August 29, 2023 | Last Updated on: September 28, 2023
One of the primary results from the COVID-19 pandemic was the introduction of the hybrid work model and remote work to the workplace. What was originally remote work due to not being able to go into the office slowly became hybrid work once offices started to open up again. The hybrid work model means that employees go into the office a few days a week (typically 2-3) and work remotely a few days a week as well (the other 2-3 days).
While plenty of companies prefer their employees work full-time in-office, working in-person is something a lot of employees are still adapting to. Given the length of the pandemic and how long employees were remote workers for, the in-person work environment at some point stopped being the norm and started becoming foreign to employees.
However, the hybrid workplace is not just about the pandemic anymore. Over time, the difference between working on-site and remotely became a more hot-button topic. There became questions of mental health, work-life balance, and flexible working conditions for employees. Team members will always want the most flexible conditions possible, and the ability to work hybrid and choose which days they want to come into the office will always be appealing.
Still, we understand you must do what’s best for your particular workplace. With that in mind, let’s look into the pros and cons of the hybrid work style for your employees.
Employee happiness has taken a necessary step forward since the pandemic, as mental health as come to the forefront. The pandemic drained plenty of employees mentally, and employee burnout has become one of the key considerations when opting between a hybrid, in-office, or fully remote work style. The evidence has shown that since the pandemic, employees appreciate the flexibility of a hybrid work style.
According to Gitnux, 44% of employees in the U.S. prefer the hybrid model, compared to the other 56% being split between remote and in-person. For employees, working hybrid means getting the opportunity to see coworkers during the week, but not being obligated to spend more time in the office than they would like.
With some statistics from the Gitnux study showing that workers feel they get more work done when they’re working remotely, it also provides the opportunity for workers to get the maximum amount of work done.
Given how difficult it is to hire and retain top talent, you want your employees to be happy. Sure it may feel like you’re letting the employees run the workplace, but in reality you can look at it as you’re empowering your employees to create a work environment that focuses in on employee satisfaction.
If your employees continuously feel heard and appreciated, they will want to continue to work for your business, creating a stronger connection. When you don’t have to worry about employee turnover, you’ll appreciate the existence of the hybrid workplace model.
One of the biggest concerns for companies considering the hybrid workplace model is that they typically have paid for or are planning on paying for a workspace for their respective teams. When social distancing was the most important thing, a lot of companies left their agreements for coworking spaces, but now that people can be around each other again, businesses have picked back up on finding spaces for employees to work together.
Employees appreciate the ability to work together, and remember, the employee experience matters for employee retention. However, working face-to-face only 2-3 days a week can provide a challenge when it comes to retaining office space. Sure, your company can pay for the space and figure out the rest later, but when half of your company is working from home on a given day, you’re not getting the most out of your investment in the workspace. Consider how many of the meeting rooms will be empty, how much of the office supplies will go unused, and how much time employees will spend on Slack or Teams rather than spending it together in the office.
Nobody wants their investments to go to waste, and it can definitely feel like a wasted investment when you drop a lot of money into a working space that doesn’t get the full use. Besides that, implementing and managing a schedule that everyone’s happy with when it comes to the hybrid workplace model can be a major challenge. Consider this a con.
The talent pool is vast but also has high expectations. While you may want employees to follow the exact working hours your business has enforced and even longer hours when necessary, employees have truly put an emphasis on their mental health. Work schedules have become more recommendations than requirements, and there are more work arrangements where employees get a say in when and what they do than ever before.
The future of work is hybrid. It’s essential that you consider this point when you’re deciding whether or not to allow hybrid work. Do you want to be the company that’s stuck in the past, or do you want to be the company that’s moving in the direction that the workplace is moving? While not every company is thrilled about the hybrid work, employees are.
As we discussed before, your employees are your company’s lifeblood. Without them your business will fail to operate. So if your employees are pushing for something, it’s best to take the progressive approach and listen to your employees.
Besides listening to your employees, the mental health aspect is key in the hybrid workspace. According to Gitnux:
Assuming you want your employees to be healthy and happy (we’d hope that’s the case), the statistics back up that they’re at their healthiest and happiest when working hybrid.
Let’s be real, everyone took a deep breath when they were allowed to go back into the office. Gone were the days of messaging on Slack or Teams and making video calls on Zoom. Or were they? While apps like those are helpful, one of the disadvantages of hybrid work is the number of challenges that companies can face when enforcing it. There are so many logistical considerations that must be made as we alluded to before.
Besides who’s working in the office when and managing employee expectations, there are the more nitty-gritty details that companies must figure out.
Here’s are some examples: does everyone need the best-in-class headphones that they were accustomed to getting when everyone was working remotely. Do all employees bring their laptops back and forth from the office so that they can decide whether or not to work from home each workday? For employers, how do they ensure everyone feels included when certain people are working remotely on given days and others are working in the office?
There are so many new questions that come into play with the introduction of the hybrid workspace. Tackling all of these questions while maintaining an environment that everyone wants to work in is a major challenge.
Of course you want your employees to be both healthy and working for your company. One perk of the hybrid workplace model is that employees can choose whether or not they go into the office on any given day.
That may sound obvious or exactly what we explained before, but let’s put some emphasis on this. Employees can choose whether or not they go into the office, under any circumstances. What does that mean? It means that if an employee has a cold, they don’t have to choose between coming into the office and potentially getting everybody sick or staying home and having to use a PTO day over the common cold.
Instead, your office can remain healthy, and your workers can remain working. In this scenario the employee could choose to work from home, get their work done, recover, and come back into the office when they’re healthy.
With an increased focus on health and safety following the pandemic, this is a key consideration for your office. We highlighted the common cold, but you are also cutting down on the risk of somebody spreading COVID throughout the office unintentionally.
Overall, by working via a hybrid work model, you’re promoting good health and providing more opportunities for your employees to work when they want and use their PTO more freely.
As the hybrid work model continues to develop and take the workforce by storm, it’s time to consider whether it is the right option for you or not. While there are pros and cons, it’s important to look at your own organization and see how each pro and each con would impact your team individually.
Whether you jump on board the hybrid craze, it doesn’t appear to be going anywhere. Employees will continue to seek out opportunities where they have the most control possible, and businesses will continue to adapt according to employee needs.
We are living in an increasingly employee-driven world, and the hybrid work model is just one example of that. Still, it’s best to keep your employees happy, as they determine the success or failure of so many aspects of your company. So, if the demand is there, the biggest factor of all may just be what your employees are looking for.
A great tactic is to reach out to your employees and see what they’re most interested in. If the majority say they would prefer to work in a hybrid environment, you might just have a hybrid future coming up ahead of you.
