Why should businesses offer hybrid or flexible work – top 10 proven key benefits?
Since the outbreak was proclaimed in March 2020, many of us have been forced to work from home or continue with our regular lives. The working model has permanently shifted from the once-elusive model, referred to as hybrid work. Moreover, many of us have adjusted to the idea of working from home so we do not consider shifting back to the office. This is true, particularly when our mental wellness and happiness have improved, as well as the opportunity to spend more time with our family and friends.
Hybrid work
Our data shows that 24% of those working fully remotely want to switch to hybrid work. There are many reasons why, but one of the trends we have been seeing is work-from-home loneliness. The hybrid work model is usually set by employers. Finally, an office can also be shared by more than one team or department. Consider the example given in the purchase recommendations regarding the remote sales office and an office-based product development team office. If, for example, a payroll team works from the office on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and the HR team meanwhile works from home – three days a week, on Tuesday and Thursday. In this case, the office and a meeting room can be shared. Licensing of office will be such – when a workstation and a meeting room are of the same size, office requirements can be halved. Hybrid work is not without drawbacks. For example, the flexibility of the arrangements may not be sufficient for those who have specific work-life needs at home, or those who have a home working environment but would prefer to work full-time in the office. When multiple teams or team members are not in the same office, it is more difficult to coordinate and work together.
Flexible work
A flexible work model puts the decision-making power in the hands of each employee. They can decide when and where they want to work. Moreover, workers do not have to adhere to the same timetable from week to week. They select when they want to work from home or decide to work physically with other coworkers. Worktech eliminates the complexity of flexible work by ensuring that desks are not double booked and that office space is always available. This makes flexible work a smooth and efficient process, as employees can book their workspaces in advance for the exact times they need. They can also view each other’s schedules and locations, allowing them to easily organize meetings, whether they are physical, virtual, or combined.
Top 10 proven key benefits of hybrid or flexible work
- Flexibility in a hybrid workplace
The number of job seekers considering flexibility at the top of the list has doubled with the onset of the pandemic. Research, that over half of employees want some level of flexible working model, so that means you’ll also have to be flexible. Hybrid work allows companies to have their own physical space where company culture is enforced, while employees have the option to work part-time from home and sometimes work from home. Hybrid work enables employers to use several options to leverage hybrid work policies, including hybrid work models that aim to combine the possibility or need, to work from home with physical office work and leave a certain degree of flexibility to the individual and their role in a professional company. In other words, employees are not left to their own devices, managing their time at work without regard for their personal lives. It also increases the chances of employees working on international projects, such as cultural exchanges, with foreign colleagues who are also working remotely. A better work-life balance. It enables a balanced life for them since it eliminates the need to run errands, go to a doctor’s appointment, hang out with buddies, or fetch their children from school.
- Increase savings
Hybrid work models are great for reducing expenses. By working from home, staff may save on travel costs, professional attire expenses, dining out, or purchasing pre-packaged meals from the office.
- Enhanced collaboration
Remote work has its benefits, but it can also hurt communication and collaboration. For instance, Microsoft discovered that collaboration can suffer when employees only work from home. Allow your employees to brainstorm, team, and talk about ideas that can save time, increase productivity, and shape your company culture. There are also various disadvantages to remote working. During lockdown, depression has been a common occurrence. Being isolated can make the symptoms described above worse and cause someone suffering from the disease to feel even more lonely and isolated, as well as possibly suffering abnormal social skills. The key word is “balance,” and with that, hybrid work is a key.
- Access to wider talent pools
Working in a single office with no remote options can be very limiting. Access only to your local candidates. If people can work remotely, the range of potential employees is greatly widened. Diversity has been shown to improve the bottomline for many businesses, as well it describes the benefits of it as your employer branding has been as well.
- Trust established
The COVID-19 outbreak proves that workers can be highly effective when working remotely. More than 19 of 800 employers who responded to a Mercer survey said they would enable their employees to do so even after the pandemic hybrid work increases comfort levels for both employees and employers at the same time. For employers, it allows them to track productivity metrics in the organization’s OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) and implement various hybrid policies. For employees, it helps them achieve a better balance between work and life, thus building trust on both sides. One of the largest and most significant advantages of hybrid work is work-life balance. Employees can discover the flexibility they need to succeed in a well-designed workspace.
- The hidden gem of hybrid work: increased creativity through solitude
One of the under-valued places of remote work is the main one: increased creativity. Although most people think that remote work is a purpose of closeness and fellowship, working alone should generally help foster creativity. According to psychology, “solitary work is related to more creativity, understanding, dreaming, and thinking are processes that cannot be achieved but said outside disturbance. Being out of the office conditions people to approach their thoughts and explore more insights into new information and outlooks than if they were settled in groups. This kind of innovation is best fostered in a hybrid work model. You can fully benefit from both work settings by rotating between in-office and remote work days. Finding a balance between your remote work days, when you can take a break to think and foster new ideas, and the office, where you are expected to communicate and receive immediate feedback, is the key to successful hybrid work.
- Availability of larger talent pools
It can be extremely restrictive to work in a single office location without the option of working remotely. The only possible hires from your closest location will be available to you. If your company offers a hybrid work environment, you can recruit people from around the world. Additionally, diversity is a highly powerful marketing tool for your employer branding and has been demonstrated to improve financial performance for several firms.
- Establishing credibility
The epidemic demonstrated that workers may continue to produce well even when working from home. Over 90% of businesses said that during the COVID-19 outbreak, productivity either stayed consistent or improved, according to a poll conducted by HR consultancy Mercer. Working in a hybrid environment can simultaneously make companies and employees more comfortable. Employers can monitor productivity measures by implementing various hybrid rules and incorporating them into the organization’s OKRs (Objectives and Key Results). Conversely, employees can attain a more favorable work-life balance, so mutual trust is fostered.
- Better work-life harmony
The enhanced work-life balance is one of the main and most significant benefits of hybrid work. A well-designed workstation provides people with the necessary degree of adaptability and flexibility.
- Resilience & business continuity
Because employees can work remotely without interruption, preserving organizational continuity, hybrid work arrangements give firms the ability to adapt and continue operations seamlessly during trying times like pandemics, natural catastrophes, or other calamities.
Hybrid work: the best of both worlds
Hybrid work models provide the ideal environment for this kind of innovation. Employees can make use of both work environments by switching between group projects in the office and individual remote work sessions. The secret is to strike a balance: remote work days give a retreat for reflection and the development of fresh ideas, while the office fosters teamwork and quick feedback.