Hybrid work models, a viable option to return to the office.

A couple of months ago, the companies have decided to reactivate little by little and with the vaccination of the population in the country, it has served as support to rethink returning to the offices.

We cannot deny that the great advantages that the home office has brought us are happier people, greater retention of staff and great productivity within organizations because many collaborators have felt comfortable with this work model, while others miss the offices, the social interaction they had with their co-workers, thus creating a dilemma between employees and companies for the best for everyone.

The question that many are asking is: will we ever return to a world where all employees work in the same office from Monday to Friday? The answers seem to be no, a Gallup study says that 53% of employees plan to work more time from home.

Likewise, the "Employee Experience Imperative" study carried out by ServiceNow reveals that 65% of people in organizations expect to have a hybrid approach to work, achieving a balance between digital and face-to-face interactions (when they are safe).

These results leave us with a balance where collaborators want to work remotely, but they also want to do it in person, requiring a hybrid work model, a combination of the two modalities.

If your organization is also considering applying this scheme, We leave you some recommendations that must be taken into account to have a working hybrid model.

This work model brings with it a great responsibility on the part of each individual in the organization, so that leaders have the ability to recognize which areas can work remotely and who can do it in the office and how often, this with the In order to change the organizational culture to a more flexible one, empower employees to decide for themselves whether they want to work from home or in the office for the good of themselves and the company.

The office goes beyond that space that the company has for employees to carry out their activities; now this space can also be given in our house, cafes, coworking or a space that simply has Internet access.

Leaders must ensure that their teams have the right tools to work from wherever they are. For this reason, it is easier if you give them guidelines to be able to work correctly both remotely and in the office, these requirements can be: good internet connection, at least 10MB; good camera and sound signal for virtual meetings; an ergonomic chair and a suitable table or surface to work on.

We must not forget that the offices must be attractive enough to motivate employees to go frequently, so open offices with shared spaces are a good option.

This phenomenon is very new, it is a state of physical, emotional and mental exhaustion and occurs as a result of overwhelming demands, chronic stress or job dissatisfaction. Lately it is occurring more frequently because many organizations or collaborators do not set limits on their working hours, working more than they should.

In itself, leaders must work with their collaborators and teach them to work with these modalities, having a balance between work and personal life. In short, work policies must be created for remote and office work, as well as creating this culture where rest is essential for everything to work and be balanced.

Before going to the office consisted of meeting your other colleagues, living together and creating that social connection that we as humans have. Now with the home office it is not so simple, but leaders must encourage, create spaces so that everyone can socialize and interact remotely.

With what happened in the pandemic, organizations of any size and line of business are realizing better ways to attract talent, bonuses or spaces for coexistence are not enough. Today flexibility, inspiration, autonomy and responsibility are what govern, this being a reason for talent to choose between one company or another.

We can see this reflected in organizations like Netflix, where their policy is clear: let all people be responsible for their activities wherever they are and act in their own interest and that of the company, managing to retain and attract more talent. We can clearly see that organizations that decide on a hybrid job must pay attention to the experience of being a collaborator for the company, reflecting on their policies and adapting them to what the new generations are looking for.

Applying these work schemes used to be a visionary idea, right now it is a viable option for all of us to adapt to what we are experiencing, to what the new generations also need, but above all to continue in this productive work culture despite the adversities.