Types of Hybrid Work Model: Pros and Cons

Hybrid Work Model Highlight:

• Focusing on people, the hybrid work model boosts productivity and job satisfaction while addressing the main drawbacks of distant work, such as loneliness and a lack of community. 
• A hybrid work style gives employees more freedom by allowing them to work from home or anywhere where they can be productive. 
• During the pandemic, when businesses resorted to remote work and deployed virtual collaboration technology to maintain productivity, hybrid work emerged as a practical work arrangement. Hybrid work models are being introduced by businesses to give employees more flexibility while preserving in-person relationships.

What is a Hybrid Work Model?

The hybrid Work Model, a people-first approach to workforce management, addresses the major challenges of remote work, such as isolation and a lack of community, while also driving higher productivity and job satisfaction. Employees in a hybrid work model can work from home or any other location where they may be productive, giving them more freedom. With hybrid work, the workplace has evolved into an ecosystem of employees working from home, coworking places, and the office. It has outgrown the four walls of the corporate headquarters. Team members might shift around depending on the job that has to be done.

Depending on the organization and the type of work being done, the hybrid work model can take many different forms:

1 - Flexible Hybrid Work Model

Employees choose their work location and hours based on their day's priorities. For example, they can work from home or in a coffee shop if they need to commit time to a project. They can enter the office if they require a team meeting, training, town hall, or a sense of community. 

Litespace uses this strategy to give its employees the choice of where they work daily.

2 - Fixed Hybrid Model

The employer determines when and where employees can work from home or in the office. Some teams, for example, may arrive in the office on Mondays and Wednesdays, while others arrive on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Alternatively, an organization may allow all employees to work from home on specific weekly days. American Express is one example of a company that has established a fixed hybrid work arrangement.

3 - Office-first Hybrid Work Model

Employees are expected to work on-site but can choose to work remotely a few days per week. Google intends to implement a workplace model similar to these three.

4 - Remote-First Hybrid Work Model 

Employees work from home most often, with occasional visits to coworking spaces or the office for training, teamwork, and collaboration. In this approach, the company may not have an office, so team members who live in the same region can meet whenever they wish. When Twitter implements this remote-first model, all employees can work from home.

‍Features of Hybrid Work Models 

Pros and Cons of the Hybrid Work Model 

Pros of Hybrid Work Model

• The emphasis should be on productivity rather than efficiency
• Operating costs are reduced
• Redefinition of collaboration
• Prioritization of employees
• Improving company culture

Cons of Hybrid Work Model

• Collaboration with remote employees is more challenging.
• Difficulties Adhering to Hybrid Schedules 
• Hybrid work models may not be appropriate for all industries. Some organizations, such as nursing or education, require a full remote or on-site environment.
  

Moreover, the benefits of the Hybrid Work Model are to create better productivity, great engagement levels within the work environment and from its employees, and increasing autonomy and flexibility.

What Factors Are Driving Hybrid Work Model?

Hybrid work evolved as a feasible work arrangement during the pandemic, when firms resorted to remote work and used virtual collaboration technologies to sustain productivity. Some companies had hybrid and remote workers before the pandemic. However, most of the workforce shifted overnight from in-person meetings to virtual collaboration at the kitchen table.

Companies are introducing hybrid work models to provide employees greater flexibility while maintaining in-person connections important to the company's culture and community. 

Numerous surveys and research reveal the factors driving hybrid work.

• Most remote work has been successful: Diversity and inclusion, as well as individual productivity, have significantly improved for most executives, according to McKinsey.
• According to Dimensional Research, employees are requesting more adaptability: If they had to work full-time again, 57% would think about quitting their job.
• Businesses see a chance to cut costs associated with real estate and travel: According to Fortune, 74% of large company CEOs plan to reduce their office space.
• Preference is given to sustainability: During the pandemic, daily global CO2 emissions decreased by 19%, with nearly half of that reduction coming from decreased ground transportation, according to Nature's research. Hybrid work will help promote a more sustainable future by reducing office space heating and electricity consumption as well as reducing commutes and business travel. 60% of Fortune 500 companies with sustainability targets may benefit from these adjustments in achieving their objectives.

The pandemic may have forced businesses to adopt a hybrid work model, but it will outlast it as the new way to accommodate different work styles and everyone's preferences. Both employees and employers benefit from the hybrid model.