The Hybrid Workplace Model is Here

The last two years have brought a sudden and unexpected change in people’s lives all over the world. Businesses have had to adapt quickly and new ways of doing commerce have been born. One of the most impacted business concepts has been the concept of an office. It probably won’t be the same ever again.

Throughout the time the pandemic was raging, companies adapted by facilitating employees to work from home. The concept of work from home is quite old, but companies had never adopted it at this scale before.

Nearly two years into adapting this model, employees and companies alike have found that it could work, without much loss to productivity. Employees are happy that they get to spend more time with their family and cut down on commute time and companies are happy that they get to cut down office costs. However, they have also found that some tasks are better accomplished by being in the office. This is how the hybrid workplace model was born.

What is the hybrid workplace model?

A hybrid workplace model is where employees come into the office occasionally for work that cannot be done from home. The rest of the work they do from the comfort of their homes. Employees can come in as per pre-decided timetables or as and when required.

A hybrid workplace model promises a win-win situation by bringing a balance to working from home and working from office. While working from home, majority of employees are reporting lower stress due to cutting down of the daily office commute, as well as being able to spend more time with their family. Companies, too, are able to save on office costs. Due to readily available technology, productivity loss has been negligible. In fact, in some cases, employees are experiencing higher productivity in working from home.

As such, it seems that the hybrid workplace model is here to stay, long after the pandemic is over. It brings in fresh advantages as well as new challenges.

The Pros

Reducing cost of operation

The costs associated with a physical office are immense - paper, utilities, snacks, travel, maintenance, etc. These costs are cut down in case of the hybrid office model.

Increased productivity

Employees across the world are reporting increased productivity when working from home, due to multiple factors such as reduced micro-management, increased independence, and sense of responsibility towards completing the assigned tasks.

Unlocking new talent

The regularization of remote work will enable companies to hire talented people that they could not have hired otherwise. For example, people staying in remote villages, disabled people who could not have travelled to the office daily, housewives / pregnant women who are able to work from home, etc.

The Cons

A cultural shift

A cultural shift is happening away from the decades old model of work. Processes have to be changed, new technologies have to be adopted, and employees have to be trained by companies to be able to manage the hybrid workplace model successfully. All this will need costs, efforts and time.

Reduced Social Interaction

Reduced social interactions will have an impact on the way employees progress in their career. Building relationships and maintaining rapport with team members and colleagues will become increasingly difficult, as no amount of technology can replace the impact of a simple face-to-face interactive.

Office goers gain an advantage

The regular office goers will always have an upper hand over the mostly remote employees due to being able to have direct interactions. Managers and leaders will have to be careful to balance out this advantage for the remote workers.

Can It Work For Indian Companies?

A study conducted by SteelCase across multiple countries indicated that 82 percent of the organizations in India were in favour of a hybrid workplace model. 12 percent of the employees were expecting to return to office full-time as against 4 percent who expected to be able to work from home full time.

For now, as the pandemic abates and vaccinations pick up, companies are planning to have their employees return to office, while planning for a hybrid workplace model in the long run.

As the world moves towards the hybrid model, Indian companies, too, will follow suite. However, there will be some changes required, both at the workplace and at home for people to be able to work smoothly and business to function without hassles.

Redesign of the workplace

The current workplace as we know it, has been designed to ensure maximum interactivity with minimum disturbance. It is also designed to fit an optimum number of employees. As this pandemic has shown us, too many people close together is a health risk. Hence, offices will need to be redesigned to be more spacious and discourage crowding.

Providing work from home infrastructure

A computer and internet have become the most essential requirements for every employee. Since the world became more and more virtual, screens have become our best friends.

Many people do not have the necessary equipment at home for working long hours on computers. Proper desks, comfortable chairs, etc ensure that health is not impacted. Many people end up working from their beds or dining tables. This needs to be solved, if working from home is to be a long term arrangement.

Sense of community

While working from home provides the isolation necessary in this pandemic, it is a double edged sword. Not having enough social interaction is impacting the mental health of many employees. In the office setting, one daily interacts with co-workers, clients, etc, fostering a sense of community and team spirit. A similar community needs to be created virtually for employees to remain in the best mental health while working from home.