HYBRID WORK TRENDS THAT ARE HERE TO STAY
When 2022 was rung in, there were murmurs and rumors about a third wave but life continued as close to normal as 2021 had allowed. Malls remained open, theatres were back to full capacity and employees were all allowed to return to offices for work. There were minimal restrictions such as masking up in all public spaces and temperature checks and sanitizing stations outside every commercial establishment. But alas, in an eerie similarity to 2020, cases of a new variant christened ‘Omicron’ began to rise in alarming numbers. Localized lockdowns, shutting down of theatres, malls and dine in restaurants and curfews quickly became a reality. It was important now more than ever to accept the realities of the dance in and dance out that covid had set in motion.
It was during this time, that the term Hybrid Work gained popularity. Hybrid work model is a model which flexibly allows employers to mix and match which parts of their organization they require to be working onsite and which part should be working offsite. Read on to find the hybrid work trends we expect to continue in 2022
Productivity, anywhere
Productivity took a large blow when organizations first stumbled into work-from-home situations, but enough time has passed for companies to not only adapt but see the benefits of having a lot of functions, operating from home. However, as ideal as it may be for the company, employees may struggle to work from home due to various reasons. Leading companies have started paying for the technological requirements for work from home setups such as work stations, WIFI connections and laptops so that employees find it more comfortable and so more productive to work from home. Some companies go as far as to reward employees by ordering home food & other benefits. Employers have begun to look for ways to enable the employees working offsite to be as (or more) productive as they were onsite.
“Offsite” inclusive onsite spaces
It would not be a hybrid work model if the focus was entirely on online working. There must be importance given to finding ways to synchronize the productivity of employees who are working on-site teams with teams working online.
For example, meeting rooms being restructured with video conferencing structures have been used to create more collaborative brainstorming sessions. This could be extended to every team.
Workplaces will also have to be prepared for the transition between working from home and working from the office to be made smooth and seamless.
Change in Working Day Norms
The whole concept of Hybrid work is that the very fundamentals of work structures are required to change. It is no longer a norm to have to come into the office five days a week. The emerging hybrid work model holds the possibilities for certain employees and teams to only be required in the office two or three days a week. Though this may have started as simply a precaution to not spread the virus, it has yielded advantages such as higher working capacity with restricted space.
Online fatigue becoming a constant battle
While staff benefit from an online work from anywhere option, it is undeniable that employees have and will continue to feel a fatigue as the result of inorganic communications occurring only through screens. To combat online fatigue, companies may invite teams into the office to meet up more frequently or have to work in person on rotational schedules. Organizations & employees that wish to continue enjoying the fruit of hybrid work environments will have to put more time, effort and resources into an engagement.
Continual Strides to Improve the Virtual Work Space
As much as the physical spaces are undergoing change to accommodate hybrid work environments, it is now more important than ever for business leaders to stay on top of technology trends. New and more intuitive online work environments will directly contribute to better communication between employees working from home and employees working from the office.
Flexible Work Hours = More Productive Hours
If possible, companies could extend flexible working hours to employees. Why? Because if assigned tasks could be completed in their 9-hour day, why cannot that 9 hours be any 9 of the 24? Here is where a good HRIS and Performance monitoring system can come into play. But this has its own limitations. So, companies may consider this, but with a tight performance monitoring schedule.
The Talent Acquisition Perks of a Hybrid Work Space
When it is a given that only 50% or 75% of the workforce is expected to come into the office to work, this releases the geographical boundaries on the search for talent. Functions that can be done remotely can function from across cities, states or even countries. When it comes to finding the right talent, the wider the reach, the better are your chances of finding competitive talent.
We at Job Booster have started our experimentation of working in a hybrid work environment so that we are ready and ahead of the curve when it becomes a norm. In reading about, researching, and practicing these new trends in a workplace, we make ourselves capable in helping our clients adapt to the same. Whether it's advising our clients on how to set up hybrid work spaces that fit their requirements or simply helping them find the right talent far from their headquarters, Job Booster is ready.
