Latin America. Many companies still discuss whether there is viability for hybrid work. The truth is that hybrid work is no longer a discussion, it is a tangible reality that will evolve and day by day will be more flexible. It is also true that hybrid work is not for all companies, nor for all professionals or employees. Here we will analyze the trends of this way of working and how it is changing.
The hybrid workplace prioritizes the employee experience and offers flexibility to those who want it. It attracts a new generation of workers who demand it. In addition, it increases the happiness of employees and reduces the operating costs of companies.
But the hybrid company is changing: it must generate spaces for collaboration, social coexistence and learning. These spaces depend on the good use of technology and also on the intelligent use of an office layout.
In a research paper conducted by Microsoft on the impact of the pandemic on the performance of companies across Europe, 82% of leaders said their companies were at least as productive as before the pandemic.
And it is that productivity has to do with the mentality of people, workers who feel more appreciated and with the freedom to dispose of their time, according to their needs and the necessary balance between personal and professional activities; flexible workers can make better use of their time.
In a 2020 study by SurveyMonkey, employees who worked remotely said they felt happier than their colleagues who were still working in the office. Mood improves when people can take time to live with family, pets, cook, exercise or meditate. But beyond when people avoid transfers on public transport or dead hours in the car, employees are more time "good".
There is also the other side of the coin, although it seems to be smaller: people who do not want to be at home because there are too many distractions: noises, children, neighbors, and so on. Because it does not have the technological resources for communication accordingly or because it feels alone or allies of the working groups that are inside offices.
In a hybrid office, there is no longer a need to have desks in a row, each assigned to a name, as people no longer attend daily, or in the worst case, they are not in the same place all day. It is about having flexible furniture: small meeting rooms, single-person spaces for videoconferences, soundproof booths for phone calls, work tables with variable height and enough connections for people to check emails or do simple tasks, even rooms with sofas or periquera tables with credenzas for coffee and snacks where people can relax and live together.
It is important that companies can make a diagnosis of knowing how much of their staff will adhere to the hybrid dynamic and thus allocate economic and technological resources to meet those infrastructure commitments.
Here are the well-known and well-established hybrid models in the article The advantages of the HYBRID WORK MODEL:
The model at will
This model allows employees to choose the modality of work that best suits them on a given day. It is especially useful for those who want to come to the office when they have to meet someone or need a quiet place to work during the day. Several companies have established a "work in office (WFO)" application process to ensure compliance with social distancing requirements.
The split week model
The second model divides the week between working from home two or three days a week and working on site two or three days a week. This model is the one observed among the highest proportion of employees. Companies that use this model usually divide the week between different departments; for example, the marketing team comes to the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, while customer service does so on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This hybrid model allows managers to stay in touch with their teams and allows for face-to-face group meetings at a regular cadence.
Shift work
In the third model, employees work in shifts, alternating between working from home and morning or afternoon shifts on-site. This is a more difficult model to work because many people don't like shift work and find it difficult to get in very early in the morning or work late into the night. A hybrid model based on shift work typically requires employees to establish additional childcare solutions to those they already have.
Week by week
Finally, the fourth model is for employees to alternate between working from home and working on site on a weekly basis. This alternative is used to allow large teams to use office space together at the same time and meet for reviews, deadlines, and updates.
By offering the option of hybrid and/or face-to-face work, companies express their concern for the mental, emotional and physical well-being of executives, managers and employees, which in the long run translates into a solid company culture and an increasingly productive community.
Text published by the Mexican integrator Multimedia.
