Hybrid Working – The good, the bad and the ugly!

Since coming out the other side of a global pandemic, we have heard a lot of talk about the ‘new normal’. There are many aspects of society that have changed over the last couple of years, and this is true for business as well. One thing that companies are implementing into their business structure more and more in this ‘new norm’ is hybrid working.

What is Hybrid Working? 

Simply put, hybrid working is when your workforce is divided between the office and their homes. It could be that each individual divides their own time between the office and home, or that half of the team works from the office and the other half work from their homes as a standard. How it is arranged will depend on the organisation and what its needs are. 

The pandemic saw such a shift in mindset across so many areas within businesses. It was discovered that there are many great benefits to enabling staff to be able to work remotely, and as such, many job seekers will be looking specifically for jobs they can do from home. 

That isn’t to say that there isn’t a negative to hybrid working, though, so let’s take a look at both the pros and the cons. 

Pros

No commute – By cutting out the need to travel to the office, you open up your hiring pool to a much broader selection of candidates. Working from home also means there will be less environmental impact as people will not need to use transport to travel to their home office. 

Authenticity – With people working from home and communicating virtually through video calls, you are able to get to know them in a way that you may not in an office setting. You will be seeing them in their own environments and maybe even get to learn more about their kids, pets, and their home life. 

Flexibility – Enabling staff to work from home gives them the freedom to live where they want to live and be more productive in their personal lives. Remote working is especially appealing to parents as it means they are close to their children’s schools if something were to happen. It also allows them to maintain their home better without the commute to work eating into their day. 

Options – Hybrid working allows an organisation to find the right fit for the role they are hiring. By not being locked down to a geographical location, you are able to hire the best talent, regardless of where they are based. 

Cons

Siloed – With staff being outside of the office, it can be easy for them to feel siloed or isolated as they are not getting that daily connection with others during their work time. As an employer, you could help prevent this by putting groups in place and encouraging communication between the team. By putting those connections in place, people may then even be able to arrange social gatherings with other colleagues who live in the same area.

Supplies and Resources – People won’t have the same resources at home as they do in the office. For example, if something were to go amiss with their computer, they can’t call somebody from IT to pop in and sort it. It may also be an issue if an employee’s internet connection is not strong enough to run any software or any virtual meetings that may be needed. It then falls to question whether it is on their shoulders to resolve that as it is their home or yours as their employer to enable them to do their job. 

Disconnected – Leaders can already tend to be disconnected from employees, and this can become a greater issue when they’re not even based in the same building. It can also be a struggle for new hires to try and integrate themselves into the team when they are not all meeting face to face. You can try and combat this by holding regular video calls to allow staff the chance to touch base and check in with each other.

Networking Challenges – Networking is so important to growing a career opportunity, and to do so is lessened when working at home. This means that it will take more energy and effort for an individual to put themselves out there and make an impression in order to progress. 

Ultimately, hybrid working is something that companies should consider within their business model. It does seem to be something that job seekers are seeking in a role more and more these days, and the benefits it provides to the company are undeniable. There are many businesses already implementing hybrid working with great success.