The global pandemic shocked the world and resulted in a transformation that changed the very idea of how we should work. The traditional work of showing up every day when you don’t have to is no longer the norm for a large part of the working population around the world. During the pandemic, it wasn’t safe from a health perspective to have many people together, forcing companies to find new ways to organize their employees.
So you had to ignore all the arguments against remote working, which at the time was the general opinion – remote working is a bad idea. However, having to introduce remote working made many realize that it might not be such a bad idea after all. We are slowly coming out of the pandemic and the vast majority of people are able to work as normal again. Fortunately, we haven’t forgotten all the benefits of remote working and it has introduced a whole new form of workplace – the hybrid workplace.
What is a hybrid workplace?
The idea behind the hybrid workplace is that employees have the flexibility to do part of their work at home and the rest at work. For some, it might be one day a week where they can work from home, and for others it might mean that they can switch between home and the workplace, whichever suits them best. The hybrid workplace is not a one-size-fits-all approach – hence the name "hybrid".
As the hybrid workplace becomes more and more prevalent, it has also become very clear that it’s here to stay.
Why the hybrid workplace is here to stay
The amazing flexibility that the hybrid workplace offers is one of the main reasons why it’s here to stay. A large survey of Slack employees showed that 63% preferred the hybrid workplace over the traditional one. In addition, another 20% preferred permanent remote work. This trend is even more pronounced among young workers, with the vast majority preferring the hybrid workplace.
While much of the population has had to work from home, many are realizing the benefits of this flexibility. It has allowed them to be more productive, eliminate commute time and enjoy a better work-life balance.
That said, the office is still the ideal place for collaboration, professional relationships between colleagues and building a great culture within the organization.
The workplace of the future must be flexible and hybrid
As a result of the high demand for freedom, flexibility and face-to-face communication, there is no doubt that the hybrid workplace is the model that offers the best solution by far. The hybrid work model offers a wide range of benefits; increased productivity, employee satisfaction, many digital opportunities, an improved work-life balance, and many more.
The flexibility that the hybrid workplace offers is arguably the most important element. That’s because it gives employees what they’ve wanted for years – a better work-life balance. A poor work-life balance can be hugely detrimental to employees in a number of ways – it can cause stress, increased sick days and more.
However, creating a great hybrid workplace requires careful preparation and planning, as well as digital tools to help keep everything running smoothly. Fortunately, there are many great digital tools on the market to help businesses evolve and adapt to the hybrid workplace.
