HYBRID WORKFORCE: Best of the Both Worlds

An office is not the same without its people. Empty chairs and desks make no banter. The buzz in the cafeteria is missing. There are no hushed secrets and loud laughter. And there’s no bonding over lunch and merrymaking. What gives us assurance is that everyone is safe at home. Houses have become more homes now. With most people choosing to work from home, there are daily table conversations. ? The kitchen is becoming busier than usual, and our employees are brushing up their chef’s hats.

With the support of our backend teams, we have been able to give our employees the freedom to choose and create a work environment that suits the best for them. Working from home not only means more family time but also means flexible working hours. Streets and Mother Earth are even happier with a lot less rush and a significantly green ecosystem. Work from the home model has landed an opportunity to connect with the roots and relive the moments of nostalgia with close friends and family.

We’ve noticed that employees in a hybrid work model maintain a healthier work-life balance. There are more hours in the day - to focus on themselves, their families, and their well-being. Location is no longer a barrier in working for your dream company, thus enabling companies to embrace diversity and inclusion by hiring people from different socioeconomic, geographic, and cultural backgrounds.? ? ? ? ? ? ?

Undoubtedly ‘Hybrid’ is the key to understanding the more flexible future of work as it includes an element of freedom and comfort around work timings and work location.

Studies have shown that the inclusivity and culture of the organizations are the biggest factors employees consider after their growth potential. With the current covid norms and most of the office discussions shifting to the virtual space, it is difficult to maintain a similar level of interaction and connectivity. An employee joining virtually will not be able to grasp the work culture of the organization and might feel left out. That is one of the reasons, the Complete Remote work model ends up with the feeling of lack of belongingness, due to less communication, zero gathering and coffee breaks, and other fun activities organizations conduct to generate a sense of teamwork.

Lack of communication can drain down the motivation out of the employee and it leads to dissatisfaction and below-par performances. Instances of employees leaving the organization become more frequent when an employee loses sense of ownership and accountability.

HYBRID MODEL helps in ensuring that employees are satisfied and entrusted with autonomy, flexible working hours, and transparent conversation across the teams. The concept has gained the eyeballs in recent times as it proved to be an integral part of Organizational Strategy. Companies are opting-in for these strategies as it provides an edge in terms of hiring national and international talents.

Location will no longer be a barrier in selecting the right candidate. This model of working fosters diversification leading to “n” no of ideas and plans. This way companies will be able to widen their talent pool. A reduction in infrastructure and maintenance cost is an addition to the numerous advantages of this work style. An increase in employee efficiency is also noticed as there are fewer distractions while working from home. The hybrid model will enable employees to maintain work-life balance and also to control their budget by traveling less to the office or paying for rent to live closer to the workstation. Moreover, nobody has to push their personal boundaries if flexibility will be there. Employees will feel connected through meetings or games virtually and in-office according to the pattern chosen, as collaborations lead to better workplace relationships. This way, both parties(company and employee) will be able to revamp the work culture and regain the lost attachment.?

Sounds interesting and exciting! But bringing this model into practice is not a piece of cake. It demands good research on your employees, thorough information about technology, and an idea of the suitability of your organization. So the most important part remains adequate planning and execution. All important factors like investing in the right technology, weighing up the costs, carrying out an employee survey, encouraging open communication, employee engagement, and communicating guidelines and policies need to be considered. Companies need to deploy more work policies and get creative with social aspects in terms of employee engagement techniques. HR policies can no longer be rigid, they have to be evolving or situational in nature to understand the employee needs, without compromising the productivity and work culture of the organization.

If adequately planned, this model will allow companies and employees to focus on performance in a better way. Remote workers have more time and fewer distractions besides a sense of belongingness by visiting the office occasionally, leading to increased productivity, which is a win-win situation for both employee and organization.

Indeed, the benefits of the HYBRID MODEL are impacting everyone on a global scale that it’s sure to become the best new normal for all. This model is one of the silver linings on this dark cloud. Let’s make the most of it!

Author: Harsha Dutt

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