- Chief people officer of a digital collaboration company offers tips for reconsidering the office environment when adopting a hybrid model
- Understanding the advantages and disadvantages of hybrid work
- The importance of making software tools and training available to improve collaboration
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
After many employees found remote work arrangements to be preferential to office work during the COVID-19 pandemic, companies were left with the decision of whether to mandate a return to the standard office work week when it was safe to do so or allow work-from-home to continue. Hybrid models are emerging as a compromise: a way for employees to work remotely some of the time, but come into the office at least a few days out of the week.
Adriana Roche, the chief people officer for the digital collaboration company Mural, suggests in an article for Fast Company that business leaders need to update their expectations for what a communal workplace can accomplish when adopting a hybrid model.
- The role of the office was already due to change before the pandemic, as remote work options were becoming increasingly feasible and available
- Hybrid models give employees advantages such as fewer commutes and a better work-life balance, while employers can potentially expand their recruitment efforts
- A key disadvantage of the hybrid model is that it results in fewer spontaneous interactions between employees, which can limit innovation and make collaboration more challenging
- Companies need to determine what they need to accomplish in a traditional office environment while also providing the software tools and training necessary for digital collaboration in areas like project management and shared documentation
