Is Hybrid Work Model Set To Replace The Traditional One?
The global pandemic has transformed the way we work and it has brought about the formation of the hybrid work model. Combination of working from the office and working from home the hybrid work model is changing the work/life balance.
The numerous lockdowns and quarantine measures put in place by governments across the world have made the once rare hybrid model commonplace. As we reacclimate, the hybrid model appears to come out on top post-pandemic.
It’s a flexible model. Employees no longer need to commute to and from work. They can come in as needed. The flexibility of the hybrid model has obvious appeal. Qualified employees are becoming harder to find, so employers are adopting the hybrid model as a hiring incentive.
The vaccination numbers are increasing worldwide and as offices slowly return to pre-pandemic life, employees want clarity on how the hybrid work model will work for them.
Businesses that have adopted the hybrid model currently face a new obstacle — how to make it work.
How Leaders Can Make the Hybrid Work Model Work
Leaders are tasked with ensuring employees have an environment that promotes productivity. There are four ways leaders can make the hybrid model work:
1. Balance Individual Preference and Organizational Structure
The major challenge is harmonizing the structure and organization needed for clear communication with the elasticity employees want autonomy over schedule employers want. Being with coworkers is important to employee communication and productivity. This is why many employees want the option to work in an office.
Morning team meetings, coffee breaks, lunch breaks, and other interactions maintain relationships, foster networks, and facilitate knowledge sharing. Employee social interaction will define company culture.
The value of the office is lost if there are only a few people to interact with. What is the purpose of commuting to the office only to interact with colleagues online?
Balancing individual preferences with coordinating is best done at the team level. It gives the whole team an opportunity to have a say in their daily routines.
2. Experiment Collectively
Pic text: If your teams don’t have faith in the process, then, they won’t have faith in the outcome.
Everyone on your team needs to be heard as enterprises determine how, where, and when they work.
Managers must L.E.A.N in:
- Listen to employee insights, preferences and demonstrate that their needs have been considered.
- Experiment with emerging management models with employees. Join them at the team level to see what their needs are.
- Align expectations, admit that not everyone is going to get what they want, and acknowledge that there is an acceptable justification for every decision made.
- Nurture teams in the philosophy that success relies upon them. Demonstrate a willingness to study what works for the team and what doesn’t.
Success comes from establishing trust through joint responsibilities.
3. Embrace Customer and Value-driven Culture
Technology, real estate, and HR procedures must facilitate hybrid working. This is a once-in-a-millennium opportunity to enhance corporate culture and customer service.
According to a survey conducted by EY, a new hybrid working culture is developing. 16,000 respondents provided insight into the future of the employee experience. The survey found that:
- Nine out of ten employees desire flexibility around the time and place they work, and one-third desire shorter work weeks
- Employees want roughly two to three days working from home, and a staggering fifty-five percent say they wouldn’t hesitate to leave their workplace if they don’t get the flexibility they desire.
- Millennials are twice as likely to quit their current job as Baby Boomers.
Workplace guidelines cannot ignore these transformations in the workforce. If companies fail to adapt employees will be torn between wanting to work from the office or being deprived of their autonomy.
4. Support And Believe In Your Team’s Ability To Deliver
The findings of the EY survey show that two-thirds of those questioned believe the hybrid workplace model will make their organizations more innovative and that supervisors don’t need to be in the same environments as their team in order for them to be efficient.
Leading can be daunting in a hybrid setting. The EY survey also established that two-thirds of team leaders needed to work outside office hours to get the time for focusing, in contrast to four in ten team members. Reasons include unplanned calls, pressing requests, mentoring team members, replying to emails, distractions at home, and taking care of children.
High-yielding teams still require assistance to stay effective. Affording this important assistance becomes more challenging day by day.
Leaders must become role models to their employees. Not just blub about getting things done. Emphasizing the advantages of hybrid work, concentrating on energy, organization, and collaboration build up teams. Rather than the “stop” attitude of heritage team culture.
Setting aside time for individual tasks is crucial in creating email-free and meeting-free times. And most important to all of us keeping meetings short.
Inventiveness and Elasticity are Crucial
Hybrid work is still a new concept for many businesses. Successful integration needs inspiring leaders who can establish healthy environments. They are required to be self-conscious, trustworthy, and compassionate. They must arm themselves with HR guidelines, technology, and the real estate required to adopt it. Leaders must be imaginative to guarantee that when teams come together they utilize their time efficiently.
Businesses will be required to establish teamwork protocols. The mindset of how enterprises run must switch towards diversified workplaces with flexible arrangements.
What the Future of Work Look Likes
Though the world continues to struggle with the pandemic, vaccines are offering hope for all to return to the “normal” we once knew. The workplace has been forever changed by COVID-19, making working from home the default.
Businesses are tasked with giving flexible solutions to their staff. Enabling them to carry on working securely and efficiently, while complying with health protocols.
There are dozens of working models available. Their usefulness depends upon the nature of the work. Enterprises capable of offering their employees hybrid work models are providing an excellent work climate. These are the businesses that will prosper.
