Hybrid Work: Why Do Employees Want it?

Gone are the days of the good ol’ office. For better or worse, the office we once knew, the one before the pandemic, is taking a back seat in the professional arrangements.

Now videoconferences rule, while we spend our working days in the confines of our homes. But this isn’t about remote working or working from the office. Instead, this article is about the work model where you try to combine the best from both worlds - hybrid working.

Companies shifted to a hybrid work model as a direct result of the coronavirus pandemic. And most of the collaboration was replaced with videoconferencing tools like Zoom and Teams. Still, the reason why many people want it to continue is that there’re real advantages to it.

Why do employees love hybrid work?

When it comes down to brass tacks, people are choosing to work from home because they want to, according to new findings from?Pew Research Center.

Out of 5,889 surveyed workers, 61% of people working from home said they’re not going to their work because they don’t want to. Kim Parker, Pew’s director of social trends research, says that “people are making a conscious choice to work from home, rather than just out of necessity.”

She added, “when you look at the fact that a vast majority want to continue working from home in the future, you can see people are making tradeoffs in their mind and are seeing flexibility as more valuable than coworker connection.”

• For?26% of employees, this model gives them a better work-life balance.
• 16% of employees?love the time it allows them to?spend with their families.
• 20% feel that they are more productive in an environment where they can choose when to work at home and when to go to the office.
• 12%?stated that this shift to hybrid work had positively affected their mental health.

Travel Perk’s survey for hybrid work in 2022 showed that only?11% would return to the office full-time, while 9% had turned to a full-time remote job. For the future of work, the most telling statistic is that 76% of employees confirmed that their companies are shifting to a hybrid working model.

Even though most office spaces haven’t been adapted to suit the new working model, going to the office five days a week is no longer the norm.

• 76% of respondents revealed that they must go to the office every week, and how many days they are required to do so varies.
• 38%?of respondents in a hybrid work model need to?go to the office 3-4 days a week
• 33%?only need to do so?1-2 days a week.
• Just?5%?are required to go to the office?every working day?of the week.

It’s easier to organise your everyday life, working hours can be kept more flexible, and less commuting means more time in the day. Things such as brainstorming sessions, or strategy meetings, can still be done face-to-face, while for more asynchronous tasks, they can stay at home.

Advantages for employers that embrace the hybrid work model are that they can empower employees to work to their strengths, boosting productivity. Not to mention that going hybrid reduces costs and ecological footprint. Also, it allows their teams to find a good balance of creativity and collaboration.

Challenges of the Hybrid Work

On the opposite side of the scale, some people are tired of interacting with each other through a screen.

• 26%?of employees say they’re?most motivated by coming face-to-face?for interactive sessions, such as workshops or team-building activities.
• 20%?look forward to?taking advantage of the hybrid work environment for constructive, 1:1 meetings?with their team members or managers.
• 18%?of the Hiring managers have revealed that they prefer to conduct interviews in person with the candidates

One of the downsides is that employees who enjoy interacting with colleagues could feel isolated. Also, a lack of protocols could confuse some of the employees. A decrease in the direct presence of the employer could mean greater individual responsibility and more pressure on employees.

On the other hand, for the employers, the biggest challenge is to define and communicate a hybrid working policy. In addition, they need to set up a system of digital collaboration tools that are easy to use and understand the employee's needs.

Summary

The main pull of the hybrid working model is flexibility. Opportunities to adjust schedules mean that people can plan according to what makes them perform better. Some companies are reducing their office space or even closing locations, all in preparation for the long-term change of working mode.

Some employees dread the old way of working and are even changing jobs or companies for flexible options. But, even for those that prefer working from the office, it’s apparent that they’re not returning to the same office.

Superbet is a Hybrid workplace.

We’re all grown-ups, and we trust our people. So you have the freedom to decide when you want to come to the office and when you want to work from home. It's that simple. Wanna join us? Check our open positions!?