Situation
after the pandemic made one thing clear about the global workforce. They want
flexibility on how and where do they want to work. This environment made
companies listen to that and find solutions.
According to a Salesforce survey (2020), at least 64% of workers like
the idea of working from outside the office occasionally. Another 37% want to
continue full-time work from home after the pandemic. It shows that everyone is
not convinced that hybrid is the way to go. Here are some benefits and
drawbacks of a modern hybrid workplace.
Benefits of Hybrid Work Model
It
goes without overstating that the traditional system of work is not, after all,
the most effective of all. Remote work arrangement is seen to be effective, and
so far, many have been further convinced through the reality of the new normal
that exists today. Now, because both systems have been tried and properly
tested, it is seen by going a step further that having a fusion of both systems
works (Iqbal & Khalid & Barykin, 2021). For instance, we have two kinds
of work systems that have proven to be effective but not without each challenge
(Teebken & Hess, 2021).
According
to Lenka (2021), advantages of Hybrid Work Model are as follows.
· Cost
saving- Employer saves money as they save on power consumption, cleanliness of
workplace, printing, snacks, tea, water, parking and other miscellaneous cost.
Employees saves on travel time and cost, food and other costs which is associated
with daily office reporting.
· Increased
employee efficiency and productivity- Employees are not forced to come to
office from 9am to 5 pm so they are relaxed and they save time in commuting.
The time saved as well as working in a comfortable environment of their choice
helps in increased happiness and thinking ability. The employees are able to
perform much better and their efficiency level is also increased.
· Effective
recruitment tool- Hybrid work model can work as an effective recruitment tool as
remote work gives the liberty of involving and recruiting best employee’s world
over. Best talent can be hired as it is not restricted to one place. This helps
in better performance and gaining competitive advantage.
· Employee’s
safety- Hybrid work model increases employee’s safety from COVID19 infection.
Since employees are remote working then they hardly come in contact with other
employees. This helps in maintaining social distancing and also helps in
stopping COVID-19 which is the need of the hour. Since employees are healthy,
they can give their best and can help the organization to grow further.
Price
& Martinez (2021) states that the employers can offer flexible working
options, providing their employees with the perks of remote and in-office work settings.
Drawbacks of Hybrid Work Model
· The Danger of Employee Isolation and Marginalization - The driving force of hybridization is the independence of the worker to afford autonomy in the creative process. However, after a prolonged period, the lack of physical interaction may lead to losing touch in the worker’s relationship with his other colleagues. Independence at work is vital, and it can help foster focus on individual tasks without worrying about external distractions. But there is the danger of getting too used to being alone that relating to other people could be viewed as burdensome (Lenka, 2021). Reduced human interaction could lead to loss of bond among team members (Bowen & Pennaforte, 2017). Also a hybrid workplace could face the challenge of employee interaction, especially regarding sharing ideas and solutions (Chernyak-Hai & Rabenu, 2018).
· Tools not up to date- In Hybrid work model the greatest challenge is remote tools not UpToDate. Due to poor tools remote work becomes very difficult to handle. Most of the time employees face connectivity or internet issue because of which work gets hampered. This leads to pending work, poor communication and performance and efficiency being affected (Lenka, 2021).
· Cyber
Risks and Danger of Data Breach - Cyber pitfalls such as cyber-attacks, data
loss, and lack of proper authentication are the likely risks that come with
workers communicating and exchanging vital information from constantly changing
locations. Because of the vitality of the internet to getting work done,
workers who work remotely from several locations need to connect to unfamiliar
internet networks, some of which may
not be secure. The employees need to be
trained to effectively back up their work data, implement data recovery, and effect
multi-factor authentication. As a form of precaution, companies must regularly
update their software and install a strategy for data and privacy breaches and
password and their digital management systems (D’Cruz & Noronha, 2021; King
et al., 2020).
With
the progression of world, the hybrid workplace model might be inevitable for
many organizations. Hybrid work models offer new, affordable ways for
businesses to increase employee engagement and productivity when strategically
implemented. All the employers and employees have a responsibility to adapt for
the new environment and overcome the drawbacks of the model.
List
of References
· Afshar, V. (2020) The future of work
is hybrid: Work from home and the workplace. ZD NET [online] Available at:
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/future-of-work-hybrid-home-and-workplace/>
[Accessed on 26th November 2022]
· Bowen, T., & Pennaforte, A. (2017). The impact of digital communication technologies & new remote-working cultures on the socialization and workreadiness of individuals in wil programs. In International Perspectives on Education and Society (Vol. 32, pp. 99–112). Emerald Group Publishing Ltd. doi:10.1108/S1479-367920170000032006
· Chernyak-Hai, L., & Rabenu,
E. (2018). The
New Era Workplace Relationships: Is
Social Exchange Theory Still
Relevant? In Industrial and
Organizational Psychology (Vol. 11,
Issue 3, pp. 456–481). Cambridge University Press.
doi:10.1017/iop.2018.5
· D’Cruz, P., & Noronha, E. (2021).
Mapping “Varieties of Workplace Bullying”: The Scope of the Field.
doi:10.1007/978-981-13-0134-6_1
· Iqbal, Kanwar Muhammad Javed &
Khalid, Farooq & Barykin, Sergey. (2021). Hybrid Workplace: The Future of
Work. 10.4018/978-1-7998-8327-2.ch003.
· Lenka, R. (2021) Unique Hybrid Work
model- The future of remote work. Palarch’s
Journal of Archaeology of Egypt/Egyptology 18(7). ISSN 1567-214x
· Price, J. & Martinez, A. (2021,
June). 'How a Hybrid Workplace Model Can Boost Employee Efficiency and
Engagement', Portland Business Journal, June 2021
· Teebken, M., & Hess, T. (2021,
January). Privacy in a Digitized Workplace: Towards an Understanding of
Employee Privacy Concerns. Proceedings of the 54th Hawaii International
Conference on System Sciences. 10.24251/HICSS.2021.800
Thank you. A good concept to talk about for time being further When talking about the evolution of the hybrid work system, it is essential to talk about why they need for
ReplyDeletea hybrid arrangement in the first place. With several businesses expanding their reach across countries
with the aid of digital marketing, entrepreneurship serves as a focal point to the study of the rise of the
work’s hybrid system. Digitalization has been a tool of advantage in many entrepreneurs’ hands, such
that what used to seem impossible many years back is now being achieved by individual businesses (La
Porta, 2021).
Thank you for your valuable addition Puthra. The pace of digital transformation continues to accelerate as organizations everywhere reset business strategy in response to COVID-19. But many organizations already face a lack of digital skills that could stall their transformation initiatives. The pandemic has also driven a range of new workforce trends and workplace norms that create a window of opportunity for HR and other business leaders to leverage new hybrid workforce models (Wiles, 2020).
Deleteit's a good initiative to talk about these challenging concept Manula. further to add challenge according to Bentley et al. (2013) discovered some minor adverse effects of hybrid remote work, particularly greater perceived social isolation, and stress/strain. It is necessary that their potentially adverse impacts are attended to through the providing of peer, organizational and technical support, as all were demonstrated to decrease the adverse impacts of remote working on stress, social isolation, and work/family conflict, whilst increasing work satisfaction and productivity. T. Bentley et al. (2013) further emphasized the necessity for positive managerial attitudes to remote work, ICT support, and enhanced technology training (Baker, 2021)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the comment Sachini. To overcome the mentioned challenges, building a productive communication culture is a good solution which can be effectively done by the employer(Broady, 2022).
Deletecommon practice most of the organization practiced with Pandemic , great blog Manula.
ReplyDeleteIt was proven there is greater work-life integration with the hybrid work model. Working away from the office naturally demands flexibility and trust from management. Anyhow as employees go long periods of time away from each other focusing on their individual tasks, the relationship and companionship built through physically being present at the office may be weakened (Price Martinez, 2021)
Yes. That should be a problem to be addressed. Furthermore, developing communication inside the organization, building a great engaging culture and celebrating achievements can be recognized as the solutions for that (Broady, 2022).
DeleteGood post and good content. Further, it goes without overstating that the traditional system of work is not, after all, the most effective of all. Remote work arrangement is seen to be effective, and so far, many have been further convinced through the reality of the new normal that exists today. Now, because both systems have been tried and properly tested, it is seen by going a step further that having a fusion of both systems works. For instance, we have two kinds of work systems that have proven to be effective but not without each challenge (Teebken & Hess, 2021).
ReplyDeleteGreat Addition Manomi. Furthermore, it gives professionals dramatically increased flexibility around their work patterns. A hybrid work arrangement means establishing a different relationship with the office environment, taking a people-focused approach to work requirements, and reconceiving the workplace as an ecosystem of networked workers, rather than one specific location (bob, 2022)
DeleteGreat post Manula. In addition to above, according to Baker (2021), communication, trust, connection, collaboration, and the understanding that we are all unique individuals with different needs and habits are necessary in a hybrid workplace. In addition, insurance readiness, tax and labour regulations need to be considered when establishing a hybrid workplace model.
ReplyDeleteAgree with you Nadula. Furthermore, to regulate the hybrid working, there are some policies should be established as well (Glossary, 2022).
Delete