Hybrid Work: Why Do Employees Want It?


In the modern world, fundamental processes are taking place that stimulate the transformation of socioeconomic systems. One of these factors is the development of digital technologies, accompanied by profound changes in all spheres of life, including the employee experience. The hybrid format of personnel work has become the new normal in the work schedule of modern business, replacing the old ones, namely remote and office ones.

This is a model of organizing the work of the company’s employees, in which employees spend part of their time in the company’s office and part of it remotely. The amount of time spent remotely and offline is not standardized. It is determined depending on the type of work and tasks. This format allows you to combine the advantages of both models. Communicate with colleagues a few days a week at work and work from home the rest of the time.

Diversity of Advantages of the Hybrid Format of Work?

Restrictive measures in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a new reality in many areas of public life, including the future of work. Such processes of transformation of employment as remote work, digitalization, flexibility, and the spread of non-standard work schedules under the influence of administrative restrictions, began to be implemented on a large scale and at a faster pace than employees and employers would like.

The most characteristic feature of the new labor reality has undoubtedly become the widespread use of remote or hybrid work when the employee performs the most significant functions related to his activity using information and communication technologies.

To date, a diversity of monitoring survey results have been accumulated on various aspects of remote employment during a pandemic. These surveys promptly recorded the general trends in social processes, the dynamics of the opinions of employees and employers about the new labor reality, and the effectiveness of the hybrid workplace. The lion’s share of the working population of various corners of the world managed to adapt to remote work. The list of advantages of this format includes the following aspects:

  • higher individual efficiency;
  • fewer distractions;
  • reducing the conflict between work and life;
  • the convenience of a home environment;
  • reducing the actual workload;
  • increasing the amount of free time;
  • the opportunity to pay more attention to home and family;
  • and so on.

The latter is a system of measures that guarantees the protection of the individual from dangers and makes it possible to manage them, predict, and prevent a person from finding himself in critical situations. For every person, personal security is an integral element of a safe existence. Thanks to this, he feels protected and can take care of the human resources or needs of a higher order, including social and spiritual.

Personal safety has several aspects, considering a person’s relationship with the immediate circle of his environment and connection with the environment. Security is not only a basic need but also a tool that allows every individual in this world to realize himself, to achieve balance in all spheres of life. Security is associated with confidence in the future and the absence of worries.

What About the Pitfalls

No one will argue that the tastes differ. All office workers have a choice offered by modern realities and the introduction of high-technology projects. One of the challenges was the high proportion of workers with polar opposite assessments of the consequences of switching to remote work. In addition, a significant proportion of those believed that after the transition to a hybrid work their situation will not fundamentally change. Negative attitudes towards remote work markedly prevailed in the first months of restrictive measures.

Remote work requires a well-organized workspace and time, self-organization, changes in skills, and habits, that is, qualities that until recently were considered necessary mainly for freelancers or workers on non-standard work schedules. The survey results present a long list of the costs of remote or hybrid work, among which are:

  • distractions, difficulty concentrating on work at home, and, accordingly, a drop in work efficiency;
  • rupture of social ties, communication difficulties, lack of live spontaneous communication with colleagues;
  • monotony, routine workdays, lack of events;
  • lack of skills, and the need to quickly master new programs, applications, and means of communication.

The costs of providing technical means for organizing the hybrid workplace, including computer equipment, programs necessary for work, and stable high-speed Internet, which the employer has so far borne, were completely shifted to the employees.

A serious consequence of remote work for many has been an increase in the intensity and volume of work performed, in fact, an extended or irregular working day, when tasks fill all the time to the detriment of other areas of life. The limitlessness of assignments, the conflict between work and life, burnout, and so on have become the negative symbols of remote work.

A Few Recommendations

Ensuring teamwork is a complicated but achievable goal. During hybrid work, it is necessary to react quickly and take measures, in particular:

  • train to manage a team at a distance;
  • manage conflicts in the organization;
  • self-motivation;
  • plan projects,
  • form tasks and monitor execution;
  • psychologically support team members.

Managers in their organization have to cultivate in the team the understanding that remote and hybrid work accompanies failures. Equally significant is being honest and open to one’s unexpected failures and understanding when others also face them. A feature of remote work is flexibility, but it also requires rapid adaptation from the staff. Knowing this will help ensure that team members are not afraid of falling out of the workflow or being punished.

It is necessary to learn how to plan your time. Due to the lack of skills in independent planning of hybrid work, you can have less time. And most people associate rest with home, not work, affecting the perception of one’s productivity. At work, we are less distracted and can get more done. Therefore, it is important to self-organize your working day.

For some, working from a home office is more comfortable. People begin to work much more efficiently, take on many tasks, and sit until late in the evening. At first, everything works out great and brings pleasure, but over time it becomes more difficult to force yourself to work, and the enthusiasm disappears somewhere. Therefore, to prevent such burnout, it is significant to make a schedule and take breaks, not try to do everything at once.

Online staff studying is a more significant investment in business and human capital. It is necessary to train employees in the following:

  • time management and project management;
  • improving the level of a foreign language, and specialized software;
  • self-control and self-motivation, self-management;
  • prevention of professional burnout and stress resistance.

The lack of ability to directly control the employees is one of the most common problems of hybrid work and remote management. But let’s face it, no one likes it when a manager peeks into your monitor from time to time and checks what you’re doing. For employees to perform work and deliver projects on time, it is necessary to create appropriate working conditions and motivate them.

There are many non-obvious non-material incentives, so it’s worth finding out which ones work best for your team. When a person works remotely and communicates with colleagues only in the messenger. It becomes a challenge to maintain the atmosphere there. While in the office people are close to each other and can exchange ideas, in the hybrid workplace casual communication is limited.

Concluding the article, it is worth emphasizing the need to work on team building in the network and the formation of team spirit in the team. Currently, many programs can provide high-quality communication between groups of people on the Internet, among them the well-known Skype, Zoom for meetings, Messenger for quick communication, and Telegram.

Carly Simons

For many years, my primary goal has been to collect and process diverse information to expand the horizons of people from different parts of the world, filling their knowledge base with fascinating information. The basis for all my work is valuable information only from trusted resources. Being aware of the possible encounter with ill-wishers, I installed various applications offered by VeePNOpens in a new tab. and secured myself forever. The latter is only a fragment of the features of my activity, reflecting the responsibility with which I approach the implementation of tasks.

Steve Todd

Steve Todd, founder of Open Sourced Workplace and is a recognized thought leader in workplace strategy and the future of work. With a passion for work from anywhere, Steve has successfully implemented transformative strategies that enhance productivity and employee satisfaction. Through Open Sourced Workplace, he fosters collaboration among HR, facilities management, technology, and real estate professionals, providing valuable insights and resources. As a speaker and contributor to various publications, Steve remains dedicated to staying at the forefront of workplace innovation, helping organizations thrive in today's dynamic work environment.

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