Deciphering the workplace futurity- The Hybrid Working Model

A cheery stand-up meet, a hot cuppa coffee with the teammates, but above all a productive 8.5 hours of your day. Some memories that employees across the globe have started to imagine as a thing of the past. The work from the home model has been successful in safekeeping numerous businesses around the world but some roadblocks are yearning and screaming for a new working model.

“Over 41% of workers in India face increased burnout”

After the initial struggles of getting our workforce into remote working, people had started to enjoy this “no more long work commutes'' and “working at the comfort of your home” phase. But a few months later, things are not as exciting as they were. People have lost their interest in working from home. The majority of employees can be seen juggling to maintain a work-life balance. Some feel less creative and increasingly stressful. With a whopping 41%, India has the second-highest percentage of workers facing increased burnout in Asia. Not cool, right? All these bummers certainly call for a new working model. 

A working model that not only supports the basic  safety standards but also keeping employees motivated and productive is the need of the hour. Above given statistics is proof of how things wound up after lockdown. During the unprecedented times and post-lockdown, some of the employers around the globe had given a flexible work model where employees can come onsite or working remotely.

 This has certainly given birth to a new reality that is here to stay for a long time- The Hybrid Working Model. It’s a sweet arrangement that allows employees to merge their onsite and offsite work time. This model gives them the flexibility of choosing their work location either between home or office. Corporate giants such as Microsoft, Google, Facebook, Twitter, TCS and Infosys have already reshaped their working culture by incorporating hybrid working models.

Nandan Nilekani, Infosys co-founder and chairman said during the company's conference,

"We had invested in working from home as a concept for all our employees long before the pandemic. When the pandemic struck, it was very easy for Infosys relatively to many other companies to transition its 2,40,000 employees in 40 countries to work from home."

Various types of Hybrid Working Model adopted across the world

Here are the three different types of hybrid models that can be implemented for better productivity and increased employee satisfaction.

• Rotation basis

Employees can work on rotational shifts. If they work for a week from the office then the following week can be taken as a work from the home week.

• Spilt-week basis

Employees can split their workweeks into days they would work onsite and from home. For instance, 2 days from home and 3 days onsite.

• Flexi model

Leaving it to the employees who can decide whenever they want to come to the office or work remotely. 

Organisations would have to be more flexible in arranging the work schedules in a way to accommodate the needs of employees. As per a survey conducted by Salesforce, nearly 64% of workers like the idea of the hybrid working model where they can split their work time between office and remote.

Its high time that we reimagine the future of work

Finding a corporate policy that is a fit-all is certainly impossible. These circumstances positively call for a combination of various models. We understand that neither remote working helps all the employees to be at their best nor does onsite work can be safe, especially for health-vulnerable employees. Employers must experiment on what suits best and meets the needs of all. Adding flexibility will encourage employees to find their own suitability. 

Now the question arises here is, how these various models of working can be successful and managed well in an organisation?

Role of HR and leaders in establishing a successful hybrid working model in their organisation

Since this virus breakdown, HR is playing a vital role in bringing organizations to its actual shape. From following the common safety guidelines to motivating employees at home, HR has been working hard in putting things together. With this hybrid working model into play, HR can focus on the following areas for a successful workplace condition:

Investing in technology

Businesses must have already made a quite big investment in shifting the whole working model to the remote. This same must be applied towards creating a high-performing hybrid working model. More budget must be allocated towards digitisation and other technological tools needed for the flexible working model.

Redefine benefit packages

Employees working from offices may still have the benefit of monthly catered lunch/dinner and employee happy hours. To make your remote working employees feel included, HR can allocate a lunch budget, send gift baskets, have a virtual get-together or also let your employees meet-up at their own convenience.

Redefine meeting practices

With the new working model, there must be new and reimagined meeting practises. HR will have to bring together the employees working from home as well as onsite. When it comes to hybrid models, asynchronous communication can help a lot. HR can ensure meetings if ever to be held are short and on point. Also for those who were unable to attend the meeting should be delivered meeting documents that were precisely and meticulously written so they also stay in the loop. Start the practice of conducting meetings from their own computer, so that all feel included and considered.

Establish trust and Communicate openly

HR and leaders must practice open communication and develop empathetic skills. Another factor is building trust in these challenging times. HR can use the tech tools to keep employees' conversations alive and connected so that they could get to know each other.

The Correlation of Hybrid Workplace and Equitable Leadership

Leaders have to emphasize developing equitable approaches. This approach of becoming equitable leaders means putting your employees first and forming a sustainable route towards improved business efficiency and increased productivity. So the crux of building a successful hybrid workplace has an inevitable link with equitable leadership. Would you agree?