Is hybrid working here to stay?
Since Covid restrictions have lifted, some businesses have required their staff to be back to the office as normal but for many hybrid working has become an option. Pre pandemic, many senior executives considered working from home to be less effective but the enforced move to working from home kick started a change in attitude.
Hybrid working, which involves a blend of remote working with visits to the office, can provide the perfect balance but there are pros and cons. If that sounds good to you, Stop Gap specialise in placing great people in marketing roles including office based, remote and hybrid.
Pros and Cons of Hybrid Working
Does hybrid working provide the best of both worlds or the worst?
Hybrid working is only suitable for some types of job roles and industries. Coca-Cola Europacific Partners customer account management roles in the UK have been successful hybrid working positions since long before Covid appeared. Employees are based from home with full tech support online and make regular visits to customers or the office for meetings.
Positive mental wellbeing is crucial to staff retention and productivity. Working from home, especially for parents, allows for much greater flexibility. While, going into the office allows a break from back to back zoom calls, allowing for deeper connections to be made between colleagues.
Cost savings can be significant for both employees and businesses. Less people in the office mean less space required with hot desking offered and break out spaces for meetings.
Down sizing offices in high cost locations such as London has a significant impact on the bottom line. Unilever has been gradually reducing their London based office space both pre and post Covid restrictions.
Reducing the expensive commute by train or car, pricey coffees and lunches all make great savings for employees when they’re working remotely.
One of biggest challenges with hybrid working is effective collaboration. There’s no guarantee the person you want to see will be in the office. Co-ordinating schedules to make time spent in the office productive can prove to be burdensome.
Management and employee buy in across a company plays an essential role as does trust. Clear expectations should be laid out in advance with all in agreement to find the balance between remote and office working.
