

Working hybrid also lowers the risk of the potential threats that an employee may encounter outside the home as they travel to work. Employees are well taken care of, in terms of their health and well-being, especially during this post-pandemic phase in our lives.

The Cons of Hybrid Working

Although there are plenty of pros in a hybrid working setup, there are certain disadvantages to this as well. 

Employees are isolated more in this form of setup, making it harder to build camaraderie and teamwork. When employees are so used to working alone, collaboration can be quite challenging. Others may feel demotivated due to the lack of a support group inside the workplace. 

However, companies are addressing these by allocating team building events whenever employees are gathered in the office. Regular group meetings and group sessions with employees helps reduce such issues in a hybrid working setup.

Cyber risks is another pitfall that comes with hybrid working. Communicating through the internet in different locations creates a digital footprint that is less controlled, compared to an office setting. Thus, companies need to be vigilant in securing  their data by performing constant software updates, efficient password management and authentication systems to reduce the risk of data breach.

The hybrid working setup might be the future of work for many organizations. It all depends on how willing a company is in investing with efforts and tools to make a hybrid working system possible for their organization.