Hybrid Work Schedule is a work arrangement that combines remote work and presential work. It allows employees to have a flexible schedule where they are able to work from home for a certain number of days and be present at the office for the remaining days. On top of that, this can encompass, for instance, coming to the office in the morning and working from home in the afternoon.
Due to the pandemic, this practice has become increasingly popular in recent years and has proven to offer multiple benefits. In the first place, it has helped employees to improve their work-life balance, as allowing them to work remotely has saved them time on commuting and enabled them to have more flexibility to attend to personal matters.
On the other hand, it has undeniably increased productivity in organizations on the grounds that distractions in the workplace have been reduced by working from home. Generally, employees have used their remote work time to focus more on their tasks. Thirdly, it has reduced costs to both sides. Companies have economized for example, in utilities and employees in other areas as commuting or even meals.
Moreover, employee satisfaction has considerably increased with this new measure, as the flexibility and autonomy gained from the hybrid work schedule has even enhanced retention rates. Lastly, it has been proven that health and well-being have risen. The fact that employees are more in control over their work schedule and environment has contributed to reducing stress levels and preventing burnout. Furthermore, social isolation has decreased as employees have the opportunity to still meet their colleagues in person and connect with them.
As blended work schedules are becoming increasingly popular in today’s workforce, the number of employees that can work both remotely or in-person is constantly growing. There are several types of hybrid work schedules that employers can consider when implementing a hybrid work model.
Nevertheless, it is crucial that employers know how to effectively manage hybrid work teams. Several tips that we recommend to employers to follow in order to accomplish this, are the following ones.
As aforementioned, nowadays there are several options of hybrid work models implemented in millions of organizations to ensure the increase of productivity in them. Numerous companies attempted to receive back their employees in the office in 2022, ensuring that at least they are in the office 50% of the time. This is an example of office-first, top-down decision making.
In the other respect, other companies allow employees to work remotely up to 50% of the time. This is a top-down decision (as the company executed it) and offers a more balanced hybrid system.
Nevertheless, other companies simply adopt a balance between office and remote work and leave the decision-making at the team level. Thus, hybrid work responsibilities are delegated to the team directors, which are the ones in charge of taking the decisions.
Besides, numerous firms allow employees to choose their own schedule plan. This includes how many days they want to be at the office, whether they want to work fully remotely or if they prefer to be physically present at the office.
Similarly, some organizations also prefer employees to decide between three options, work from home certain days, being at the office the rest of their week and tailor their flexible plan.
In the last place, there are companies that translate this decision entirely to their employees, giving them the complete freedom to choose whether to attend the office and stay at home.
Nonetheless, what is the best hybrid work schedule that your company should implement? On the one hand, flexible work schedules are becoming increasingly popular as more and more enterprises are recognizing the benefits of offering flexible work arrangements to their employees.
Flexible schedules imply different options, as for instance the following ones. Firstly, part-time employees work fewer hours than full time employees, it usually consists of 20 or 30 hours per week. Another example is compressed workweeks. This means that employees can work the same amount of hours in a week but in less days. In the other respect, another popular system is job sharing. This implies different employees sharing a unique full time position. Lastly, flextime allows employees to choose their own start and end times within a range of hours established by the employer.
In conclusion, the hybrid work schedule system is becoming more and more popular within companies and their employees. With the rise of technology and the COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses have chosen to adapt to the current times, allowing employees to have a flexible schedule between remote work and in-office work. The hybrid work schedule can help companies attract and retain employees, increase productivity, and reduce costs associated with maintaining a physical office space and the utilities this entails. Moreover, it provides employees with the freedom and flexibility to work in a way that suits their individual needs and preferences creating a win-win situation for both parties.