In the last few years, between the pandemic and the subsequent return to the office, we’ve seen how effective remote working can be in a company’s strategy. At the same time we’ve also had to highlight certain issues that emerged, related to trust within the team and WFH Burnout.
From these and other considerations comes the growing popularity of hybrid working: a flexible organisational model that allows employees to manage part of their time both at home and in the office. Data confirms the preference for this type of management: as of April 2022, the percentage of people physically in the office in large US cities was only around 43%. This data is also supported by a Linkedin survey, according to which hybrid work is the preferred management solution for 56% of self-employed workers.
The company sector, its hierarchical structure and the type of activity it carries out require different working models and organisations: it’s therefore clear that there is no one size fits all solution.
This is how Hybrid Work Models were born, which are guidelines that can be adapted to the company’s needs from both a production and human perspective. In this article we talk about the most popular ones.
Office-first
This model has already been implemented by many companies and can be regarded as an evolution of smart working. People work mostly from the office, but have a fixed number of days dedicated to remote working, often with more flexible hours.
Pros:
- Better work-life integration
- No infrastructure updates required
Cons:
- Not suitable for work environments that require continuous collaboration
- Can create conflicts when choosing remote working days
Split-Week
The ‘split week’ model is very similar to shift work. In this case the office staff is divided into two macro-groups that work half a week in the office and half a week from home. After a few weeks the ‘shifts’ are swapped so as not to create inequalities.
Pros:
- Part of the staff is always in the office
- Offices can be smaller in size
- There are no differences between team members
Cons:
- There is lack of interaction between different teams
- More efficient IT structures need to be implemented
Split-Team
In this case we are not talking about hybrid work but about hybrid workplace: the company divides its entire workforce into two macro-teams, one of which works entirely from remote and the other always from the office. The two teams can remain the same throughout the year or work on an alternating basis (on a monthly or quarterly basis).
Pros:
- The weekly schedule remains the same over long periods
- Less desk space is required
Cons:
- Disconnection between teams can be created
- Multimedia technologies need to be implemented
Remote-first
In this model remote working is the standard and is encouraged by the company itself. People can decide to work from home, use a coworking space (often also corporate coworking space) or work from the office.
This work management requires three factors: a strong manager-employee trust, a telematic infrastructure that can meet the needs of all workers and an organised office with enough workstations for everyone and/or the possibility to reserve a desk in advance.
Pros:
- Gives people more responsability
- Improves individual productivity
Cons:
- Allows little control over individuals
- Requires efficient desk management systems
- Under-utilises physical office space
An important step for the company is to choose the right hybrid working model, as it lays the foundation for future productivity. Only experimentation and constant analysis of well-being and productivity will give a true indication of the right model to undertake.
