In the last few years, everything has changed in the working world. New technology and the global pandemic have now changed the complexion of how it is being seen among organisations and the employees themselves. Among the most important is hybrid remote work. It's the best of both the freedom of working remotely and the collaboration and culture-building aspects of working in an office.
If you are wondering what hybrid remote work is, why it matters, and how to bring it to fruition in the office, then this guide is for you. It gives all one needs to know.
What is hybrid remote work?
Hybrid remote work is known as the flexible work model where employees share time for working at a location closer to home, or even at different locations, sometimes working from a physical office. It combines remote and in-office benefits with the allowances for staff to specify days in-house; yet work-from-home outside designated days.
In that model, organisations might be able to find a balance between the part-time employment of a worker and the job type of such worker, employee preferences, and the work context. Flexibility is enabled under this arrangement, as it would help improve work-life balance while allowing teams to stay together and collaborate when necessary.
For instance, one member may work from home on Mondays and Wednesdays but will visit the office on Tuesdays and Thursdays. On that Friday, he will work flexibly, sometimes finishing a project or working with the rest of the team as required. It allows flexibility for both employers and employees on different ways of working and where the work is done.
In the hybrid remote work model, employees can work in physical offices at times and away from the office for a part of the week. It does not have to apply to everybody at the same time; different employees will have needs, roles, and conditions under which different hybrid arrangements will meet their needs best.
Learn more about remote working in our latest blog – “What is remote working”
Key features of hybrid remote work
Here are some of the key features of hybrid remote work:
- Flexibility: Allowing employees to work partial weeks at home or anywhere else and spend the rest of the week in the office on certain designated days.
- Customisation: A similar hybrid model can create different participations among employees according to roles. For instance, a creative team could spend more days in the office than days at home, and most data analysts could just work from home.
- Technology integrated: Hybrid work functions even more on a strong infrastructure for collaboration, communication, and productivity.
- Results-oriented: Rather than focusing on hours that have been worked, the hybrid model generally focuses on results and outputs.
Wish to know more about other working models? Learn about remote vs in-house working models.
What is driving the hybrid remote work phenomenon?
The hybrid remote model has grown in popularity with organisations and employees themselves. Below are some results that have contributed to increased popularity:
1. Post-pandemic working patterns
Most employees and employers were forced to adopt some form of remote working suddenly as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. They were surprised how many discovered into the mix that their work-life balance had improved, as had productivity levels. This resulted in a genuine wish to have flexibility.
2. Increased productivity
Studies have found that working from home actually contributes to increasing productivity by decreasing commuting time and allowing the employee to work at those hours when he is most productive. Hybrid work takes these benefits, removing some of the difficulties, such as the isolation or communication problems that accompany it.
3. Talent acquisition and retention
Flexibility in working arrangements has become a key criterion for job seekers. Organisations that offer hybrid options can be better positioned to attract and retain top talent. Work from home is the best option for all employees and employers.
4. Cost savings
Hybrid remote work can translate to lower costs for both the employer and the employee. Costly expenses that organisations cut down on include offices, utility bills, and supplies. Employees on their part save on transportation, lunch, and formal attire expenses.
5. Environmental benefits
Fewer employees commuting daily translates to less carbon emission that few employees commuting on workdays contribute to, plus benefits achieved as part of the organisation's sustainability efforts.
6. Global workforce integration
We now have a hybrid remote work model where the company can easily access a global talent pool. Be it through remote-friendly policies, organisations can bring in the best calibre of skills, and experts from various locations without demanding relocation.
Kinds of hybrid work models
Hybrid working is not a uniform concept, for companies have different approaches to hybrid work. These are the most common types:
1. Flexible hybrid model
The power of choosing when and wherever to work is very strong. However, such types have to be backed by trust and able communication channels for accountability.
2. Fix or static hybrid model
In such a case, such companies just say- Monday and Wednesday will be in-house, and the rest will be work from home. There is some predictability.
3. Split teams’ model
Some teams or departments already have full remote statuses, while others stay tied to the office environment. This is a valid option for companies that want certain roles to always be present on-site.
4. Office first hybrid model
Rather, employees stay in their offices, but for a few, they work outside. Such an approach suits firms that are more keen on physical synergy but would want to compromise a little bit on flexibility.
5. Role-based hybrid model
Some organisations create hybrids based on roles rather than people: the sales teams, for example, would have more time in-house when a client is coming in, while most contact for IT support would be online.
Benefits of hybrid work
Hybrid remote work has many benefits for employees and organisations, such as:
For employees:
Work-life balance:
Employees create an environment where they can work according to personal needs, whether it is taking care of the children or pursuing hobbies.
Less commuting:
Working remotely part-time will significantly decrease the time and energy spent on commuting.
Increased job satisfaction:
Flexibility leads to higher morale and engagement.
Healthier:
Illness exposure is lower by making a workspace at home conducive to physical and mental well-being.
For employers:
Increased productivity:
Often the hybrid way improves focus and efficiency.
Wider talent pool:
The organisation can hire talent from different geographical locations.
Better employee retention:
Hybrid options show how highly a company values its employees' well-being.
Cost-effective expansion:
Hybrid models provide businesses with the opportunity for a heavy expansion without having to invest in additional office space.
Stronger employer branding:
Companies embracing hybrid work are seen as progressive and adaptive, attracting forward-thinking professionals.
Read our detailed blog on the benefits of working remotely to understand this dimension even better.
Challenges of hybrid remote work
Complexity is introduced by hybrid models; however, they have challenges for organisations. The following might help organisations mitigate the challenges:
1. Coordination issues
A very big mess in trying to manage disparate schedules and places of team members at the time caused backwards and forward movement of meetings as well as project timelines.
2. Communication gaps
It may fail to receive all real-time discussions and updates in the office, making it feel quite excluded. The remote team often faces communication gaps and confusion because of distance and the absence of non-verbal communication.
3. Equity concerns
All-inclusive provisions for each employee are what characterise hybrid remote models. They should ensure that remote employees are not deprived of career growth opportunities, such as promotions.
4. Over-reliance on technology
Implementation of the full-fledged hybrid work model is dependent on high-end communication tools for collaboration. Disruption in productivity can be caused by inadequate, malfunctioning, or ineffective training concerning these tools.
5. Maintaining company culture
More effort is required to maintain a sound culture between the employees since they do not work in one location.
6. Employee isolation
Remote employees could feel isolated from the mission of the organisation and its peers-inclusiveness requires proactive efforts to be kept up.
Challenges can be overcome with the right strategy, read more about the challenges of working remotely and remote culture.
How to start a hybrid remote work model successfully
Adopting hybrid remote work is not so easy it requires careful planning and execution. However, here is a step-by-step guide to help:
1. Evaluation of organisation needs
Analyse roles and activities suitable for remote work and those needing in-person collaboration. Invite employees to conversations about their preferences and concerns.
2. Formulate transparency policies
Develop a framework for:
- Days that employees are expected to be in the office.
- Communication protocol.
- Performance measures.
- Reimbursements for home office expenses.
- Security in ensuring sensitive data remains secure in remote access.
3. Technology investments
Equip teams with the appropriate tools such as:
- Video conferencing tools (Zoom, Microsoft Teams).
- Project management tools (Trello, Asana, etc.).
- Cloud and document-sharing tools (Google Drive, Dropbox).
- Cybersecurity solutions.
4. Redesign offices
Redesign the office to allow for collaborative and innovative uses. Apply the concept of hot-desking or shared workstations for different bumping frequencies.
5. Training manager and employees
Introducing a session with:
- Effective virtual communication.
- Time management for a remote workforce.
- Building hybrid teams inclusive of people into the mainstream.
- Leveraging technology to get the most out of productive people.
6. Measure and modify
Your hybrid model should be tested for effectiveness through surveys, metrics of productivity, and feeding sessions to prepare for continuous improvement.
7. Bubble with social ties
Organise regular online and offline team-building events for quality interpersonal bonding. Checkout Virtual team-building activities.
Best practices of hybrid remote working
In the long run, for success, these are best practices:
1. Instil a culture of trust
Trust employees to manage their schedules and deliver results. Micromanagement takes out all of the advantages of hybrid working.
2. Encourage regular check-ins
Strengthen the bonds by allowing for one-on-one with managers and team members themselves to share better and look for solutions together.
3. Create a level playing field
Ensure that all employees feel equally valued, whatever their location. Improve, for instance, digital tools to enable participation by all remote attendees in meetings.
4. Advocating work-life balance
Encourage employees to have boundaries and avoid burnout with exhortations against after-hours emails.
5. Achievement celebration
Celebrate success, whether it's a day in the office or working from home. Team building is achieved when victories are shared.
6. Build feedback loops
Establish some regular opportunities for employees to feedback on their hybrid work experiences. Use that feedback to help refine your policies and practices.
Tools and technology for hybrid work
For exactly such hybrid work environments, organisations also have to adapt technology from the following lists of hybrid work tools and technology:
1. Collaboration software
Collaboration software allows co-workers to work as a team whether they are together in their offices or different offices from the same organisation. Some tools like:
- Slack for chat and channel discussions.
- Microsoft Teams for meeting online and team management.
- Asana or Monday.com for project tracking.
2. Time management tools
Sometimes tracking and scheduled tools help employees and managers manage their days more effectively:
- Toggl Track for time tracking.
- Clockify for productivity insights.
- Google Calendar for the team schedule.
3. File sharing and cloud storage
Hybrid teams are also very much dependent on ease of access to shared documents and files:
- Google Drive for document collaboration.
- Dropbox for file storage.
- OneDrive for users of Microsoft.
4. Video conferencing platforms
An effective hybrid meeting session must have reliable videoconferencing.
- Zoom for its simple user interface and the availability of breakout rooms.
- Webex for large-scale enterprise meetings.
- Google Meet for easy integration with other Google Workspace tools.
5. Employee engagement tools
They usually have some ways of providing regular check-ins, feedback systems, and surveys to gauge employee satisfaction and engagement with platforms like 15Five or OfficeVibe.
6. Security measures
Securing remote workplaces is vital. Solutions include:
- VPNs for secured access.
- Antivirus solutions like Norton or McAfee.
- Endpoint protection tools to protect devices.
The future of hybrid remote work
The hybrid remote work has rapidly moved into the lives of people, making it one of the future lifelines of the workplace. Well, below are a few predictions and trends which can be based on your observation:
1. Increased automation
The organisation will opt for using AI with machine learning models for automating processes and even transforming them into hybrid workflows like scheduling or monitoring productivity.
2. Virtual reality and augmented reality
Those VR and AR tools are going to be used in the future to allow such immersive virtual meetings or even training sessions so that the person can feel all the meeting or training is conducted here.
3. Collaboratively enhanced workspaces
The office will take a turn from a workspace to a collaborated hub where only co-working occurs rather than cubical setups. More wide-open spaces will come into play, with flexible seating arrangements, and full-furnished areas for brainstorming.
4. Employee-centric policies
The organisation would try to address employee well-being in hybrid models by providing mental health services, flexible benefits, and better support for working away from office premises.
5. Data-driven decision making
Analytics tools will be employed by organisations to build a proper hybrid strategy based on productivity, engagement, and usage patterns in offices so as to refine their model.
6. Acquisition of talent worldwide
The introduction of hybrid work allows access to global talent, allowing organisations to work around time zones. This trend will only strengthen as hybrid models continue to be widely adopted.
Conclusion
Top hybrid remote working is a mix of flexibility, collaboration, and innovation. With strategic planning and the right tools, an organisation can reap the benefits of these new ways of working, even overcoming the challenges posed by them. If an employee or an employer is embarking on this journey, it is adaptability, communication, and shared understanding of goals that matter in the end.
The move to a hybrid will induce a change in structures that will not only have to redefine the organisation of tasks, but productivity, work groups, and future concepts of the workplace. Change is a healthy attitude to embrace and prepare yourself for hybrid remote work.
.png){kind=icon}
.webp)
