Hybrid work arrangements are here to stay, even after the pandemic.
The move to hybrid is being driven by worker productivity and worker preferences. Surveys show that many workers do not want to return to the workplace full-time. A recent survey from FlexJobs found that 58% of workers say they would “absolutely” look for a new job if they weren’t allowed to continue working remotely in their current position. (1)
In addition, the work/life flexibility that remote or hybrid work provides has been beneficial for workers with children (see Is There a Silver Lining in the Pandemic Cloud for Women’s Careers).
Companies would only consider continuing remote or hybrid works situations if they were economically viable, and they are. Early studies showed that worker productivity did not decreased due to remote work (see Working from Home Increases Productivity).
So how do we optimize the move to hybrid? Nicholas Bloom, Professor of Economics at Stanford University and a remote work expert makes two suggestions when setting up a “permanent” hybrid system (2):
1) Listen to employee feedback. Conducting an employee survey is a good place to start. “There is a huge variance of what people want,” Professor Bloom said, noting that a number of employees want to work in the office full-time, another large number want to work at home full-time and the rest are “somewhere in between” and want to have the hybrid model. “Employee feedback also is important because it allows employers to get data to help explain their decision-making when it comes to work models. Collecting data on exactly what [employees] want makes it much easier to defend [an employer] decision.”
2) Embrace the right technology to ensure remote work’s success. Video tools and file sharing make it almost seamless for many employees to work remotely. “Going forward, there will be even better technology, including virtual reality, better screen-sharing capabilities, better equipment and laptops, that will likely further propel the popularity of remote and hybrid working and make it even easier for both employers and employees.”
(1) https://hrexecutive.com/requiring-employees-to-return-to-the-office-get-ready-for-them-to-quit/
(2) https://hrexecutive.com/2-must-haves-for-a-strong-hybrid-work-plan-from-a-stanford-expert/