Hybrid Working Models: What is the Best Option for Your Organization?
What is a Hybrid Working Model?
Hybrid working models are flexible work environments where employees work partly in the office and partly remotely depending on productivity and work requirements. Such work arrangements give the employees a choice to work entirely from the office, their home, or any remote place or a combination of these. Statistically, 63% of high-growth companies now use hybrid work models.
Why Choose a Hybrid Working Model?
Accommodating all employees under one roof became a challenging task post-pandemic, after work from home was the only option. Many companies concluded that working remotely or from home increases an employee’s work productivity and is very cost-effective.
Google, in December of 2020, announced that the company would require its employees to work from the office at least three days a week and the rest of the days remotely. Since then, companies of all sizes and industries worldwide have been exploring hybrid work models.
Types of Hybrid Work Models
An organization can choose from five types of hybrid work models. Each model with its respective pros and cons are discussed below:
1) Remote First Model
The remote first models are at-will models that allow employees to work remotely from home or any other space outside their company premises. The remote first model grew immensely, with 70% of the U.S. workforce working remotely in mid-2020, which was only 2% pre-pandemic. Almost all companies adopting this model still maintain an office space that employees can visit occasionally.
Pros: It reduces the overhead cost of office space, commute time, supplies, etc.
Cons: It can be challenging to keep the team connected if there are no clear communication guidelines.
2) Office First Model
Office-based or office-first hybrid work models require employees to come to the office most of the time while allowing them to work remotely for a fraction of their work time. Companies that adopt this model believe that remote working is an obstacle to team coordination.
Pros: Allows the employees to balance office and outside office responsibilities.
Cons: This might cause operational issues at the workplace, especially related to health concerns.
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3) Split Week Model
This work arrangement operates by splitting the workdays between office work and remote work. Some departments need to work from the office during the first half of the week, and other departments can work on the second half or any similar arrangement. This working model helps avoid overcrowding and still allows regrouping and collaborating regularly.
Pros: Employees get flexibility at work.
Cons: Employees might feel disturbed with often fluctuation in their work schedules.
4) Fully Remote Hybrid Work Model
With the rapid advancement in technology, managing a fully remote team without any hurdles is now possible. It is no longer necessary for a team to be co-located for better coordination. The companies often provide all the required equipment they need to work remotely.
Pros: A company can hire the best talents from across the globe.
Cons: Employees fail to achieve the right work-life balance.
5) Partly Remote Hybrid Work Model
In this hybrid work model, some departments are fully office-bounds (e.g., the HR department), whereas other teams are fully remote (e.g., content team). The top management within this work model is office-based.
Pros: An organization can drastically reduce overhead.
Cons: Remote teams get immensely cut from the workspace.
How to Choose the Best option for Your Organization?
Hybrid work is a new concept for many businesses and requires careful planning, strategic thinking, and thoughtful execution. Let’s discuss how an organization can choose the best work model
1) Organization Type
A critical analysis needs to be made on whether or not a business can operate remotely. Some organizations can’t function in remote work models (e.g., a bank). Office-based work models become the recommended option if dealing with clients or stakeholders cannot be done virtually.
2) Collect data
An employer needs to collect work productivity data during the remote work models. This data would provide the most accurate and comprehensive understanding of the results generated. If a company yields better outcomes working remotely, then remote work can be considered not otherwise.
3) Conduct Surveys
If an organization can work efficiently during remote working models, it is advisable to conduct surveys where the employees can communicate their preferences and get work flexibility. This would reduce employers’ overheads and increase employee work productivity. This is not mandatory but still advisable.
According to a report published by Accenture, over 83% of employees stated that hybrid work models that allow them to work remotely between 25% and 75% of the time are favorable to them.
4) Technology Support Collaboration
A leader must ensure that the employees are deployed with proper technical support to eliminate potential communication and operational issues if the remote work models are implemented.
5) Visualize
Every decision requires a critical visualization of what the possible challenges and outcomes could be of a model after implementation. An organization is recommended to opt for a model that provides maximum benefits on implementation.
Wrapping up
The traditional ways of working no longer suit the modern workforce. A business needs to blend conventional methods with modern ones even if they are not willing to fully adopt them Every hybrid work model has its pros and cons. There is no set president to choose the best hybrid model for your organization. The model that works for one company might fail for another. Opting for a hybrid work model is every employer’s call. The criteria mentioned above are references to consider while decision-making.
