Hybrid vs. Remote Working: The Model My Business Needs

Your employees are happy working from home or coming to the office occasionally. Their productivity is not suffering, irrespective of working remotely or following a hybrid work model. Since the pandemic, most companies with an online presence or operating in the IT industry have found their operations continuing effectively without any hiccups. Digitalization of daily tasks and activities, including client communication, information processing, and customer service, went high. Employees showed much openness to replacing face-to-face interactions with online engagement. Before COVID-19 grappled the world, many employees favored work-from-home instead of office work, and this preference continues today.

Hybrid vs. Remote Work

But working remotely and in a hybrid mode has benefits and challenges. Here, we comprehend the differences between the two models. Besides, we shall look at the pros and cons of each model before deciding the best one for our business.

What is remote work?

As the name hints, the remote work model involves employees working from remote locations or homes instead of in an office. If your company is remote, it does not have office space; if it does, it must be for a few departments operating from the office. Rather than being together in a physical space, remote teams depend much on digital tools. They may use cloud-based software like UnlockTalent or an instant messaging app like MS Teams for effective collaboration and communication.

Benefits of Remote Working for the Employer and the Employee

For the Employer

• Without a physical infrastructure, i.e., office space and equipment, businesses, especially those with limited resources, can save huge costs.
• As a company, you can access talent globally, allowing you to tap into expertise, experience, and skills at a higher level. Remote hiring helps you more when you seek expansion into new markets or sectors and add value to your business.

For the Employee

• The remote worker can enjoy more flexibility with their schedule. They can maintain a work-life balance.
• Employees can also save costs and time spent commuting to the office daily. They don’t need to stay away from their native place in rented accommodation, thus saving money.

Challenges of Remote Work

• Enhanced security risk due to insecure networks and hence data.
• Isolation and loneliness due to the inability to connect physically.
• Employee engagement, motivation, and productivity become difficult.
• Employee performance decreases and is hard to measure in remote working.
• People lack a sense of belonging and fail to understand and imbibe the company’s culture.
• More flexibility makes employees careless and inconsistent towards their work and goals.
• Remote work may become monotonous for the employee after a while.

What is hybrid work?

A hybrid work model necessitates blending office-based and remote working arrangements. But, in hybrid working, employees can work part of their time remotely while still having access to their office, as and when needed. Over 60% of high-revenue growth companies adopted hybrid work models as of 2022. This shows how this working mode has become popular among scaleups and startups.

Benefits of Hybrid Working for the Employer and the Employee

For the Employer

• Employers and employees can enjoy the best of both worlds in a hybrid work model. As a company, you can bring in people from several locations while keeping the core team together in one location.
• Your employees become more efficient and productive.
• If you seek to nurture a sense of team spirit among your employees, office-based meetings and events help to boost team morale.
• You can even maintain a sense of unity and collaboration among different teams while benefitting from the cost savings of remote work.

For the Employee

• There is an improvement in work-life balance.
• Employees can use their time more efficiently, have greater control over work hours, and are free to choose where they want to work.
• Your employees no longer face communication issues due to in-person and office meetings.
• Employees face reduced work burnout or fatigue in a hybrid work model.

Challenges of Hybrid Work

• In a hybrid work model, it isn’t easy to manage employee productivity or better it. Due to hybrid work’s flexibility, your employees may not adhere to the same working hours.
• Adapting oneself to hybrid working is not easy, too, as the employee must toggle between home and office. It is difficult for employees to find happiness.
• On the side of the employer, there are financial costs involved in renting office space.
• Businesses may also have difficulty reaching talent that prefers permanent remote working.
• There is a potential security risk to your employee’s use of network access points.
• Effective communication and collaboration happen when teams meet in the office, which is not always.
• Employees must bear living and conveyance costs when working hybrid.

Remote or Hybrid: Model Ideal for my Business?

Well, there is no right answer to this question. It all depends on your business type and needs. There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Multiple factors include your company’s size, the industry you cater to, culture, and performance needs. They all affect the working model you choose to run your business. Bigger companies or enterprises can do better by taking a hybrid approach. They can benefit from the best of both worlds. Businesses must get buy-in from all stakeholders, ensure communication policies and channels and assess employee performance closely to get the best out of their teams. Remember, you can only attract and retain top talent when you offer them a flexible working environment and a great employee experience platform. Aim to maximize employee productivity and, thus, performance.