Why hybrid work is the new normal

Ever since the beginning of the pandemic, everyone has adapted to their own style of working. While some have swapped their daily commute time with a quick morning jog, others enjoy the evening with some extra family time. As there’s no sure shot solution to the work approach, everyone has their preference, whether it is to spend their work time at home or among colleagues. 

While the most part of 2020 was spent working from home, post-2020, most of us have now switched to a new way of work- the hybrid way. This brings in the best of both worlds- the social interactions with colleagues paired with the comfort of being home. Combining remote and office work is not really a new thing but has been enforced more widely in the past year. 

 
While companies that already had hybrid work as an option even prior to Covid-19 aren’t as worried, others struggle to retain their employees due to poor management. So how do you enforce hybrid work that is inclusive and sustainable? Let’s discuss. 

What is a hybrid work model?

In a hybrid work environment, employees can choose to either work from their homes or on-site. Adapting to this in a way that creates a seamless space between the employees, despite their physical location, creates a good work model. 

In the near future, the location of employees will no longer be an issue. In fact, companies will try to recruit the best talent from anywhere in the world rather than be limited to a geographical area. So companies need to create successful hybrid work models that are efficient and enhance collaboration 

How leaders got out of touch with their employees

Even though remote and hybrid work is gaining traction, a lot of top-level management still prefer on-site work that eases communication. Yet, in a recent survey, we found that most employees valued the flexibility aspect of hybrid work. In the survey, Rebecca Fry, Manager of People Enablement at AIG, also mentioned that remote work has helped her improve her physical health. The extra 3 hours in her day is spent on physical exercise and with her family. 

Companies like Apple saw a significant backlash when they announced their return-to-work policy. Employees felt a strong disconnect between their needs and the company’s choices. Our survey results also exposed that some employees felt that leaders weren’t too accepting of employees' inclination to remote work. Yet, a lot of business leaders surveyed have said that they were thriving in remote work. 

With remote work, a lot of companies struggled to make sure that employees were productive during work hours. This shows a lack of trust between management and employees. While managers suspect that the employees might be chilling, the reality has been the polar opposite, with employees spending a lot more time working than before. This has led to a lot of rage-quitters, i.e., employees quitting due to pent up resentment and trust issues. 

Hybrid work is here to stay

With the global acceptance of hybrid work, even remote work seems like a thing of the past. Enterprises have normalized giving employees the flexibility to work from anywhere, based on their convenience. Even in the post-Covid world, lives won’t go back to the old normal. So companies need to focus on enhancing hybrid work models to suit their work culture, rather than trying to bring things back to normal. 

Leadership should look at new and creative ways that empower their employees and improve their wellbeing and productivity. The new normal is a new opportunity to create a more inclusive work environment that suits everyone’s comfort levels and creates a better work-life balance. In fact, the pre-Covid era normalized a lot of unethical behavior like rage, depletion, greed, inequity, etc. and it’s now time to make a change. The ideal way would be to gain enough feedback and insights from existing and former employees to gather information on what works and what doesn’t. 

In our survey, most respondents said that they are well-equipped to transition to a hybrid work model, with 66% reporting that they already have the tools to drive hybrid work.

Is your company well-equipped for hybrid work? At Howspace, we have created the perfect platform to enforce hybrid work.  Want to test yourself how Howspace works? Start your 30-day free trial here.