The pandemic quickly blurred the lines between home and work life. What was once an anomaly before Covid-19 has now become more common, as organizations pivot to allow employees to work a hybrid schedule. Zoom and Teams calls are now the norm. The shift to hybrid is well underway. 

A recent Gallup poll found before the pandemic, very few remote-capable employees worked exclusively from home (8%), while about one-third had a hybrid work arrangement. Now more than 2 years into the global health crisis, and 42% of remote capable employees continue to work a hybrid schedule, and 39% work entirely from home.  

WHAT IS HYBRID? 

So, what exactly is hybrid Work? It is an approach that designs the work experience around and for the worker, wherever they are. It empowers people to work onsite, offsite, and moving between locations. Hybrid work also promotes inclusiveness, engagement, and well-being for all employees. 

WHY ARE COMPANIES SHIFTING TO HYBRID? 

There are several reasons companies are saying hello to hybrid. Mainly, it’s what many employees want. They expect flexibility in where and how they work. As the pandemic endures, people are demanding a better work life balance. Retaining top talent is another crucial reason companies are embracing the hybrid model. Competition for the best workers is fierce. A survey conducted by Cisco found only 9% of workers said they expect to return to the office 100% of the time after their office reopens. By not supporting a hybrid work model companies are at a disadvantage when it comes to attracting and retaining the talent they need to succeed in the future. 

HOW TO MAKE HYBRID WORK 

  How do organizations make hybrid work? Here are a few ideas:  

• Decide which roles can be done on-site or in an office and identify employees who may require more flexibility. 
• Ask employees about their working preferences, encourage them to express their needs, wants and expectations. 
• Review meeting platforms such as Teams, Slack and Zoom and provide training where necessary. 
• The pandemic took a toll on the mental health of many, offering ongoing mental health support to staff working remotely would be a welcomed by most employees. 

FUTURE VISION

Despite its popularity with employees, the future vision of hybrid is still a work in progress for most companies. But it is essential to many organizations to put a focus on the employee experience as well as the desired business benefits. 

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