Hybrid workplaces are becoming more and more of a trend these days. Companies are adopting them in their policies in order to increase their employees’ quality of life and work satisfaction. But what exactly are hybrid workplaces, and how can companies arrange them? In this article, you can read everything you need about hybrid workplaces.

What is a hybrid workplace?

A hybrid workplace is an arrangement startup companies can come up with to manage their employees and work schedules. In this model, your employees do not have to come to the office every day. They can choose to work from home, work in a coworking space, or come to the office a few days a week.

The hybrid model usually plays a vital role in employee satisfaction, but it can also save entrepreneurs money and time. Using this model, you can change your company into an environment where everybody does their best to reach the collective goals of the startup.

What are the different types of a hybrid workplace?

One of the main features of a hybrid workplace is that it allows people to stay at home or in a coworking space. In this model, the exact working schedule can be arranged by several people.

Flexible hybrid workplace

In a flexible hybrid work model, employees pick the days they want to come to work based on their own priorities. Sometimes you have a project that you need to focus on and communicate about at the office. And at other times, your priority is attending your child’s graduation party. Whatever it is, you are the one who decides when and where to do your work.

Fixed hybrid workplace

In this model, the company picks the times people work at the office and the times they spend outside it. The company’s CEO or HR manager determines the times that certain team members are necessary for the workplace and which ones can be excused to work at home.

Office-first hybrid work model

In this type of hybrid model, the priority is on staying at the office at all times, but employees can pick two days a week to work from home. The good point about this model is that people can choose which days to come to the office, although the number of their home days is limited. The challenging side is that the managers never know when a given person is going to be at the office or home.

Remote-first hybrid work model

Remote-first hybrid work model is the exact opposite. In this type, the priority is on working remotely at home or in a coworking space, and people come to the office once or twice a day to do some face-to-face collaborative work or training.

What are the advantages of having a hybrid work model?

Employee wellbeing

The main reason for developing and adopting a hybrid work model is to improve the work-life balance of the employees. The simple truth of today’s world is that you need to “work smart, not hard.” In order to do that, you need to concentrate completely on the project you are doing. When you have had the time to fulfill your responsibilities as a family member, friend, and coworker, when you have done all that prevents you from focusing on the job, then it’s time to get your work done and finish the project.

Reduced costs

One of the most significant costs startup companies have to deal with is renting or buying premises for their operations. On the other hand, a smaller office means lower costs. So, it’s only natural that companies are looking to hire fewer people and rent smaller offices to be able to keep the company afloat.

Opting for a hybrid work model can mean that companies will get all the talent they need without having to compromise their financial state to rent an office space that can accommodate everybody.

The best of both worlds

Having employees come to the workplace every day can cause burnt-out and unmotivated employees who are just too tired to focus on anything or show any creativity. On the other hand, having all your employees work from home or at a coworking space can cause so many challenges. These challenges include hindrances in collaborative work and a lack of infrastructures for cloud-based work.

Choosing to go hybrid can help companies to enjoy the best of both options. Happy employees, collaborative sessions, great life-work balance, and creative solutions to day-to-day issues are all part of the perks companies get in this model.

 Increase efficiency

Happy employees, hardworking employees! As mentioned, the primary purpose of adopting a hybrid workplace is to increase employee wellbeing. When people do not have to spend a lot of time in traffic every single day, sit at a desk for the better part of the day, or deal with workplace drama every day, they generally feel better.

Therefore, in a hybrid work model, employees can focus on what’s the most critical issue: concentrate on accomplishing the tasks. And all the extra time and energy can go to reaching the goals set for each employee.

What are the disadvantages of having a hybrid work model?

Culture

One of the main challenges of working in a hybrid workplace is to keep yourself and your boss reassured that you are doing all that is asked of you and reaching all your goals. Two things can happen in a workplace that has not yet developed a hybrid culture. First, employees might overstretch themselves in order to prove that they are not slacking off. In these situations, the destroyed work-life balance can cause employee burnout. Second, employees might come with intrusive methods of overseeing the day-to-day operations. These methods can lead to employee dissatisfaction and demotivation.

The simple solution to this challenge is to develop the right culture before diving into a hybrid workplace. Employees and managers can get an education on the does and don’ts of the hybrid workplace. They can attend seminars and webinars on how to develop a culture of trust and communication.

Lack of infrastructures

working remotely, albeit a few days of the week, requires complete cloud-based access to employees at home or in a coworking space. Not having this access can cause so many serious precautions for the workflow because people have to constantly call their office to get the information they need.

Therefore, it is imperative that companies invest in the necessary infrastructures and transfer all their data to the cloud before they send their employees home or to a coworking space. What’s more, a hybrid company needs video conferencing and remote communication facilities so that the remote workers can collaborate with the other members of the team.

Management difficulties

managing which employees need to work remotely and which ones should come to the office can cause most managers a headache. If you are going with a fixed hybrid model, it’s a little easier to manage because you can set a regular schedule and set off working as a traffic officer.

However, the other hybrid models are much more challenging to manage. As the person in charge, you need to keep track of the employees and make sure you know where each person is at any given time.  As a manager, you need to learn precisely what you need to do to help the transition go as smoothly as possible.

Final thoughts

Hybrid work models seem to have become inevitable these days. More and more employees demand to spend some of their days at home or in a coworking space nearby so that they wouldn’t have to spend such a long time in traffic every day.

These workplaces increase employee well-being to a great extent and empower them to improve their work-life balance. On the other hand, this should not mean that employees have to spend the better part of their days searching for the information they need and trying to communicate with other team members.   

Like any other tool and technique, hybrid work models should be implemented safely and in a ripe environment. You will need some prerequisites and infrastructures added to your company to get the results you have in mind. And more importantly, you need to educate yourself and your employees about using this model in the best way possible.