Employees have had a taste of working remotely, and many are requesting to work from home more regularly. One major takeaway from this large-scale shift to remote-based work is that companies are now open to more creative ways to get the job done. The question arises, whether to continue with the remote-based model or get back to the traditional workspace, post-pandemic? The best solution could be an overlap of both!
Are employees productive working at home?
It is a commendable fact that many businesses, during the global pandemic crisis, were able to follow the best practices for managing remote workers. Historically, employers may have been resistant or cautious about remote work models for fear of implementation and productivity. However, the year-long extension of the work-from-home order has delivered us enough data and proof to suggest that our preconceived notions could have been wrong. Employers now face the dilemma of what to do about their post-pandemic work models as employee perceptions evolve.
Could a hybrid workplace model be right for your business?
A 2020 survey by LinkedIn reveals that most employees and managers believe that they are as productive—if not more—working remotely and view the model as sustainable. Even more interesting, when asked about their preferences for after the pandemic, only 35% expressed a desire to return to their traditional workspace. In comparison, 38% wish to juggle between a traditional workspace and remote work, and 28% said they would like to remain completely remote.
If the survey data is considered, most people showed some or complete interest in remote work, with only a few percent of people completely opposing it. That is a strong indicator that remote-based work should be incorporated into workplace models. The hybrid workplace model can come in handy for organizations currently facing a similar challenge.
It may be tempting to return to the traditional model you were operating under pre-pandemic as there are many organizations for which the fully remote workforce is simply not realistic in the long-term. Not to forget, one of the significant challenges faced under a fully remote work model is to sustain the company culture. Under a hybrid model, you can provide employees with the structure and social aspects of the physical workspace and the independence and flexibility of remote work.
As an employer, you also have a lot of room to dictate how work can be split between the home and a centralized location and which employee groups this will apply to. Globally, many employers are beginning to adapt varying hybrid models, with a 40/60 split between remote/onsite trending, as reported by the BBC.
Finally, it is important here to realize that every organization is unique, and has to device a plan specific to their needs. We understand that at your level of involvement in your business, it is difficult to doubt your own ‘best judgement’. Still, it is a good business sense to take professional help when dealing with tricky scenarios.
Thankfully, we are offering our Guide to a Successful Hybrid Workplace for FREE! It is a complete guide created by our team of HR professionals that can help you to shape up an unique hybrid workplace model for your business. Click on the button below to download the guide!
While Citation Canada, formerly HRdownloads, uses reasonable efforts to maintain this site/blog and its Services in an up-to-date fashion, it does not warrant the completeness, timeliness or accuracy of any information contained on this site/blog or any of its Services, whether in English or French, and may make changes thereto at any time in its sole discretion without notice. All information and Services provided by Citation Canada, formerly HRdownloads, are provided to members and/or users “as is”, “with all faults,” “as available” and at the sole risk of members and/or users. Our human resources information and recommendations are based on seasoned, best practice field experience and should not be construed as legal advice.