5 Key Benefits of the Hybrid Workplace
Written by: Chris Blasdel, Manager, Learning and Development
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Since 2020, the workplace landscape has changed significantly. We have seen employees move from in-office workspaces to remote work environments. While the transition has been a difficult one to make, remote work has now become the “new normal,” and the workforce has needed to adapt to thrive. As we embrace post-pandemic operations, many organizations have identified and implemented the hybrid model as best suited for their employees.
What Is A Hybrid Workplace?
A hybrid workplace, in the simplest of terms, is a model that mixes in-office and remote work to offer flexibility and support to team members. In a hybrid workplace, team members typically enjoy more autonomy and better work-life balance – and are more engaged as a result.
Studies show that hybrid work increased productivity by 44%, and over 60% of employees prefer working in a hybrid capacity. Remote working removes the physical element, meaning performance indicators boil down to delivery times and results. As a reward or benefit, remote or hybrid opportunities provide employers with a large talent pool of potential productive employees.
Hybrid workspaces can come in various shapes or sizes. Working out of the home part-time is the most common way companies create a hybrid workplace. As technology evolves, it is becoming easier to “plug and play” for work. Any space with Wi-Fi access could potentially be an office. Here are five reasons why the hybrid workplace model is successful.
Prioritizes employee work-life balance
A hybrid workplace prioritizes the employee and encourages a stronger work-life balance. It additionally can help ease any anxiety employees may have related to returning to a public workspace or commuting on public transit. Organizations offering a combination of in-person and remote work will also have a larger talent pool to work with, as they will no longer be confined to hiring employees in specific geographical regions. It is also an alluring benefit for potential talent to have a flexible workspace. Flexible work allows team members to ensure they can perform their job and also gives them the ability to pursue activities outside of the office.
Hybrid workspaces are economically better
A hybrid workplace is also a more economical workplace. With less reliance on large-scale offices, organizations can save thousands of dollars in real estate and office maintenance costs.
A hybrid work plan means that there are fewer people on-site on any given day. Since your office will never be at capacity, it will be less crowded, and you will have more opportunity to create an efficient space for those who are on-site.
For example, you don’t have to clutter your workplace with a bunch of assigned desks that will sit empty. Instead, you can offer hotel desking options, allowing those coming into the office that day to have a designated spot to work. What should you do with all that extra space? Add more intentional working zones, like comfortable couches, phone booths for 1-1 meetings, or quiet spaces.
With effective space management, you can ensure the workplace does not feel too crowded or too empty. On-site employees will know where to go for structured focus time or casual coffee chats, making the workplace a more purposeful and efficient space.
Preparing for uncertainty
Additionally, a hybrid workplace can help build a crisis-resilient culture by preparing organizations for potential future lockdowns. With many employees already working from home, your workplace can easily adapt back to a fully remote environment if necessary. As we saw with the pandemic, the shift from office to home came with some obstacles, but once team members became comfortable with their new work environment, it became business as usual. A hybrid workplace model ensures that, despite wild weather, virus outbreaks, and other catastrophic events, work can be done from anywhere.
Keeps team members healthy
A hybrid workplace can reduce the spread of contagious viruses, as team members can choose to work from home if they are feeling unwell. In doing so, they are mitigating the spread of illness and not contaminating the office with germs. A healthy team is a productive team and providing alternatives to coming into the office sick will help the bottom line of the organization.
Hybrid models provide flexibility
The hybrid model gives team members the opportunity to specify their preferred days for coming into the office and propose days to work from home. More flexibility leads to a balanced workload, participation in team activities, and higher work-life satisfaction. It also allows management to specify the days when in-office work is required. By mandating a “must be in the office” day, leaders can meet with team members in person, hold staff meetings, collaborate in person, and keep organizational culture alive and strong.
Before allowing hybrid work as an option, leadership can put some safety nets into place. First, ensure that each team member can work remotely before giving them the green light to do so. Do they have Wi-Fi? Are they able to work comfortably with limited distractions? Once you have established that they are well-equipped for a remote workspace, allow the employee to begin their hybrid work journey.
Secondly, make sure you are keeping the corporate culture alive both in and out of the office. Keeping lines of communication open and creating fun, vibrant, virtual events are great ways to keep employees engaged.
Checking in on team members and asking how they are doing will help you identify burnout and productivity challenges. Encourage your team members to maintain a healthy work-life balance and remind them that it’s okay to take breaks and work a normal schedule. As a team member, remember the open-door policy extends outside the office and keeps the lines of communication open.