What Is Hybrid Remote Work?
The COVID-19 pandemic forced employers worldwide to adopt remote work. Although many businesses thrived, larger corporations and organizations faced workflow bottlenecks. Their large employee populations made remote operations challenging.
Now that society’s regaining a sense of normalcy, companies are transitioning to a new model: hybrid remote work. But many aren’t familiar with it yet. Here’s what hybrid remote work means, how it differs from remote work, and why you should give it a chance.
What Does Hybrid Remote Mean?
Hybrid remote work combines in-office and remote work setups. Companies that follow this approach have employees working on-site, remotely, or both. Most adopted it after local governments lifted pandemic restrictions when they needed in-office teams but couldn’t implement full-scale back-to-office strategies.
There are several variations of hybrid remote work, meaning employers could assess what approach suits their industry, workflow, and talents.
Flexible Hybrid Model
The flexible hybrid approach gives employees total control over whether they work in or out of the office. It doesn’t follow fixed schedules. You can report to the office for project collaborations and work remotely when finishing individual tasks—just coordinate with your supervisor.
The main advantage of this model is it builds trust. Companies can boost morale, improve job satisfaction, and foster healthy work relationships by giving their workers independence. Restrictive policies rarely improve employee loyalty.
But one downside is it lacks structure. Workplace leaders might have trouble balancing remote and on-site teams, especially if employees make last-minute schedule changes.
Remote-First Hybrid Model
The remote-first hybrid model fits companies that prioritize remote work and occasionally hold in-person meetups. They don’t necessarily need a physical office. Some justrent coworking spacesor events places on Airbnb for their gatherings.
Startups often use this strategy to regulate costs while scaling operations. They assess how their remote workers react to in-person meetings and project collaborations before investing in a physical office. Likewise, this approach also helps corporations downsize their in-office teams and gradually shift to remote work.
Just note that fully remote and remote-first work models have subtle differences. You might still feel isolated since you’ll only meet your coworkers on scheduled occasions—often just once or twice a month.
Office-First Hybrid Model
The office-first hybrid model prioritizes in-office teams. Employers could follow schedules with very few work-from-home days or limit remote teams to X percent of the employee population. Either way, their resources are primarily allocated to on-site operations.
This approach is popular among large organizations that need mid-level managers frequently supervising workers. They were likely forced to adopt remote work because of the pandemic.
Take Apple as an example. As reported byBloomberg, Apple quickly asked its employees to report back to the office after nationwide pandemic restrictions were loosened in 2022. It reduced its remote workdays by 75 percent.
Perhaps the most obvious downside to this model is it barely differs from the traditional in-office setup. You’ll still come to the office on most workdays. And expect employers to drop hybrid work eventually if their productivity ratings plummet.
Remote-Friendly Hybrid Model
Companies following the remote-friendly hybrid approach place equal importance on in-office and remote workers. They usually create fixed schedules—employees can’t just decide for themselves. The number of remote workdays they get depends on their position and responsibilities. Some might have to come to the office more often.
This model allows employers to utilize remote departments without compromising structure and efficiency. They can make adjustments as needed. For instance, should a department start producing subpar output while working from home, it would likely get fewer remote workdays.
What Are the Benefits of Hybrid Remote Work?
More companies are shifting from in-office and remote work to a hybrid remote work model. Employees and employers alike benefit from its flexibility, efficiency, and work-life balance.
Avoid online job scams by researching prospective employers. You’ll find severaltop-rated companies that offer hybrid remote and fully remote work on Glassdoor.
Employees Aren’t Limited to In-Office or Remote Work Setups
you’re able to maximize both in-office and remote work setups at hybrid remote work companies. Granted, not all employers will let you dictate your schedule. But you could sit down with your supervisor and explain the ideal arrangement that will boost your productivity ratings.
Employers Can Monitor Their Employees Better
Hybrid remote work arrangements enable workplace leaders to monitor workers without pushing return-to-office policies. It’s no secret that some employees exploit fully remote work models. They get away with doing less than necessary since their supervisors can’t track them personally.Employee monitoring toolsaren’t always accurate, after all.
Unfortunately, these violations also hurt other employees. If your coworker is caught cheating time trackers, your supervisor will likely enforce stricter restrictions for the entire department.
Hybrid-Remote Workers Achieve Maximum Efficiency
Spending too many days working in or out of the office hurts productivity. Commuting to the office every day wastes time, but permanently working from home comes with a lot of distractions. Alternatively, hybrid arrangements optimize the competitive on-site work environment while giving employees the independence and flexibility of remote work.
Hybrid Remote Work Lets Employees Manage Time Better
Hybrid remote work models offer more leeway and flexibility than in-office setups do. Achieving a work-life balance is almost impossible when you report to the office daily. Considering the time spent on getting dressed, commuting, and settling down at your desk, it could limit the time available for other matters.
Scheduled In-Person Meetups Boost Morale
Although remote work provides flexibility, it also feels lonely. Employees accustomed to in-office settings could experience isolation after working from home for extended periods. Having very little social interaction is unhealthy.
Thankfully, the hybrid work model combats feelings of loneliness and isolation through scheduled meetups. Even reporting back to the office and seeing your friends could be refreshing.
Don’t worry if your company doesn’t host in-person events—there are other ways tomanage loneliness when working remotely. You could join coworking spaces, participate in group chats, or get a pet.
Is Hybrid Remote Work the Future of Corporate Work?
Considering the benefits that hybrid remote work model offers employers and employees, it’s definitely here to stay. More companies worldwide will explore this model. You might encounter them more frequently when going through job listings.
Also, compare how hybrid remote and remote work stand against the traditional in-office setting. Explore the pros and cons. You’ll miss out on many opportunities if you limit yourself to specific work models.
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