Will There Ever Be a One-Size-Fits-All Approach to Hybrid Working?

Most employers are committed to some form of hybrid work model post-pandemic, but misaligned expectations with employees prompt a more considered approach.

Productivity

For years working from home carried a stigma in the UK, labelled by most organisations as unproductive, difficult and unrealistic. Though the rise of cloud- based technologies was slowly increasing its prevalence, a company was seen as flexible if it merely allowed employees to work from home once a week or leave the office early on a Friday.

The pandemic transformed perceptions. Forced to embrace home working to maintain operations through lockdowns, companies and employees began to see it in a new light. In a study last year by Prolific, 76% of working adults in the UK reported an improvement in their perceptions of working from home, suggesting the stigma had all but diminished.

Despite the steep learning curve, by and large the remote working experiment showed that employees were productive and felt empowered outside of a traditional office-based structure. Leaders subsequently opened dialogue with their employees on how the workplace should look post-pandemic, with many committing to embracing hybrid work.

The global war for talent has been an additional accelerant. In the first quarter of this year, there were more job vacancies than unemployed people in the UK for the first time since records began. Employees have a louder voice than ever and many are using it to demand a better work-life balance.

“The workplace is no longer static. Offering remote work when feasible makes sense,” says Kate Garbett, vice-president UK and Ireland at staffing and talent solutions company Adecco. “It can be a powerful way to grab the attention of candidates who value this flexibility and it can also let employers tap into underemployed demographic groups. These include people with caring responsibilities or priorities out of work, like parents or older workers.”

“The workplace is no longer static. Offering remote work when feasible makes sense”

While flexible working describes a working arrangement that gives a degree of flexibility on how long, where, when and at what times you work, hybrid working simply refers to the split between working from an office and working remotely. It is important to understand this distinction because mislabelling one as the other can cause confusion.

Hybrid working is clearly outstripping other work models but employers are cautious about managing employee expectations. According to CIPD research, 63% of UK workers want to work from home more than half the time. While over half of companies recognise the importance of flexibility to attracting and retaining people, many also still see the value of office working for innovation, collaboration and nurturing young talent.

“Our working environments must continue evolving beyond the initial changes we saw when the workforce began to return to the office this year,” says Niki Turner-Harding, Adecco senior vice-president, UK and Ireland. “Business leaders have an opportunity to take stock of the strategies that worked well during the pandemic, embracing both the hybrid model and the renewed function of the office.”

Productivity

“The workplace is no longer static. Offering remote work when feasible makes sense”

In pockets, this re-evaluation is already underway. Some companies have dramatically reduced their desk space, committing to ‘digital HQs’. And countries such as Scotland, Belgium and Spain are launching pilot schemes to trial four-day working weeks. But there is no silver bullet to executing hybrid working successfully.

One person’s ideal proportion of office and remote working could be substantially different to someone else’s. Deciding on the right mix requires considerable thought, dialogue and flexibility across the business, understanding how different job families within the same organisation can co-exist.

One size will never fit all and striking the right balance will be key to navigating this transition. Deteriorating mental health, meanwhile, is a major issue running in parallel. This can be tied both to a leadership deficit and to young leaders experiencing burnout, as well as the blurring of home and work life.

“No one has perfected hybrid working yet. It will take time to understand and there is no blueprint ”

Leadership development, coaching and resources for managers on how to deal with and respond to situations are crucial. Companies must also commit to providing better wellbeing resources to their employees within the new hybrid working mode. Building pro-wellbeing working environments, culture and skills will be particularly important.

Adecco is leading the way in enabling organisations to adapt to the changing world of work and ensure the future employability of people against this evolving backdrop. It has not only navigated clients through the pandemic with innovative ways to attract, onboard, retain or reskill talent, but is also now supporting them on their hybrid working journey.

“We work with our clients to ensure we are providing up-to-date market insight so they can understand the market and have effective talent strategies in place,” says Sandeep Bhandal, Adecco vice-president, UK and Ireland. “We also work with them on their employer brand, so they are effectively communicating why someone should join their organisation, and on creating a high-quality candidate onboarding experience so new hires are able to really embrace the culture from day one.

“No one has perfected hybrid working yet. It will take time to understand and there is no blueprint. However, we know that people are the heart of businesses and therefore taking the time to understand how they want to work and what will keep them happy and effective in their roles is key when defining a plan for the future. Trust, adaptability and personalisation must remain as businesses seek to solidify their ways of working.”

Productivity

Developing a successful hybrid work culture

  • Take steps to ensure your team isn’t divided into those who work from home and those who come into the office

  • Send a clear message from the top that hybrid working is a valid option, and if possible become a role model for hybrid workers

  • Train managers in how to communicate effectively with people they don’t see every day, and take steps to generate a trusting environment

  • Provide hybrid workers with the financial and technological support they need to work and communicate effectively

  • Train your HR team to spot new opportunities for delegation, so they can decide when and which parts of tasks and roles should be done by whom

    • ...
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