Top 5 Benefits of Hybrid Work
Adopting a hybrid work model may seem a little intimidating at first, since it affords employees a degree of freedom that they otherwise wouldn’t have. As a result, you may wonder whether it will hinder their ability to be productive, since they’ll have to become self-starters and work without the accountability of their boss being nearby.
However, this model is becoming increasingly popular, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic which has forced many companies to seek an alternative solution to the classic 9-5 office dynamic.
The hybrid model sits somewhere between the traditional work dynamic and the remote work model, introducing an element of autonomy which can prove to be a concern to employers who need a guarantee of productivity and output from their employees.
Typically, in the hybrid work model, you’ll have a situation in which workers will come into the office for a few days out of the week and work from home in between. Even though it may seem challenging to set up at first, once you get into a rhythm with it, the hybrid work model can provide some surprising benefits which we’ll discuss in this guide.
1. Boost Worker Productivity
If you want to get the most out of your workforce, it’s good to be able to adapt and provide flexible work conditions.
Not everyone is the same, so while some workers might thrive in the traditional 9-5 model working in an office, others might struggle with all of the distractions of the modern workplace.
Even those that are accustomed to working in an office space can have a hard time focussing with all of the meetings, noises, and comings and goings of various people throughout the day.
As such, one way to boost overall worker productivity is to provide a flexible work structure that allows them to operate in different environments and develop their own working rhythm.
Yes, it’s easy to think that having a split between working in the office and working at home would lead to a decrease in output, but this is seldom the case.
Why would that be?
Well, there are several reasons that could explain why many are able to reach new heights of productivity within the hybrid work model.
- Time away from the office brings renewed enthusiasm
If you take your workers out of the office for a few days out of the week, chances are, when they go back they’ll relish the change of scenery and feel like they’ve been able to recharge their batteries.
- They can work in an environment with fewer distractions
We’re not going to pretend that the home is a distraction-free environment, because for many that simply isn’t true.
However, compared to the average office, the home can seem like a peaceful haven and an excellent place to be productive.
The most significant difference between the office and the home is the absence of coworkers in the latter. Even if they mean well, when colleagues drop by your desk for a brief conversation, they are affecting your ability to stay focussed on the task at hand.
2. Track Progress
When you have your team working remotely, you might assume that it will be hard to manage them from afar and ensure everyone is on the same page.
Well, in this day and age, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
Employee computer monitoring software can be the key to unlocking greater levels of productivity and keeping your workers accountable wherever they are.
With time tracking software like this, you can keep tabs on your workers’ activities throughout the work day, and guage when they experience slumps in output and when they are at their most productive.
What’s great about this technology-oriented approach is that it works whether the workers are in the office or working from home. That’s what makes it suitable for the hybrid work model. Tools like this can streamline your productivity reporting and simplify the process of worker evaluation.
3. Control Your Time
One of the hardest things to get a handle on as a company manager is the way your workers spend their time throughout the day.
It can sometimes feel like you’re powerless to prevent employees from endlessly scrolling social media sites or investing time and energy in non-work related activities.
This is another issue that the hybrid work model can address, since workers have to be more deliberate with how they spend their time. If they know that the time they spend in the office is scarce, then they’re much more likely to use it wisely whenever they have to come in for work.
With the hybrid model, there tends to be less of a focus on meetings too, which can often prove to be a cause of wasted time. As a result, it will feel as if you’ve earned a few extra minutes during the day, which can be reinvested into tasks and projects.
4. Increase Worker Satisfaction
There’s no doubt about it, working from home for many of us is a luxury rather than a curse.
After all, who wouldn’t enjoy being at their own desk and just meters from their fridge throughout the work day?
All jokes aside, the hybrid work model is one which encourages the worker to work in the way that best suits them. For the few days that they have to work at home, they can organize a comfortable home office setup with everything they need to thrive and put in a solid shift of work.
They’ll be free from the distractions they have to contend with in the office, and free to prepare their own meals as they please. For many of us it’s a joy to get to work from home, even if we don’t get to choose when we wake up.
Final Thoughts
The hybrid work model has its pros and cons, nobody would argue that, but in our view the upsides outweigh the downsides.
Provided you have the right structure in place, and use software tools to your advantage, you should have no trouble at all maintaining a productive workforce from both near and far.