Can a Hybrid Working Model Become the New Work Culture?

The days of a typical 9-to-5 job being the ideal career choice are far gone. As the corporate sector took over and globalization became all the rage, we saw massive business growth. This ultimately led to increased workloads to remain competitive in a forever-evolving world. 

Office spaces are where the work happened until the COVID-19 pandemic took place. In a sense, the corporate world as we once knew it was brought to a complete halt. However, the business machine needed to keep running. That’s when the corporate space shifted into a new model amidst this uncertainty – hybrid remote working model. 

This pandemic has globally changed the landscape of work culture. Although this virus has left the office culture almost redundant, it has offered CEO and managers alternative solutions proving more beneficial than damaging to workers' performance and productivity in an organization. 

As we gradually return to a form of normalcy with the help of vaccinations, organizations are attempting to establish a viable work culture that maximizes employee comfort and satisfaction. There’s no going back to the pre-COVID work culture, but that doesn’t mean remote working is the only option left. In-person connection and communication are still needed, which is why managers are looking at a hybrid work culture. 

However, you might be asking “what is a hybrid workforce,” or how you can utilize hybrid work software to establish this hybrid work culture. We have everything you need to know and more, so continue reading. 

What Is a Hybrid Workforce?

Hybrid workplace culture is a newly emerging office model that allows employees to work remotely and in a physical office space. The culture in a hybrid work model is constructed in a way where employees can occasionally visit the office when needed and work remotely or from home when in-person communication or connection isn't required. 

Because this is a recent trend, there isn't any rigid or specific structure that an organization is required to follow. Moreover, a hybrid environment culture continues to evolve, so companies have the liberty to set up this model in a way that managers believe can align with the business's specific requirements. 

What Are the Benefits of a Hybrid Work Culture? (Especially Post-Pandemic)?

You might be wondering why, as we move back to some form of normality after the pandemic, we aren't fully returning to the 9-to-5 office model. The simple reason is that COVID-19 has shown us we can maximize our employee productivity and satisfaction by incorporating elements of in-person and remote working into a hybrid work arrangement. This model is offering more benefits when compared to the effectiveness of in-person or remote working separately. 

Here are some of the most prevalent advantages you can expect when implementing hybrid work software into your organizational structure: 

Reduced Operational Costs

Running an office space daily incurs operational expenses. When you implement this new hybrid workplace culture, most of your employees are working from home. Hence, it isn’t necessary to keep such a large office space. 

You can shift your operations into smaller spaces that accommodate this hybrid work culture, which is most cost-effective. This reduction in operational costs from using smaller office spaces can then be reinvested into more pressing business matters. 

Work-Life-Balance

With this hybrid environment culture, employees are sure to benefit when it comes to commuting to and from the office. Instead of coming to the office every day, employees have the option of working remotely and only coming into this dedicated workspace when it’s absolutely necessary. 

This working model eliminates the amount of time these individuals need to spend to get to work. Hence, they can use this time to get their work done and spend time with their friends and family. Moreover, reduced travel time means that exhaustion and stress can be kept at bay, enhancing employee satisfaction, pushing motivation levels, and ensuring these employees remain happy at work. 

Enhanced Productivity

A hybrid work culture offers more flexibility to how employees choose to conduct their work responsibilities. These workers have the option to complete this work in a way that best suits them. Sitting in office spaces for hours on end has had a direct impact on employee productivity for years. That's why hybrid working has become the new favorite work model in the corporate world. 

With this hybridity, employees have the option to work from home (or in another environment that’s more comfortable for them) and then visit this centralized office space two to three times each week. 

Such procedures help ensure employee satisfaction without jeopardizing accountability and productivity. In fact, such satisfaction is seen as a vehicle boosting employee satisfaction. This is because workers are empowered to work how they want to while still allowing leaders to ensure these work commitments are being kept. 

How Can You Construct a Hybrid Work Culture?

When it comes to implementing a hybrid work arrangement into an organization or a culture for a hybrid office, managers need to draft rules that benefit the employee and the business. Failing to do this can make such a work model counterproductive. However, when implemented well, you can reap the benefits listed above and far more. 

Nonetheless, it’s vital to understand that a hybrid work policies template is going to be different for each organization. Constructing policies that align with your business’s structure, employees, and objectives is the best way to ensure these rules are acceptable for your specific hybrid workplace culture. 

Here are some of the elements you should consider when developing the culture in hybrid work model: 

Be Flexible While Practicing Consistency

It’s no secret that companies are a complex web of cross-teams. This hybrid environment culture structure can become hard to keep up with, which is why it’s crucial for those making up the business structure to see each other from time to time. However, it isn’t expected for these cross-teams of managers, collaborators, and employees to have a full scope of each of these networks. 

To successfully enforce hybrid offices, managers should construct a calendar. This schedule should allocate the days of the week in which teams should attend the office and partake in in-person communication and collaboration. However, outside of these guidelines, team members should be given autonomy over where and when they work. 

Providing this flexibility of when employees can work is only beneficial if you maintain the allocated days. Consistency with these times can help reduce confusion about when such employees are expected in the office and when they can work remotely. Of course, you can encourage team members to work from the office (if you have the space to accommodate this) on days that aren't allocated, but this shouldn't be mandatory. 

Prioritize Mental Health

Many individuals have had limited human interaction during this global pandemic. Hence, it’s vital to think proactively when it comes to employee mental health, as we begin returning to the office with an effective hybrid work culture. 

From the COVID-19 outbreak, employees increasingly expect to receive healthcare benefits focusing on such areas. That’s why HR managers should become prepared to develop and enforce protocols that optimize mental well-being and human interaction. 

Understand Remote Working’s Productivity Gains

Unfair space allocation, prescriptive schedules, and blanket policies are known to easily kill the productivity benefits associated with hybrid work culture. Managers and business owners can easily maximize their employee productivity levels by ensuring office space is allocated to the best combination of team members at a time. 

Along with optimizing this office space, managers and business owners can encourage a culture that views remote working as a positive and productive alternative for all responsibilities and tasks that can be done from home. 

While establishing this culture, you can reward employees for effectiveness and efficiency as opposed to interactivity. Moreover, you can boost these productivity gains of hybrid working by giving employees autonomy over how they wish to complete their respective projects and responsibilities. 

Ensure the Business’s Needs Are Being Met

When it comes to formulating an organizational structure that promotes hybrid environment culture, much focus is placed on employees. Although your workforce should be a priority, you should never neglect your business or jeopardize its overall performance for the sake of your employees. Instead, you should find a healthy balance. 

Opinions vary when it comes to including attendance thresholds for your employees. This can be one example where you could be jeopardizing your business’s needs for the sake of your hybrid workforce. In such instances, the best approach is largely dependent on your industry and company. 

It’s no secret that your employees are the lifeblood of your organization. Hence, implementing flexibility is vital. Nonetheless, you're faced with the challenge of balancing your employee needs against your organization's requirements. 

Luckily, specialized technology, like Autonomous Hybrid, can offer a framework that makes it easier to manage your employees and hybrid office spaces. Yet, leaders are still required to develop rules fostering a robust working culture that can easily attract and retain a high-quality workforce.   

Why Should You Choose Autonomous Hybrid as Your Digital Solution for a Hybrid Work Culture?

As we have mentioned above, specialized hybrid software is a manager’s best friend when it comes to constructing a hybrid remote work model. Nonetheless, not all hybrid software options are built the same, and you want the best to ensure you reap all the productivity gains this hybridity has to offer. That’s why you want Autonomous Hybrid. 

What Can Autonomous Hybrid Do for You?

The culture for hybrid office solutions offered by Autonomous are top-notch. This software provides you with everything you need to run a flexible office. Here are some of the most well-liked features included in Autonomous Hybrid that you need in your model today: 

Allows You to Efficiently Manage Your Resources

With Autonomous Hybrid, you can easily drag and drop to optimize your office space’s layout. Gone are the days you’re confused by complex spreadsheets. Autonomous Hybrid gives you the option of effortlessly structuring and optimizing your office space without the hassle commonly associated with spreadsheets and other complicated formats. 

Moreover, you can effortlessly assign fixed desks for employees who typically come into the office each day and hot desks for those who split their time between remote and in-person working. From this programming, you can keep track of your hybrid resources. Such data also allows you to forecast what the organization is bound to need in the future. 

Provides Employees Autonomy

We all understand that one of the crucial elements making up a hybrid working culture is to give employees autonomy. With Autonomous Hybrid, you can let them book the spaces they require in an office space from a real-time layout of this area. 

Additionally, you give these employees the ability to easily define the tools they require in this space to ensure such work is completed in the most efficient way possible. Moreover, this hybrid workspace empowers your team to find each other wherever they're present in this office space on the same day. Thus, boosting human interaction and well-being.

Overall, Autonomous Hybrid allows you to rethink your office’s flexibility with a hybrid work culture. Explore what Hybrid OS can provide for your business today! 

The Bottom Line

This hybrid office model can have devastating impacts on a company’s productivity and organization when implemented incorrectly. The right planning needs to take place while business owners should ensure they utilize effective hybridity tools and software to make this transition into such a business model easier on employees and managers. 

Nonetheless, when keeping the best interests of employees in mind to develop this hybrid work culture, such a model is bound to reap many benefits. There’s no doubt that hybrid workplaces are likely to become the next best thing in the corporate world. 

However, you can gain an edge over your competition by establishing a hybrid environment/culture in your organizational structure now. Luckily, Autonomous Hybrid has everything you could need to get you started on this journey.