Hybrid work and hybrid workplace

About hybrid forms of work and the perfect hybrid office

Digitization and the corona pandemic have fundamentally changed the world of work. Flexible working models and hybrid work seemed unthinkable for many employees and companies just a few years ago, but are now expected in many sectors and for new hires. Read the article to find out exactly what hybrid work means, how the hybrid office can be designed, which hybrid forms of work are possible and how you can use video and screen tools in hybrid work.

Contents

What does hybrid work mean? definition

What hybrid forms of work are there? An overview

How good is hybrid work? The advantages and disadvantages

How do you find the best hybrid working model?

How do you set up a hybrid workspace?

FAQs on hybrid working

What does hybrid work mean? definition

According to Duden, “hybrid” means a mixture or a structure made up of two or more components. In hybrid work, two or more forms of work are mixed together. As a rule, one speaks of hybrid work when people work from different locations, i.e. partly in the office and partly at home or even in a café.

What hybrid forms of work are there? An overview

Modern work models vary along two dimensions in particular: working hours and work location. With hybrid work, the first thing to do is workplace decisive. There are essentially four different hybrid forms of work:

1. Remote first: The home office or remote workplace is the standard workplace. Work or work meetings in the office or in the company headquarters are the exception.
2. Fully flexible: The employees are completely free to decide whether they want to work in the office, in the home office or on the go. There are no specifications.
3. Partly flexible: There is a certain number of office or home office days or fixed working days in the office that must be observed.
4. Office first: The office is the standard workplace. Home office or remote working are only possible in exceptional cases.

All of these hybrid forms of work can be expanded to include the working hours be expanded. This results in further variants of the hybrid forms of work:

1. Fixed working hours: The working hours and the duration of the work are precisely specified and must be adhered to.
2. Partly flexible working hours: The working hours can be flexible in parts, e.g. B. via a flextime model or by only specifying core working hours.
3. Fully flexible working hours: The working hours and sometimes also the working time can be determined completely by yourself.

The variants of working time and place of work can be combined with each other as desired. In extreme cases, this can mean that both the place of work and the working hours can be determined completely by yourself – and only the work results count. On the other hand, there is the very inflexible, almost old-fashioned model of working only in the office and at precisely defined working hours.

Many companies choose a hybrid form between these two extremes and allow a partially flexible choice of work location and partially flexible working hours, for example with a fixed number of days in the office and core working hours. They hope to combine the advantages of the classic office-first model with the advantages of hybrid work.

How good is hybrid work? The advantages and disadvantages

Hybrid working brings many advantages, but also some disadvantages for both employees and companies.

Advantages:

+ The hybrid work promotes self-determined work. Many employees rate it positively when they can decide for themselves where and when they work, depending on the type of work.

+ Hybrid work can promote the work-life balance: there is no time for commuting to work and the time gained can be used for leisure activities, for the family or for the household. Family commitments, interests or other private appointments can be better perceived and planned alongside work.

+ Hybrid work can improve employee satisfaction. Happy employees do better work and are less likely to quit.

+ Companies can save money with hybrid working models: The size of the office can be reduced, and there are lower costs, for example for cleaning, electricity and water.

+ Hybrid working models expand the pool of applicants and make it easier to recruit top talent. Especially in sectors where there is a shortage of skilled workers, hybrid and flexible working models can give a company advantages over the competition.

Disadvantages:

– In the home office, private and professional life mix. Some people then find it more difficult to switch off after the working day and to draw clear boundaries as to when and how long one works or is available for the company. This, in turn, can have a negative impact on the work-life balance.

– There is a lack of social exchange in the home office. Talking in the tea kitchen, having lunch together, after-work drinks – such activities play an important role in team building and social life.

– Additional costs can arise for the company if both an office has to be financed and a home office for the employees has to be set up and technically equipped.

– Executives may experience additional workloads when coordinating and managing remote teams, including scheduling team meetings, office attendances, or core work hours.

– If only a few employees are allowed or want to work hybrid, while the majority is in the office all the time, this can lead to divisions in the workforce or to envious debates. Workers who work from home may fear being excluded from agreements or not being considered for promotions. All of this can have a negative impact on corporate culture.

How do you find the best hybrid working model?

Whether you opt for a hybrid working model and how you design it depends closely on your company and the type of work you do. The good thing: There is not just one model for hybrid working, but many different ones that you can adapt to your needs.

First ask yourself the following questions:

• When and how often is undisturbed, concentrated work required that can be done better in the home office?
• Are there jobs that can only be done in the office?
• How do you ensure that your team meets regularly and that personal exchange remains possible? How do you ensure the social exchange of employees?
• What needs do your employees have and how can they best implement them in the work model and fairly for everyone?

It is advisable to first carry out a needs analysis and, based on this, to create a generally applicable working model. If you have developed this, then it is important to formulate appropriate work guidelines and to communicate them correctly in the company.

How do you set up a hybrid workspace?

The right hybrid working model can only work if there is the right technology and technical support for it. You need the right tools to enable a distributed team to work together successfully. This includes basic equipment such as a laptop, headset, microphone, smartphone, printer, WiFi and the right software to work together on content and save it in the cloud or on a server.

In addition, you need the right tools for project management and communication: A hybrid office and the asynchronous work associated with it are particularly facilitated by video communication, be it via video conferences or screen presentations. Used correctly, these tools can have a positive impact on efficiency and successful hybrid work.

Don’t just provide the right equipment, but also offer support: Not everyone knows how to record a video call or share and record a slide show right away. Support employees in acquiring the necessary knowledge for hybrid work, be it through live seminars or descriptive video tutorials.

Also, always record important video meetings so they’re available for everyone to review and ask questions later. Use handy screen recording tools like Snagit for simple captures and screenshots, or Camtasia for more complex video projects.

FAQs on hybrid working

Any questions about hybrid working? Here are the answers in short:

Which hybrid working models are there?

Hybrid forms of work differ in where you work and how often you work at different locations. There are four basic forms:

Office first: The office is the standard workplace. Remote first: The home office or remote workplace is the standard workplace. Fully flexible: The employees decide for themselves where they work, whether in the office or in the home office. Partly flexible: A certain number of office or home office days is specified.

What is a hybrid form of work?

In a hybrid form of work, work in an office alternates with work in the home office or at a location of your choice.

What is a hybrid workplace

A hybrid workplace makes it easy to change the place of work. This requires a certain basic technical equipment, for example mobile laptops with headsets for video conferences, server or cloud-based work as well as project management and communication tools that enable remote teams to work together.