What Are The Benefits And Disadvantages Of The Hybrid Work Model?

Employees all over the world have stated unequivocally that they desire flexibility in how and where they work. And businesses are taking notice. According to a recent survey of 800 corporate leaders, 77% had adopted a mixed working paradigm.

However, not everyone believes that hybrid is the way to go. Work regulations that you establish for your team can have an impact on your business as well as the productivity and well-being of your employees. With so many various types of working models to choose from, it can be difficult to find one that meets the demands of your team. 

It's best to be prepared if you're debating this for your organization. Let's go over some of the positives and downsides of hybrid work.

Figure 1. Pro & cons of hybrid work

1. 4 benefits of hybrid work

Employees in a hybrid work style are encouraged to work both on-site and remotely. When done correctly, hybrid work is a win-win situation. It has the potential to foster a culture that benefits both your employees and your organization. Here are four advantages of a mixed work model.

a) Happy and engaged employees

Most people base their selections on what will make them the most comfortable, efficient, and joyful. For many employees, the option of working from home or on-site is liberating.

Employees in the hybrid model have the flexibility and freedom to choose which days they come into the office and which days they work from home. More flexibility leads to a more balanced workload, team participation, and higher work-life happiness. 

Employee engagement leads to greater company outcomes, including a 23% boost in profitability. Furthermore, engaged and happy employees prefer to stay longer at their companies. You can enhance employee retention and produce better business outcomes by allowing them to design their own schedules.

b) Improved company culture

Executives are concerned about whether a hybrid model will affect the on-site corporate culture that they have spent years developing. A fifth of executives believe that employees must be present at work every day in order to sustain a healthy business culture. However, this is not the case.

It is genuinely motivating to give employees autonomy over their own schedules. Employees are more likely to come to the workplace interested and ready to contribute to the company's mission and culture if they may flip between remote and on-site work.

Employees, for example, can work from home to fulfill individual and head-down responsibilities. They are welcome to visit the office for large group meetings, connection building, or company-wide activities. The amount of time they spend at work might have a favorable impact on business culture.

Figure 2. Collaborate with coworkers

c) More efficient workplaces

A hybrid work schedule entails fewer personnel on-site on any given day. Because your workplace is virtually never full, it will be less crowded, and you will have more opportunities to build an efficient environment for those that are on-site.

For example, you don't have to fill your office with allotted desks that would most likely sit empty. Instead, you can provide hot desking choices, allowing those who arrive at the office that day to have an allocated workspace. What are you going to do with all that extra space? Increase the number of intentional working zones, such as comfy couches, phone booths for one-on-one meetings, or silent locations.

You may avoid overcrowding and undercrowding in the workplace by using appropriate space management. Employees on-site will know where to go for planned focus time or casual coffee discussions, transforming the workplace into a more purposeful and efficient environment.

d) Lower operational costs

A blended work model lowers your costs. You won't need as many desks, laptops, printers, or other office supplies, and your utility rates may even go down. 

Companies can potentially save thousands of dollars on real estate costs by downsizing to a hybrid model, particularly in pricey metropolitan regions. In fact, 56% of organizational executives expect to save money by lowering their physical workplace footprint.

Hybrid labor is also beneficial to your employees' money balances. They'll save money on everyday commutes and Starbucks beverages.

2. 4 disadvantages of hybrid work

There are downsides to every model to consider. No working methodology is flawless, but with a few strategic changes, you can solve many of the drawbacks of hybrid work.

a) Harder to collaborate with remote employees

There is no perfect virtual substitute for spontaneous water cooler talk or office bump-ins. Remote personnel may have a more difficult time communicating with those on-site, and vice versa. 

You may not be able to regulate the power of your remote team's WiFi or the volume of their neighbor's lawn mower, but there are a few steps you can take to ensure your remote staff are in sync with the on-site team. Here are a few examples:

• Technology: Your workplace technology should facilitate work in all environments. Ensure that your on-site and remote personnel have access to high-quality video and audio equipment.
• Tools for communication: Provide staff with communication tools like as Zoom, Slack, and Asana. They will ensure that people can stay connected and collaborate regardless of where they are.
• Policies and practices that are inclusive: Set up a meeting to discuss best practices and rules for inclusion. Encourage on-site leaders, for example, to pause during Zoom calls and ask remote participants if they have any questions or comments.

b) Faster employee burnout

Burnout culture may infiltrate the workplace, even in a hybrid paradigm, if left uncontrolled. Your remote workforce may work longer hours with fewer breaks than your on-site crew. They may feel even more guilty if they take personal time off in the afternoon and overcompensate by working later.

On the other hand, your on-site staff may face long commutes, changes to their personal habits, or family issues that make it difficult to get into the workplace. That is why it is critical to develop simple and flexible work schedules that allow employees to choose a schedule that works for them, whether at home or in the office.

It will be easier to combat remote burnout if you develop a culture in which employees may speak out or take breaks when they are feeling overwhelmed. Additionally, creating a productive, efficient, and enjoyable workplace will assist decrease on-site burnout.

c) Difficulty keeping up with hybrid schedules

More flexibility means greater variety in your team's schedule. You may run into resource challenges if there isn't an easy-to-use and consistent approach to maintain track of personnel schedules. Furthermore, employees arriving on-site may not know which of their teammates will be there. 

It is critical to develop standards and guidelines for employee scheduling in order to avoid dissatisfaction and confusion. There are numerous work plans that can be implemented in a hybrid paradigm, such as cohort schedules or staggered schedules. Your employees will feel empowered to come on-site to meet with their teammates, communicate, and establish connections if you have a clear schedule in place and continuous communication.

You are not required to go it alone! Look for hybrid work software that allows users to plan their days on-site, ask colleagues to join them, and reserve a nearby desk.

d) Not suitable for all industries

Hybrid work models may not be appropriate for every industry. Some organizations, such as nursing or education, require a fully remote or fully on-site setting to function. 

The materials, utilities, and telecom services industries saw the least amount of on-site visitation growth since January 2021, according to our 2022 Workplace Trends Report. We also discovered that organizations with fewer than 50 employees experienced a smaller rise in foot traffic, but larger companies with more than 250 employees were among the early adopters of hybrid work. The objective, regardless of sector or size, is to develop a work plan that meets the demands of your staff.

3. The future of work is Hybrid

Figure 3. The future of work is Hybrid

As we begin to emerge from the global pandemic, one thing is for certain—the way we work has forever changed. This is the era of hybrid work.

a) Research is uncovering important trends

• 81% of people either do not want to go back to the office at all or would prefer a hybrid schedule.
• 58% of those who have been working from home said they are using workplace collaboration tools more than they were a year ago. 
• 25% By 2024, in-person meetings will account for just 25% of enterprise meetings, a drop from 60% prior to the pandemic.
• 87% of executives expect to make changes to their real estate strategy in the next 12 months.
• 97% of the workforce wants changes to make work environments safer.
• 64% of people say the ability to work from anywhere affects whether they stay at or leave a job.

b) Great hybrid work environments embody five key characteristics:

• Flexible

Need to accommodate every collaboration use case and communication mode. Supporting internal and external participants, including guests and customers, and integrating with any application.

• Inclusive

Hybrid work solutions need to accommodate every collaboration use case and communication mode. Supporting internal and external participants, including guests and customers, and integrating with any application.

• Supportive

Organizations need to show empathy for their employees that may be fatigued by working virtually, but remain anxious about returning to the office.

Individuals and teams need to set and achieve goals for their meetings, understand work-life integration, and manage their most precious asset-time.

• Secure

With hybrid work, your risk surface expands—more wor locations and connections, more devices, more communications, more content. You need the utmost security and privacy, without compromising simplicity and employee efficiency.

• Managed

It should be easy to provision users and devices, monitor, and gain insights to help ensure the best experience for your employees—wherever they are working.

c) Strategic investment in the future of hybrid work is a must

Hybrid work isn’t just about location. It’s also about people, culture, safety, security and unlocking new opportunities. To make hybrid work a reality, companies need technology that’s adaptable and flexible for any role, working style, device, and geography. You need solutions that bring the best of remote work and in-person work together so everyone has an equal voice. While settling for “good enough” collaboration solutions might have helped you deal with remote work before 2022, you can’t settle for a lower quality, fragmented, unsecure collaboration experience in this hybrid world. The time to act is now.

RICOH Spaces – Making Your Workplace Ready for Tomorrow 

Figure 4. Ricoh Spaces features

RICOH Spaces enables you to respond to changes in how people work so you can deliver a seamless employee experience now and in the future.

Bringing workplace management under one roof, it integrates activities such as desk booking, meeting room management, wayfinding and more retaining the best of the physical office experience and seamlessly combining it with the best of remote working.

Your platform to the future workplace, it unlocks the insights and capabilities required to adjust ineffective ways of working, improve collaboration, and reduce costs—preparing your business for how tomorrow will work.

LEARN MORE