The year of 2020 brought about a revolutionary change in the global workforce. Masks, vaccinations, and the occasional scare taught us a few hard lessons, but they weren’t the only lessons to be learned.

At that point in time, COVID was an active threat to house and home, and working remotely was a step taken in necessity; but it’s seen recent popularity and a drastic shift in how we, as a workforce, view our jobs.

As the name implies, a hybrid workplace incorporates policies from both on-site and remote arrangements. The restrictions around COVID are starting to lift worldwide, and companies have had to develop policies to keep up productivity in demanding times. Time passes, and as the global workforce settles into its routine at work - the question arises whether it’s worth even going back to the way things used to be.

Do we need to come into the office every day? Or do we not need to come in at all?

Today, these questions are asked in the boardroom and living room alike. Although the argument can be made that it depends on your job, these questions do apply for the majority of society around the world.

Post-COVID

During the pandemic, most people in offices worldwide packed up their laptops and walked out the door. It was the only logical choice in that time, as no one wanted to risk their health or that of their loved ones. However, the global workforce now shows interest in working remotely beyond being a Band-Aid effort for COVID productivity rates.

As we begin to enter a post-pandemic era, younger employees especially have shown their preference for a remote workplace. A survey by McKinsey, a management consulting company shows that young (18-34) year old employees were 59% more likely to quit their current job to find one that supports remote working.

The Efficiency of the Hybrid Method

As long as there is a demand for the hybrid method, there will be a company out there willing to satisfy it - such is the nature of a competitive environment.

While there is research that suggests that hybrid models can build engagement and foster productivity, companies don’t intend to make their workforce wholly remote just yet, as there are far too many disadvantages to making that shift completely.

Problems such as alienation of employees, breakdowns in communication and interpersonal relationships, are still issues that can’t be tackled easily, and reliable methods for team leaders to solve these issues aren’t quite developed just yet. Additionally, there are also many advantages to working in an office - such as unimpeded communication and inter-department collaboration.

However, the niche in between these two approaches may precisely be the reason why a hybrid arrangement will most likely be the most feasible and accepted option for the future. It’s a method to satisfy employees’ needs for freedom and flexibility, while also providing the benefits of a physical space. It’s effectively trying to minimize the issues and maximize the benefits of two different approaches to work; and as technology and software progress through the years, it’s only becoming more feasible.

Industries and Technology

Our current level of technology, both professional and consumer, are greatly contributing factors to the efficiency of the hybrid system. Meetings, discussions and even the submission of work has become a cinch with all the software suites and virtual office platforms on offer today.

No industry is safe - even medicine, a profession that requires arguably some of the most hands-on time spent in any industry, bent the knee to hybrid work, with options such as Telehealth finding more and more success.

What does it mean for work?

It’s not a stretch to say that a lot of us have begun to question whether we really need to come into the office. Certainly, not every discussion or brainstorming session requires us to see each other face-to-face, so what really makes it worth it to come at all?

Naturally, some people may even prefer to do so. The key factor is the freedom that is granted to the employee, that it is no longer a requirement to come in for the whole week.

For policy makers and decision takers, it becomes a question of productivity, belonging, and in certain cases, creativity.

Some believe that it’s necessary for companies to be perceptive and proactive in the remote environment, enacting policies that encourage collaboration and connection. While that’s certainly key to managing productivity, team leads may find that it may be a little more complicated to boost creativity in a similar way.

Hybrid Models - Rules or Guidelines?

Considering that hybrid models are usually a mix of approaches from remote or the office, there are several paths to be taken. Managers and leaders usually select from the following options for building their models:

1. Office-Centric Hybrid

Companies using this model lean towards more time of the work week spent in the office, as opposed to a remote location of the employee’s choosing. Workplaces with this model also typically have a better time building connections and communicating effectively.

2. Fully flexible Hybrid

This model lets the employee decide when they come in and when they work remotely. This approach carries a lot of risk, and requires a lot of organizational structure. These models and its derivatives rely heavily on digital channels and transformation for many of its functions.

3. Remote-Friendly Hybrid

What could be considered the opposite to the Office-Centric model, this approach is similar to the Fully flexible approach but places guardrails on how employees work remotely. While it does risk the same pitfalls, it is easier to implement and adapts more easily to external factors in business operations.

4. Remote/Virtual-First Hybrid

This approach gives priority, first and foremost, to working remotely. Similar to fully flexible and remote-friendly approaches, there is a big operational difference - company processes and culture are built around remote work. While the big risk with this approach is that there is a huge challenge around building a sense of belonging, employees are empowered to work remotely, rather than merely allowed to.

While these models can be applied differently, it should be noted that this decision should be made with the size of the company in mind. These models are not set in stone, and it might benefit to combine aspects from these to suit a company and its work.

Companies such as Microsoft, Hubspot have found success in this manner, creating their own models to suit the size and nature of their work.

New Opportunities

Analysts, leaders, and managers are usually focused on the same aspects. Productivity and creativity are certainly part of the picture, but do not comprise the whole. Depending on the hybrid model chosen, there are certain opportunities for several functions of the business.

Streamlined workflows, redefined strategies, repurposed resources - these are just a few examples on how things can change. Teams are now able to eliminate redundant processes, trim the fat, and find ways to deliver work in just as - if not more - efficient ways. Employers are now able to relax hiring restrictions, able to collaborate with talent across the country, and even the globe depending on the model employed, while also being able to redistribute valuable resources which would normally be committed to the operational day-to-day.

If there is only one takeaway from this discourse - it is that work will never go back to the way it once was.

Years have passed since the initial wave of remote/hybrid models, and it is still implemented across the world. Technology has allowed us to redefine what’s necessary in a physical workplace, and more and more people are starting to question whether the whole work-week needs to be spent in the office.

Slowly, but surely, we are being granted the power to choose.

Of course, there are limitations to implementing such things- communication, collaboration. The loss of proverbial “water cooler” discussions is no small thing.

The world is only getting more used to the way things are at the moment, and the passage of time will only ensure that this way of working gets more and more efficient. The undeniable truth is, regardless of its detractors, hybrid workplaces have become a machine of change.