China Business Daily (Reporter Zhao Yiru)On February 14, Ctrip announced that it would implement a hybrid office system across the company. Starting from March 1, every Wednesday and Friday, the company’s business divisions and functional departments can implement or gradually implement a 1- to 2-day mixed office based on actual management needs. It is worth paying attention to, what are the advantages and disadvantages of such an office model? Can it be promoted?
Ctrip’s “experiment”
Why did Ctrip implement the mixed office system? Liang Jianzhang, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ctrip Group, said that the hybrid office model not only ensures office efficiency and employee satisfaction, but also helps reduce the pressure of social commuting and the pressure of young people to buy a house. It is helpful for young people to take care of their families and increase fertility. There is also a certain pulling effect.
It is understood that Ctrip had previously conducted a six-month mixed office trial, with a total of 1,612 employees participating. The test data shows that among the attitudes of participating employees towards the mixed office system, the proportion of “not supportive” dropped from 1% to 0.1%, and the proportion of “strong support” increased to nearly 60%. The main reasons why employees support the hybrid office are reduced commute time, better work-life balance, happier and more creative.
A business manager of the technology center of Ctrip Group told reporters: “I personally think that the efficiency of work and life is higher. Working from home can take care of children. The efficiency of life is high, and there is a feeling of being able to do work anytime, anywhere.”
A product manager at the company affirmed the advantages of a hybrid office to save commute time, but also expressed concern about work completion: “Working from home can reduce my commute time, because I live in Pudong, and the daily commute time is about the same. It takes three hours. For the work itself, it still has a certain adverse effect, because I am a product manager and need a lot of communication. I personally think that remote communication is far less effective than face-to-face communication. “
There are still many “concerns”
According to Ctrip’s mixed office test data, employees’ concerns about mixed office mainly focus on “affecting communication with colleagues”, “instant intranet and complicated use”, and “environment that lacks efficiency and focus.” However, after the end of the trial, the proportion of these reasons decreased to a certain extent.
Tan Yudong, head of Ctrip Group’s air ticket business group, said: “At the beginning of the implementation, many supervisors still had concerns, especially for some positions that require frequent face-to-face communication. Of course, these concerns are understandable, but after half a year of implementation, People found that the negative effects were not as much as imagined.”
It’s important to note, however, that the “longer working hours” increased after the trial, from 33.6% to 42.3%, meaning that while employees’ commutes have decreased, working hours may have increased . In this regard, Liang Jianzhang said: “From the previous experiments with customer service personnel, employees will voluntarily put part of the commuting time they save into work, but at the same time their income will also increase. However, most of the The rest of the time will still be reserved for their own lives. During the three days in the company, employees can still do a lot of social work to deepen their relationship. So the mixed office model will be a better balance.”
In addition, information security and management efficiency are also issues that need attention in the hybrid office model. In this regard, Liang Jianzhang said: “We made preparations for the hybrid office by investing in information security and IT support many years ago. In this experiment and comprehensive promotion, there is no problem in information security. From the benefits and employees From a satisfaction-enhancing perspective, it’s well worth the investment.”
Liang Jianzhang also said that at present, the mixed office model does not have much impact on management efficiency. Of course, some departments will gradually promote it, such as hotel procurement managers and other flexible office positions.
Can it be promoted?
It is reported that overseas companies such as Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and Apple have also begun to implement a hybrid office model during the new crown pneumonia epidemic. In May last year, Google announced that it would allow 20% of its employees to work from home permanently, and about 60% of employees could only come to work three days a week; while Facebook said it would allow certain employees to work full-time remotely, and their pay would be adjusted according to the location after the move. , and predicts that in the next five to ten years, 50% of the company’s employees will be working remotely.
In the mixed office data released by Microsoft and LinkedIn, there are 160,000 Microsoft employees working from home and 25,000 new employees joining remotely. The proportion of employees who feel that they are integrated into Microsoft has reached a record high of 90%. But at the same time, employee surveys show challenges remain in terms of satisfaction with work-life balance and team connections when working remotely during the pandemic.
Liang Jianzhang said that the mixed office model has improved employee satisfaction, and the employee turnover rate has also dropped by 1/3. Whether it is an excellent employee or an ordinary employee, the turnover rate has dropped significantly, which is of great help to the company’s overall labor costs. of. In the Internet industry, employee turnover is a very important labor cost, and it is also a very troublesome thing.
“The mixed office model has advantages and disadvantages. The advantage is that it allows employees in some positions to choose one more office model. The disadvantage is that it may have an uncertain impact on work efficiency and team collaboration.” Peking University Zongheng Management Consulting Group Shareholder and senior partner Xiong Hao told a reporter from China Business Daily.
Can this model be rolled out across the industry? Xiong Hao believes that it remains to be seen. “Under the influence of technological advancements such as the Internet, mobile office, and the Metaverse, the scope of the hybrid office model may be expanded in suitable enterprises and positions, but it may not be widely promoted. Because not all enterprises, positions and personnel are It is suitable for mixed office. Mixed office will not replace the five-day work schedule as the work norm for everyone, but it can indeed give the industry a reference and give employees more choices.”Return to Sohu, see more
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