Is hybrid working on the way out?

Is there a hotter work topic in 2023 than "Hybrid Working". Depending on who you speak to it's one of the best things to ever happen or, it may be in its final days?

After a successful debut in 2020 due to the pandemic, there seems to be a slight winding back of the hybrid working model. Just this week a large Australian company announced that it will be asking its senior executives to head back into the office 5 days as week. This follows on from a similar announcement from an American bank last month asking their leaders to move away from hybrid working.

If you ask around for an opinion on the hybrid working model most people are either for it or against it. There's not a lot in between. How can such a complex topic be so black and white?

Here's a quick story for you that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to.

When I was growing up I rarely saw my dad from Monday's to Fridays after school or in the evenings. He worked long hours and normally came home around 7:30pm or sometimes much later. If I was going to catch my dad for a chat I did so in the mornings before school for an hour or so if I was lucky. He was in the car and off to work before 8am most days.

My brother and I spent a lot more time with my mum from Monday's to Friday's. She would rush home from work to pick us up from after school care, bundle us into the car and get us ready for dinner, showers, a chat about the day and homework. It was like a magic trick as my brother and I hardly noticed how efficient she was at it. (Thanks Mum! - Obviously this could be a whole other blog post, and maybe it will be!)

I think this routine was very much the norm around the world until 2020.

Fast forward to today.....

As my 2 boys started school in 2022, I have never had to live the Monday to Friday routine that my parents did. When I stop to think about how full on that must have been for the both of them, it's a real wake up call.

I'm living a very different work and home life. Thanks to my employers hybrid working model, I can manage my time and my families time with a degree of flexibility that my parents could have only dreamed of.

My employer has been very clear that when you would like to head into the office, whether that's 1, 2 or 5 days a week, that's ok with them. Take a second to think about that...My employer is saying "we trust you to make a choice that works for you and for us".

To be given the option of working in a location that suits my individual needs is an absolute gift. Time is one of the most precious things is all of our lives and I can now manage mine in a way that works equally well for my family and my career.

Just to clarify, I fully understand that every industry, job and person's career has its own nuances. I fully agree that face to face interaction is very important for all of us and I would never want to see an end to it.

I think it's also important to remember that the foundation of any relationship, professional or personal is to feel valued and trusted. Integrating these two concepts isn't easy however I think it's the basis of any successful hybrid working model. In fact, I think it's the foundation of any successful professional relationship between you and your employer.

I'm really looking forward to seeing how the hybrid model evolves in the years to come. Thanks for reading my post. Please comment or drop me a message and let me know what you think.