What is hybrid work? Understanding the future of work
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Hybrid work mixes the flexibility of working from home with the opportunity to collaborate at the office on some days.
So, is it the best of both worlds? If done correctly, it absolutely can be.
However, to make hybrid work actually work for your team, you need the right tools, a solid process, a good hybrid work policy – and be willing to tackle the difficulties that you might encounter.
In this guide, we’ll break down what hybrid work is, talk about its benefits and challenges, and see how you can make it successful for your team. Whether you’re a manager or business owner, this is your go-to resource for understanding hybrid work and how to use it to build a better workplace where your team thrives.
Get to know the hybrid work environment
Hybrid work is an approach that combines the best of both worlds: remote and in-person work.
The goal? Give your team members the freedom to choose how they work but also encourage in-person collaboration for more challenging tasks, especially those where team creativity and innovation are required.
The definition of hybrid work
Hybrid work is a work arrangement that allows employees to divide their time between working remotely (from home or from another location) and working in a physical office, coworking area, or other designated spaces where they can meet their coworkers.
In essence, hybrid work blurs the boundaries between the traditional office and remote work, creating a dynamic and adaptable work environment, where employees can integrate their work and personal lives without compromising either.
It gives employees the flexibility to work from anywhere, including another country (as long as they have the legal right to do so) while also providing an actual office space where they can have face-to-face interactions with coworkers some days of the week and/or /month.
The main idea behind this arrangement is that work is not limited to a specific location, but rather focuses on outcomes and productivity.
The evolution of hybrid work
The idea of hybrid work isn’t new, but it took center stage during the COVID-19 pandemic, when it spiked from just 6% of full workdays to more than 50% in early 2020. As workplaces went remote overnight, businesses realized that teams could stay productive and engaged without the traditional office setup.
The pandemic also forced companies to adapt quickly and many found that not only did remote work sustain productivity, but it also improved employee satisfaction. This shift has cemented hybrid work as a cornerstone of many modern workplaces’ strategy.
Now, hybrid work has progressively evolved from a short-term fix to a long-term strategy. Employee expectations have shifted and despite the return-to-office mandates of many large companies, for many, remote or hybrid work is a clear benefit they’re not willing to forgo.
Thankfully, there are plenty of tools you could use to simplify hybrid work for everyone involved, and create an environment that’s truly inclusive and adaptable.
Key characteristics of hybrid work
Hybrid work is all about letting teams choose when and where they’re most productive, and giving them the autonomy to work in a way that works best for them. Here are the key characteristics that shape hybrid arrangements:
Flexible schedules: Employees can split time between home and the office based on their preferences, tasks, and meetings with coworkers.
Adaptable office setups: Spaces are designed for different types of work, including collaboration and tasks that require deep focus.
Tech-enabled coordination:Hot desking apps like Officely simplify desk booking, team schedules, and resource management.
Clear communication: Transparency and prompt communication are a must in a hybrid setup and help keep everyone aligned, whether they’re remote or on-site.
Officely makes it easy for your team members to see who’s coming in and when – and book desks to join in
With the right tools and approach, a hybrid setup can be a powerful way to keep your best talent and empower your team to work wherever’s best for them.
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New Office Management Handbook for Flexible Workplaces
Packed with actual experts insights and pro tips, this guide is here to help you find out all about managing a flexible office!
Hybrid arrangements sound great, but what are their actual, specific benefits for employers and workers? In this section, you’ll find out what you might be missing out on if you’re not offering your team the possibility to work remotely a part of the time.
Increased employee flexibility
Hybrid work enables employees to work smarter and fit their personal commitments around their work schedule in a way that works for you and for them.
In practice, this means that they can adjust their work schedules to fit their lives – whether that means working from home some of the time, starting work earlier or later based on when they’re more productive, or fitting a doctor’s appointment or managing childcare arrangements around work meetings, instead of having to take a day off.
Are you doing enough to support parents in your team? Hybrid arrangements enable you to give them the flexibility they need
This helps your people achieve a better work-life balance and, ultimately, stay more engaged and focused.
To make this work, however, you need to set clear expectations for communication and availability while allowing personal scheduling freedom.
Cost savings for businesses
Fewer desks mean smaller offices – and enable you to make significant savings on rent, utilities, and maintenance. You are then free to reinvest these savings into what matters: better tools, employee development and happiness, and initiatives that drive long-term success.
For the best results, we advise you to use a workspace management software tool like Officely to optimize office space, track usage, and reduce overhead without having your team miss out on collaboration opportunities.
Improved employee well-being
Commuting can be stressful for employees, especially if they need to go to the office every day.
Thankfully, hybrid arrangements help address this and enable you to support the mental and physical health of your people by enabling them to design workspaces that work for them. Whether it’s working in a quiet home office or taking a midday yoga break, employees gain the autonomy to structure their days for peak performance.
Help your team set up their ideal work environments by providing sufficient budget for a home office and encourage them to incorporate regular breaks into their routines to stay energized and motivated.
The challenges of hybrid work
To set up a successful hybrid work model for your team, you need to create the right strategy and hybrid policy – but even then, some challenges might crop up. Here’s how to spot and address them.
Communication barriers
Clear communication is non-negotiable for a hybrid setup. Without quick in-office chats, teams need the right systems and frameworks to stay aligned.
To address potential communication issues, here’s what you need to do:
Use the right tools: Combine video calls for face-to-face discussions, messaging apps such as Slack or MS Teams for quick updates, and project management platforms such as Asana or ClickUp to track progress.
Set clear norms and expectations: Define response times and establish when and how to use each communication channel to avoid overload and confusion.
Set up weekly check-in meetings: To make sure that everyone is on track and has a clear understanding of the team’s common goals and progress, you can ask team leads to set up weekly meetings. To avoid wasting time, however, each meeting needs a clear agenda and focus.
Managing remote workers
Supporting hybrid employees requires a fresh approach, meaning that managers must focus on clarity, connection, and accountability.
Here’s what to do:
Provide clear direction: Set specific goals, targets, and responsibilities for everyone.
Stay connected: Schedule regular one-on-ones and team check-ins to provide feedback and address challenges.
Build a sense of belonging: Use a mix of virtual and in-person social activities like team lunches or informal chats. Need ideas? Check out our top eight affordable team-building activities for hybrid teams.
Ensuring work-life balance
Flexibility can blur the line between work and home, making it more difficult for employees to switch off and recharge, leaving them exhausted and burnt out.
Here are some ways in which you can promote a healthy work-life balance in a hybrid model:
Encourage boundaries: Help employees set defined work hours and unplug after their day; discourage after-work communication on work-related issues and encourage everyone to not check emails when they’re away on a holiday or sick leave.
Promote self-care: Offer resources that promote your employees’ health and well-being, such as gym and yoga passes, healthcare plans that cover physical and mental health, and sufficient flexibility.
Lead by example: Model healthy work habits and make it clear that overwork isn’t the expectation.
Hobbies help your people thrive and be more productive at work – so make sure they have the flexibility to pick up the ones that light them up
Implementing a hybrid work model
So, what’s the best way to create a hybrid workplace where everyone thrives and can do their best work? Find out below.
Necessary tools for hybrid work
The right tools are essential to creating a successful hybrid office. Ensure your team has the right apps to:
Communicate easily, such as MS Teams or Slack
Manage projects, such as ClickUp, monday.com, or Trello
Set up video calls, such as Zoom or Google Meet
Book desks whenever they come to the office – Officely is the perfect fit for this
If you want people to come into the office two or three days a week, you need to enable them to pick the days that work best for them by seeing who else is in the office, and book workstations to avoid not having a desk when they come in.
Officely simplifies all this – plus, it lives where your team already spends their work days, Slack or MS Teams, meaning that your people won’t have to use yet another app to update their availability.
Creating a hybrid policy
A clear hybrid work policy ensures everyone knows how the model works and what’s expected. In it, you need to cover the essentials: who works remotely and when, how office spaces are managed, and what tools are used to keep things running smoothly.
For a hybrid workforce to truly thrive, training is key, along with creating the right hybrid culture.
Equip managers to lead distributed teams effectively and ensure employees know how to make full use of your hybrid tools and processes.
Give your people the autonomy to choose the schedule and location distribution that works best for them, within the framework of your hybrid policy, and train them on communication best practices and on how to manage their work-life balance successfully, without burning out.
Build a better hybrid workplace with Officely
And there you have it – our comprehensive guide to hybrid work! Now that you know how to build a thriving hybrid workspace, what challenges you can expect, and how to overcome them, you can start building your hybrid and remote work policies and setting the right workflows and processes.
For the best results, you need the right tools that will encourage office use and will enable your hybrid workers to make the most of their days in the office. Officely is a top choice for this: It enables you to create the right environment for productive office usage and flexible in-person meetings by letting your people know when is the best time to go into the office and meet others.
Max is the cofounder and CEO of Officely, office management software built for hybrid teams inside Slack and Teams. He’s helped thousands of companies not just adapt to hybrid work, but turn it into a core part of their culture and identity.
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