Hybrid Theory: The advantages of hybrid working (and how to make it work for you)

Work/Life
Written By Laura Linham

One minute you’re sat at your desk reading an apologetic email asking if you’d mind working from home for a couple of weeks until this Covid thing blows over, and the next it’s somehow coming up to two years of you working at your kitchen table and weekly Zoom meetings.

Over the past year, no area has undergone more rapid transformation than the way we work. Employee expectations are changing, too -, over 70 per cent of workers say they want flexible remote work options to continue, while over 65 percent are craving more in-person time with their teams.

So more and more of us are looking towards hybrid work - a flexible policy that empowers people to choose where (and when) they work, typically a balance between home and the office. Employees may have set schedules, where they work at home three days a week and in the office two days, or choose to work from home or the office full-time.

And while just a few years ago such a thing would be unimaginable, the Future of Work survey carried out by HSBC revealed that for many companies, hybrid working is the way forward. in fact, just one in twenty (5%) businesses believe that they will not see any form of remote working in future.

In commercial terms, hybrid working makes sense, but crucially, it’s what many employees want: flexible working policies and an emphasis on employee wellbeing are a close second to salary and benefits when it comes to moving jobs.

With this in mind, researchers from the Vlerick Business School, lead by Professor Katleen de Stobbeleir and Professor Karlien Vanderheyden, have come up with five advantages of hybrid working.

MAJOR ADVANTAGE IN HIRING TALENT

Hybrid working gives your organisation a significant advantage in securing talent by widening the pool of applicants you can hire from.

While potential applicants have previously been restricted by commuting distance, this no longer applies. Access to a broader talent pool also fosters increased diversity and inclusion in companies.

Professor de Stobbeleir says, “Flexibility in working location and hours is good for your employer branding as younger employees want more control in this area. Employees in other phases of life, such as young parents or caregivers, will also embrace the chance to work from home.”

CONTRIBUTION TO SUSTAINABILITY OBJECTIVES

Hybrid working can make a significant contribution to CO2 reduction as employees travel less frequently between their home and work office.

If they do have to go into the office, they can be flexible with when they work and therefore when they travel. Your company is then contributing to sustainability goals and your employees benefit as well.

SAVE ON OFFICE COSTS

If a large number of your employees are working from a different location, the company office can start to feel like unnecessary expenditure.

In this case, moving to a cheaper, smaller office or building to use as more of a meeting space might be a smarter choice financially.

INCREASED PRODUCTIVITY

Previous research has found that working from home can increase work output.

Professor Vanderheyden says, “Assuming home working conditions are suitable, the employee will be able to focus better than in an average office. There is more focus on the job at hand and there are less disruptions than in the office.

“Many companies indicate that working partly at home increased productivity both qualitatively and quantitatively, and employees get more done in the same time than before.”

ENERGISE EMPLOYEES

Hybrid work allows employees to fit working with their personality and stage in life.

One person might thrive off social interaction every day, while another prefers to isolate themselves while working. By offering that choice, employees have more control over the place, time, and manner in which they work and will experience less stress.

They will also have more opportunities to relax while working, resulting in lower absenteeism.

The magic question that many employers are mulling over now is what is the optimal hybrid working arrangement?

There is a broad range of opinion as to what hybrid working looks like. More than a third (34%) of businesses are planning to offer full flexibility, giving employees the freedom to choose whether they go into the office or work onsite. This approach is most popular with higher growth businesses, with 41% opting for this, compared with just 30% of lower growth businesses.

Five ways to make hybrid work

  • Determine which roles need to be done on-site or in an office and identify vulnerable staff members who may require more flexibility

  • Ask employees about their working preferences, encouraging them to express their needs, wants and expectations

  • Review meeting platforms such as Teams, Slack and Zoom and provide training where necessary

  • Consider offering ongoing mental health support and inclusion policies to help staff who are working remotely

  • Define eligibility and communicate the new plan effectively to staff

Dr Anna Gurun, a director at the Future of Work Research Consortium, says: “This past year has in some ways accelerated a shift that was already occurring within work, and raised expectations (from employees and organisations) around flexibility and speed of change.

“Employees realised that they were able to be, in many cases, more productive while working from home. Making a shift in ways of working is crucial in order to respond to these expectations.”

She says for some roles “collaboration and co-ordination might be the key productivity drivers – in which case key touchpoints may need to be face-to-face,” while for others, “focus may be crucial – and perhaps this is easier done from home.”